# DNS Lookup

> Look up every common DNS record for a domain in one go: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, TXT, SOA and CAA, with TTLs, from Cloudflare's public 1.1.1.1 resolver.

Use it free at https://swipetolaunch.com/tools/dns-lookup

## How to use it

1. **Enter a domain.** A root domain like example.com or any hostname like www.example.com.
2. **Look up.** We query eight record types at once over DNS over HTTPS.
3. **Read each table.** Values and TTLs per record type, so you can confirm a change has gone live.

## What each record does

- **A** and **AAAA** point a hostname at an IPv4 or IPv6 address. These are what browsers connect to.
- **CNAME** makes one hostname an alias of another, common for `www` and for services like Shopify, Vercel or a CDN. A name with a CNAME cannot have other records.
- **MX** lists the mail servers that accept email for the domain, lowest priority number first.
- **NS** names the nameservers that are authoritative for the domain, which is where every other record is managed.
- **TXT** holds free-form text: SPF, domain verification for Google Search Console and other services, DKIM and DMARC (on their own subdomains).
- **SOA** is the zone's start of authority: the primary nameserver, admin contact and timers.
- **CAA** says which certificate authorities may issue certificates for the domain. If it is set and your CA is not listed, renewals fail.

## Why DNS matters for SEO

Search engines cannot crawl a site they cannot resolve. A wrong A record after a host move, a missing `www` record, or a lapsed nameserver takes the whole site offline. DNS is also where you prove ownership in Google Search Console with a TXT record.

## Checking a DNS change

Every record has a TTL, the number of seconds resolvers may cache it. After you change a record, old answers can linger for up to that long. Lower the TTL a day before a planned move, then raise it again afterwards.

This lookup asks Cloudflare's public resolver, so it reflects what most of the internet sees, not your local cache. For email records specifically, the [email auth checker](/tools/email-auth-checker) reads SPF, DKIM and DMARC and tells you what is wrong. For registrar and expiry details, use the [WHOIS lookup](/tools/whois-lookup).

## What you get

- Eight record types in one lookup
- TTL for every record
- MX sorted by priority
- Works for subdomains
- Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 over HTTPS

## Questions

### How do I check DNS records for a domain?

Enter the domain above. We query A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, TXT, SOA and CAA records from Cloudflare's public resolver and show each with its TTL.

### How long does a DNS change take to propagate?

Up to the record's old TTL, often 5 minutes to an hour, sometimes up to 48 hours for nameserver changes at the registry. Lowering the TTL before a change makes it faster.

### What is a TXT record used for?

Text records hold verification tokens (Google Search Console, Microsoft, Apple and others) and email authentication policies like SPF. DKIM and DMARC live in TXT records on their own subdomains.

### Why does my domain have no A record?

If the root uses a CNAME-like flattening (ALIAS or ANAME) at some DNS hosts, or the site lives only on www, the root may have no A record. Visitors typing the bare domain then cannot reach you.