A reference guide covering all major DNS record types with field-by-field explanations and ready-to-copy dig/nslookup commands.
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Raw Record Parser
Paste any raw DNS record line and get a field-by-field breakdown.
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Summary
A reference guide covering all major DNS record types with field-by-field explanations and ready-to-copy dig/nslookup commands.
How it works
Select a DNS record type from the list or use the search box to filter by type or keyword.
Read the "What it does" summary to understand the record's purpose.
Review the example record and the field-by-field breakdown below it.
Copy the dig or nslookup command and run it in your terminal.
Paste a raw record line into the parser tab to decode an unfamiliar record.
Use cases
Learn what each field in an MX or SRV record means before editing DNS.
Copy a working dig command without memorizing the syntax.
Decode a raw DNS record returned by your registrar or DNS provider.
Verify correct record formatting when configuring email (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
Understand PTR records when investigating reverse-DNS failures.
Reference CAA records when setting up a certificate authority policy.
Onboard junior engineers to DNS fundamentals with real examples.
Troubleshoot DNS propagation by knowing exactly what to query.
Frequently Asked Questions
An A record maps a hostname directly to an IPv4 address. A CNAME record maps a hostname to another hostname (an alias), letting the target hostname hold the actual IP. You cannot use a CNAME at the root/apex domain — use an A record or an ALIAS/ANAME record there instead.
The priority (preference) number tells mail servers which MX to try first. Lower numbers mean higher priority. If the primary server is unavailable the sender falls back to the next-lowest priority. Equal-priority MX records are load-balanced round-robin.
TTL (Time To Live) is the number of seconds a resolver is allowed to cache the record. A TTL of 300 means changes appear within 5 minutes. A TTL of 86400 (24 h) means stale records may persist for a full day. Lower the TTL before making changes, then restore it afterward.
On Linux/macOS run: dig example.com A. On Windows run: nslookup -type=A example.com. Both ship with the OS. For web-based lookups, many public DNS-over-HTTPS endpoints (e.g. Cloudflare 1.1.1.1/dns-query) accept a browser fetch.
The Start of Authority record holds administrative metadata for a DNS zone: the primary nameserver, the responsible email address, a serial number (for zone transfers), and timers that control refresh, retry, expiry, and negative caching. You rarely edit it manually — zone management tools update the serial automatically.
Yes. A domain can have many TXT records at the same name. SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and domain ownership verification proofs all coexist as separate TXT records. Note that SPF requires exactly one TXT record containing "v=spf1" — having two SPF records causes a "permerror".