Essential DNS Troubleshooting with Dig Commands

Master DNS troubleshooting and domain analysis using the powerful dig command-line tool.

Basic Domain Lookup

Query the default A record for a domain:

dig google.com

Query Specific DNS Servers

Target a specific DNS server for your queries:

dig @8.8.8.8 google.com

This is useful for:

  • Testing different DNS providers
  • Bypassing local DNS cache
  • Troubleshooting DNS propagation

Retrieve All DNS Records

Get comprehensive DNS information for a domain:

dig google.com ANY

Query Specific Record Types

Mail Exchange (MX) records:

dig MX google.com

Name Server (NS) records:

dig NS google.com

Text (TXT) records:

dig TXT google.com

AAAA records (IPv6):

dig AAAA google.com

DNS Trace Analysis

Perform a complete DNS resolution trace from root servers:

dig google.com +trace

This command shows the complete path of DNS resolution, helping identify where delays or failures occur in the DNS hierarchy.

Short Output Format

Get concise results without additional information:

dig google.com +short

Reverse DNS Lookup

Find the domain name associated with an IP address:

dig -x 8.8.8.8