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To find the IP address a hostname currently resolves to, query its DNS A record for IPv4 and AAAA record for IPv6. On macOS or Linux, run dig +short example.com A and dig +short example.com AAAA; on Windows, use nslookup -type=A example.com and nslookup -type=AAAA example.com. A result may include several addresses—or a CDN or proxy address rather than the website’s origin server.
What a domain IP lookup actually checks
A domain name is not itself an IP address. DNS publishes records for individual hostnames, and the two address records are:
- A: one or more IPv4 addresses.
- AAAA: one or more IPv6 addresses.
A hostname can have multiple addresses, only one address family, or no address record. A CNAME record points to another hostname; that target may then resolve to A or AAAA records. DNS answers also carry a TTL (time to live), which indicates how long a resolver may cache an answer before checking again.
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Other DNS records answer different questions: NS identifies a domain’s authoritative nameservers; MX lists mail servers; TXT carries text-based configuration; SOA contains zone authority and timing information; CAA specifies which certificate authorities may issue certificates; PTR is used for reverse DNS.
Quick lookup in a browser
If you do not have terminal access, use a browser-based DNS lookup. Enter the hostname, select A or AAAA, and note every answer and any CNAME shown. Repeat for the exact hostname that matters, including www or a service subdomain.
- Google Public DNS provides resolver-based DNS results and diagnostic information.
- MxToolbox DNS Lookup offers general DNS and related network diagnostics.
- nslookup.io A lookup provides a straightforward record lookup.
Browser tools are convenient, but their answers reflect the resolver, location, or data source they use—not necessarily the answer your device or network receives. For repeatable results, a chosen resolver, or deeper diagnostics, use command-line tools.
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Query IPv4 and IPv6 separately:
dig example.com A
dig example.com AAAAFor just the returned data:
dig +short example.com A
dig +short example.com AAAAIn the full output, look under ANSWER SECTION. An answer such as example.com. 300 IN A 192.0.2.10 gives the queried name, a TTL of 300 seconds, the Internet class (IN), the record type (A) and the IPv4 address. The example address is reserved for documentation and is not a real service endpoint.
To check whether a hostname is an alias, query its CNAME:
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dig +short www.example.com CNAMEIf it returns a target hostname, query that target’s address records too:
dig +short target.example.net A
dig +short target.example.net AAAAA full dig response may include both the alias and data for its target. Either way, do not mistake the name you entered for proof that it directly owns the resulting IP.
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For other record types, ask for each type explicitly. ANY is not a dependable way to retrieve every record; servers and resolvers may omit or refuse such responses.
for type in A AAAA CNAME NS MX TXT SOA CAA; do
echo "=== $type ==="
dig +noall +answer example.com "$type"
doneUse nslookup on Windows
nslookup is widely available in Windows and is enough for ordinary queries:
nslookup -type=A example.com
nslookup -type=AAAA example.com
nslookup -type=CNAME www.example.com
nslookup -type=NS example.comTo ask a particular resolver rather than your system’s default:
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nslookup example.com 8.8.8.8
nslookup example.com 1.1.1.1For a simple Unix-like alternative with concise output, use host example.com, or specify a type with host -t A example.com or host -t AAAA example.com. For more detailed troubleshooting, dig provides greater control and clearer access to response details. Google’s DNS troubleshooting guide includes examples for both dig and nslookup.
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A normal lookup usually asks a recursive resolver. It may return a cached answer, while another resolver—or a resolver in another region—may return a different one. Compare public resolvers when diagnosing a discrepancy:
dig @8.8.8.8 example.com A +short
dig @1.1.1.1 example.com A +short
dig @9.9.9.9 example.com A +short8.8.8.8 is one of Google Public DNS’s IPv4 addresses; 1.1.1.1 and 9.9.9.9 are commonly used public resolvers. Different answers are not automatically evidence that one resolver is wrong. Geographic routing, load balancing, caching, and other traffic-management choices can produce legitimate differences.
To inspect what the domain’s DNS zone is publishing, find its nameservers and query one directly:
dig +short example.com NS
dig @authoritative-nameserver.example example.com AReplace the sample nameserver with one returned by the first command. A direct authoritative query avoids relying on a recursive resolver’s cached copy, but it does not guarantee an answer: delegation problems, DNSSEC, network reachability, and provider configuration can still affect the result. To trace the hierarchy from the DNS root through the top-level domain to the authoritative servers, run:
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dig +trace example.com AFor DNSSEC-related diagnostics, try dig +dnssec example.com A. Google documents additional options for investigating authoritative-server responses, DNSSEC and response size in its troubleshooting guidance.
Reverse DNS is a different lookup
A forward lookup asks which addresses a hostname resolves to. A reverse DNS lookup asks whether an IP has a hostname associated with it, using a PTR record:
dig -x 192.0.2.10On Windows, use nslookup 192.0.2.10. A reverse query might return one or more PTR names, a generic hosting-provider name, or no result. PTR is configured separately from A and AAAA, so it does not prove that an IP hosts a particular website. No PTR response is not necessarily a fault for a web server, although reverse DNS can matter in some mail-delivery setups.
“Reverse IP lookup” is also used to mean searching a dataset for other hostnames associated with an IP. That is not the same as a PTR query: it generally depends on indexed or historical data, which may be incomplete or out of date. Passive DNS products can show prior observations rather than only today’s public DNS answers. Treat these results as leads, not a complete inventory or proof of common ownership.
Use DNS over HTTPS in a script
For a simple programmatic lookup, Google Public DNS offers a JSON endpoint at https://dns.google/resolve and an RFC 8484 DNS-over-HTTPS endpoint at https://dns.google/dns-query. A JSON A-record query can be made with:
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curl 'https://dns.google/resolve?name=example.com&type=A'If jq is installed, extract address data with:
curl -s 'https://dns.google/resolve?name=example.com&type=A' |
jq -r '.Answer[]?.data'This asks Google’s recursive DNS service over HTTPS. It is not a direct query to the domain’s authoritative nameserver. For an application-level check using the operating system’s configured resolver, Python’s standard library can use socket.getaddrinfo():
import socket
hostname = "example.com"
for result in socket.getaddrinfo(hostname, None, type=socket.SOCK_STREAM):
print(result[4][0])That is useful for checking what a local application may receive, but it can return duplicate or differently ordered addresses and does not expose every DNS record or resolver detail. For controlled record queries in Python, use a DNS library and explicitly choose the record type and resolver.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why answers differ—or show no address
- Cached data and TTL: A recursive resolver may retain an earlier answer until its cache lifetime ends. A recent change does not instantly replace every cached response; avoid blanket claims about a fixed “propagation” period.
- CDNs and proxies: A domain may resolve to an edge or reverse-proxy address, not its origin. Cloudflare explains that proxied A, AAAA and CNAME records return Cloudflare addresses rather than the origin address in its DNS FAQ.
- Traffic steering: Load balancing, geographic or latency-based DNS, anycast, and failover can produce multiple or location-dependent answers.
- Different hostnames: The apex,
www, mail and API hostnames may have separate records—or only some may be configured. - Split-horizon DNS: An organization may publish different answers to internal and external clients.
- Different resolution paths: A browser using built-in DNS over HTTPS can behave differently from a terminal using the operating system resolver. VPNs, security software, enterprise policy, blocked DNS traffic, and local caches can also matter.
- DNSSEC or delegation faults: Validation failures or broken nameserver delegation can prevent a valid answer from reaching the client.
An IP returned by DNS is not necessarily the physical server address, the origin, or even the same endpoint another region receives. If a browser can open a site but a terminal query fails, check that both tested the same hostname and compare the resolver paths; Google’s DNS troubleshooting documentation covers diagnosing intercepted or blocked DNS traffic.
Troubleshoot a missing or unexpected result
- Check the exact hostname. Query the domain and the actual web hostname separately; do not include
https://, a path, or a port. - Check both address families and aliases.
dig example.com A dig example.com AAAA dig example.com CNAMEA missing A record does not rule out an AAAA answer, and a CNAME target may need its own address query.
- Compare recursive resolvers.
dig @8.8.8.8 example.com A dig @1.1.1.1 example.com A dig @9.9.9.9 example.com A - Inspect delegation and the zone. Query NS records, query an authoritative nameserver directly, and use
dig +trace example.com Aif the delegation path seems broken. - Read the response status.
NXDOMAINmeans the queried name does not exist according to that response; an empty answer may instead mean the name exists but has no requested record type. A timeout points to a resolver or network path problem rather than proving the record is absent. - Consider DNSSEC and network policy. Compare resolver behavior and inspect DNSSEC-related output if validation is suspected. On managed networks, a VPN, firewall, or DNS policy may affect the result.
If several IPs appear, record all of them. Multiple A or AAAA answers are often intentional, not duplicates to discard. If an address appears to belong to a CDN, do not treat it as evidence of the origin or attempt to access services merely because a lookup exposed an IP.
Choose a tool for the job
| Need | Good starting point | What it tells you—and what it does not |
|---|---|---|
| One quick address check | Browser DNS lookup, dig, or nslookup |
Current answers from a particular query path; not necessarily the origin IP or a globally universal answer. |
| Windows command line | nslookup |
Convenient basic queries; less detailed control than dig. |
| Resolver comparison or DNS debugging | dig |
Record types, selected resolvers, response detail, traces, and authoritative queries. |
| Registration information | ICANN Lookup | Public registration data, not live DNS answers or hosting location. |
| Historical DNS, reverse-IP research, or security investigation | A passive-DNS or domain-intelligence service | Indexed observations and history; coverage, freshness, and completeness vary. |
| Ongoing change detection | A DNS monitoring service | Alerts over time, rather than a one-time manual answer; review its coverage, resolver locations, history, API limits, privacy, and billing model. |
A basic lookup does not require a paid product. Consider commercial tools only if you need capabilities such as historical observations, bulk queries, an API, monitoring, or threat-intelligence workflows; a paid service cannot guarantee discovery of an origin address behind a correctly configured proxy.
When an IP lookup is not enough
Choose the next lookup based on the question you need answered:
- Who registered this domain? Use RDAP or ICANN Lookup, not an A-record query. ICANN says RDAP became the definitive source for generic top-level-domain registration data on January 28, 2025, replacing sunsetted WHOIS services for that purpose. Public fields may be redacted, and ICANN Lookup may fall back to WHOIS for some queries. Registration information does not necessarily identify the website operator or hosting provider. See the ICANN Lookup FAQ.
- Which hostname is associated with this IP? Try PTR reverse DNS, while remembering it can be absent or generic.
- Which network or provider announces an IP? An ASN or network lookup is a different source of context and is not proof of server location.
- Has the DNS relationship changed over time? Use passive DNS or historical DNS data; a live lookup alone cannot supply history.
- Is the site actually reachable? DNS resolution does not test web-server health, TLS certificates, routing, or application availability. Use the relevant reachability, TLS, or uptime check for that question.
Traditional DNS queries use UDP or TCP between client and resolver. DNS over HTTPS and DNS over TLS encrypt that connection, but the resolver can still see the queries; encrypted transport does not make DNS anonymous. Public DNS records are generally meant to be resolvable, and an IP lookup alone is not a verdict that a site is safe or malicious. Treat geolocation, registration, ASN, and hosting claims as separate signals with their own limits.
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