Question 1

What is a DNS lookup?

Accepted Answer

A DNS (Domain Name System) lookup queries the DNS infrastructure to retrieve records associated with a domain. DNS records map domain names to IP addresses, mail servers, text verification strings, and more. Each record type serves a specific purpose in internet routing.

Question 2

What is the difference between A and AAAA records?

Accepted Answer

An A record maps a domain to an IPv4 address (e.g. 93.184.216.34). An AAAA record maps a domain to an IPv6 address (e.g. 2606:2800:220:1:248:1893:25c8:1946). As IPv6 adoption grows, most domains should have both record types configured.

Question 3

What are MX records used for?

Accepted Answer

MX (Mail Exchanger) records specify which mail servers are responsible for receiving email for a domain. Each MX record has a priority value — lower numbers mean higher priority. If the primary mail server is down, email is routed to the next highest priority server.

Question 4

What do TXT records contain?

Accepted Answer

TXT records contain arbitrary text data associated with a domain. Common uses include SPF records (email authentication), DKIM keys, DMARC policies, domain ownership verification (for Google, AWS, etc.), and other machine-readable data.

Question 5

How long do DNS changes take to propagate?

Accepted Answer

DNS changes propagate based on TTL (Time To Live) values set on records. Typical TTLs range from 5 minutes to 48 hours. During propagation, different resolvers worldwide may return old or new values. Use our DNS Propagation Checker to see global propagation status.

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