The CNAME
Record Lookup Tool is an online tool that allows you to query DNS servers and get instant
results.
Canonical name, alias, or CNAME lookups are used to determine the CNAME records associated with a domain.
Looking for easier-to-understand results? Use the Global DNS Checker tool.
DNS CNAME
records, known as
canonical name records or alias records, are used to point records to other records, such as A or AAAA records. It is also possible to point them to other CNAME records, however, this technique is generally not recommended as it introduces additional DNS lookups as each record in the string is resolved.
CNAME
record
example
An example CNAME record might look like this:
www represents the identifier of the record. CNAME records cannot be used at the root of a domain.
CNAME is the record type.
example.com is the registry value. This will mean that the www record will resolve to the IP address of the record associated with example.com.
3600 is the TTL (time to live) of the record in seconds, this example represents 1 hour. This means that when updates have been made to a record, it will take 1 hour to update.
When to use CNAME records and why are they useful?
CNAME records can be used for many reasons and can be useful for maintaining DNS zone settings.
Some examples of why you can use records
CNAME:
Easier management: The most common use of a CNAME record is so that you only need to configure the underlying IP address once. For example, the base domain name would example.com have an IP address configured as an A or AAAA record, while CNAME records point to this record for subdomains such as www. This means that when updating the IP address, you only need to update the address in the example.com record and the subdomain will www.example.com be updated automatically.
Service providers
: Another common case for using CNAME records is when you use third-party services. Often, these third parties will ask you to use a CNAME record to point a subdomain to your domain name, allowing them to change IP addresses as needed without having to ask all of your customers to make the change manually. If this is the case, you can configure a CNAME record to point to service.example.com service.service-provider.com.
Domain verification: TXT records are often used for domain verification, but sometimes providers also use CNAME records. Providers can generate a unique verification code as a subdomain that they ask you to point to them to prove ownership of a primary domain name. For example, you might need to configure a CNAME record as service-XXXXXXXXXX.example.com that points to XXXXXXXXXX.verifiy.service-provider.com.
How do I perform a DNS lookup to verify CNAME records?
Verifying CNAME records can be done in many ways, the easiest of which is to use the online CNAME lookup tool on this page.
Alternatively, you can manually check the logs locally from your own system. Manual checking the logs is a bit more complicated, it can be difficult to understand the results, and it will be different depending on your operating system.
Checking logs
Online CNAME To use the online CNAME lookup
tool, simply enter the CNAME record in the search box and hit search to perform a DNS CNAME lookup. Optionally, choose a server to perform the search request.
Using the online tool provides many benefits over manual tools as it can display, analyze, and highlight relevant information in a way that is easier to read than many command-line tools. In addition, specifying alternative DNS resolvers to check is as simple as choosing from a drop-down menu without the need to know the IP address of these providers.
Using a browser
extension
The Google Chrome DNS Lookup extension allows you to quickly check the CNAME records of any website with the click of a button without having to leave the web page you’re on.
Checking CNAME records in Windows On Windows-based systems, including Windows 7, Windows 10, and Windows Server, using the nslookup tool allows you to perform a DNS lookup for
CNAME records
using their local resolution or specify any recursive public resolution.
Using the
nslookup
command Using the locally configured resolver: Using a specific resolver: Checking CNAME records on Linux and Mac
On Linux and Mac systems, including Mac OS X, MacOS, Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, and Red Hat, you have the option to use the host tool or the more powerful digging tool to perform a DNS CNAME lookup.
Using the
host
command Using the locally configured solver: Using a specific solver: Using the
dig command Using the
locally configured solver
:
Using
a specific solver:
