dig

Updated

July 31, 2026

Overview

dig (Domain Information Groper) queries DNS servers. Preferred over nslookup for scripting and clear output.

Syntax

dig [@server] [name] [type] [options]

Common Options

Option Description
@server Query specific resolver
A/AAAA/MX/TXT/NS/CNAME/SOA Record types
+short Minimal answer
+trace Path from root
+noall +answer Only answer section
-x addr Reverse lookup
+time=s / +tries=n Timeouts

Examples with Explanations

Basic A record

dig example.com
dig +short example.com

Specific types

dig example.com MX
dig example.com TXT +short
dig example.com AAAA

Chosen resolver

dig @1.1.1.1 example.com
dig @8.8.8.8 example.com +short

Reverse DNS

dig -x 1.1.1.1 +short

Trace delegation

dig +trace example.com

Batch

dig +noall +answer example.com google.com