DNS Records

Domain name system configuration

What are DNS Records?

DNS (Domain Name System) is like the internet's phone book. It translates human-readable domain names like example.com into IP addresses that computers use to communicate.

We check several types of DNS records: A records (IPv4 addresses), AAAA records (IPv6), NS records (nameservers), MX records (mail servers), and TXT records (various metadata including email authentication).

Why Do DNS Records Matter?

DNS records reveal information about a website's infrastructure:

  • Nameservers: Show which DNS provider hosts the domain (Cloudflare, AWS, Google, etc.)
  • A/AAAA records: Show the IP addresses where the website is hosted
  • MX records: Show where email is handled (can indicate business infrastructure)
  • TXT records: Often contain email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and other verification

No DNS records at all typically means the domain doesn't resolve. It may be unregistered, expired, or misconfigured.

How to Interpret This Signal

Positive

Records present, recognizable DNS provider

Neutral

Records present, provider unknown

Attention

No A or AAAA records found

Example Domains

See this signal in action:

cloudflare.com aws.amazon.com github.com

Related Signals

Domain Registration Bot Protection
Check a Domain