Interpreting Deep DNS Lookup Results

After performing a DNS lookup with Deep DNS, you'll be presented with a wealth of information about the queried domain. While this data can seem overwhelming at first, understanding the key components will empower you to diagnose issues, verify configurations, and gain insights into a domain's infrastructure.

Here's a quick guide to the essential elements you'll encounter in your lookup results:

Understanding Each Field: A Detailed Breakdown

Record Type

This field indicates the specific type of DNS record being displayed. Each record type serves a unique function in the DNS system. Common types you'll frequently see include:

• A Record (Address Record): Maps a domain name to an IPv4 address. This is fundamental for directing web traffic.
• AAAA Record (IPv6 Address Record): Maps a domain name to an IPv6 address. Essential for modern internet connectivity.
• CNAME Record (Canonical Name Record): Points a domain or subdomain to another domain name (its canonical name), rather than directly to an IP address.
• MX Record (Mail Exchange Record): Specifies the mail servers responsible for handling email for the domain, often including a priority value.
• TXT Record (Text Record): Holds arbitrary text data, often used for domain verification and email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

For a more in-depth understanding of each record type, please refer to our Understanding DNS Records guide.

Value

The "Value" field contains the actual data associated with the DNS record. The format and content of this value will vary significantly depending on the record type:

• For A and AAAA records, this will be an IP address (e.g., 192.0.2.1 or 2001:0db8::1).
• For CNAME records, it will be another domain name (e.g., example.com).
• For MX records, it will specify the mail server's hostname, often accompanied by a priority number (e.g., 10 mail.example.com).
• For TXT records, it will be a string of text, which could be anything from a domain verification code to an SPF policy (e.g., "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all").

TTL (Time To Live)

TTL stands for "Time To Live." This value, measured in seconds, tells DNS resolvers how long they should cache the DNS record before querying the authoritative DNS server again for fresh information. The TTL is crucial for controlling how quickly changes to your DNS records propagate across the internet.

• High TTL (e.g., 86400 seconds / 24 hours): Means resolvers will cache the record for a longer period. This reduces the load on authoritative DNS servers but makes DNS changes take longer to propagate globally.
• Low TTL (e.g., 300 seconds / 5 minutes): Means resolvers will refresh the record more frequently. This allows DNS changes to propagate much faster but can increase the query load on authoritative DNS servers.

Important: Understanding TTL is vital, especially when planning DNS changes, as it directly impacts the propagation time. You can learn more about this in our What is TTL? article.

By carefully examining these fields, you can gain a clear picture of how a domain's DNS is configured and identify any potential issues.