The DNS troubleshooting trio. dig is the detailed modern tool, nslookup ships everywhere, host is the quick one-liner.
// dig & host
dig example.com
Default A-record lookup
dig example.com MX
Query a specific record type
dig +short example.com
Answer only — script-friendly
dig @1.1.1.1 example.com
Ask a specific resolver
dig +trace example.com
Walk the delegation from the root
dig -x 8.8.8.8
Reverse lookup (PTR)
dig AXFR @ns1 example.com
Zone transfer (if allowed)
host -t NS example.com
host — quick one-liner
// nslookup
nslookup example.com
Simple lookup
nslookup -type=MX example.com
Query a record type
nslookup
Interactive mode (set type=, server=)
> server 8.8.8.8
Switch resolver in interactive mode
recipes · copy & run
# what mail servers handle this domain?
dig +short example.com MX
# follow the full delegation chain from the root
dig +trace www.example.com
# reverse DNS for an address
dig -x 8.8.8.8 +short
# compare answers from two resolvers
dig @1.1.1.1 example.com +short
dig @8.8.8.8 example.com +short
Record types (A, AAAA, MX, NS, TXT, CNAME, PTR, SOA) are in Services → DNS & DHCP.