A Record Lookup

Check A records (IPv4 addresses) for any domain across 12 global DNS resolvers in real time. Free DNS propagation checker.

What is an A record?

An A record maps a hostname to an IPv4 address. When you type example.com into a browser, the resolver returns the A record's value (something like 93.184.216.34) and the browser opens a TCP connection to that IP. A records are the most common DNS record type on the public internet.

Common reasons to check an A record

• Verify a domain points to the right web server after a migration or DNS change
• Confirm propagation worldwide before swapping production traffic
• Diagnose why one user can reach a site and another can't
• Check whether a CDN or load balancer is serving the expected anycast IP

Reading the results

Each row in the propagation table is one resolver's answer. An A record value looks like a plain IPv4 address (93.184.216.34); multiple values mean the domain publishes more than one A record and clients can pick any of them. If the IP doesn't match what you expect, double-check the record at your DNS provider, then verify you're editing the same zone the world is querying: see the NS record.

Common errors and pitfalls

• Stale cache after a change: a few resolvers still serve the old IP for up to the record's TTL. Wait it out; you can't force a third-party resolver to drop its cache early.
• NXDOMAIN on most resolvers but not all: the record was just created, and resolvers that previously got NXDOMAIN have cached that negative answer for the duration of the SOA's minimum TTL (typically 1 hour). See NXDOMAIN.
• Different IPs from different regions: usually GeoDNS doing its job, not a propagation problem. If all the IPs belong to your service, that's correct behavior.
• You see an old A but your provider shows the new one: confirm you're editing the zone the world is using. Compare the published NS records against the nameservers your provider claims.

FAQ

Can a domain have multiple A records?

Yes. A domain can publish several A records and resolvers typically return all of them. Clients usually pick one at random: this is the simplest form of DNS-based load balancing ("round-robin DNS").

What's the difference between an A record and a CNAME?

An A record points directly to an IPv4 address. A CNAME points to another hostname, which the resolver then has to resolve a second time. CNAMEs cannot be used at the apex of a domain (e.g., example.com itself); A records can.

Why am I seeing different A records from different resolvers?

Either the record was recently changed and some resolvers still have the old value cached, or the domain uses GeoDNS to return different IPs based on the resolver's location.

How fast can an A record change propagate?

As fast as the record's TTL. If you set TTL to 300 seconds (5 minutes) before a change, most resolvers will pick up the new value within 5 minutes of the change. The standard pattern is to lower the TTL 24 hours before a planned change.

Can an A record point at a private IP?

Technically yes: the protocol doesn't care. But publishing a private IP (10.x, 172.16-31.x, 192.168.x) on a public domain only works for clients on the same private network. For internal-only services, this is a common pattern called "split-horizon DNS."

Background reading

For deeper context on how DNS records fit together, see the DNS Records Explained guide.