Nameservers and parent
Anyone looking for your domain asks the registry first and then your nameservers. The report shows whether that chain is broken, whether the nameservers answer and whether they agree with each other.
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DNS lookup and DNS health report
Check your domain's DNS health: nameservers, SOA, MX, www, SPF, DMARC and DNSSEC in one report, with every item explained. You can also look up records and watch whether a change has propagated.
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- 40+ automatic checks
- Nameservers, SOA, MX, SPF, DMARC
- No sign-up
What do DNS record types do?
DNS is the phone book that connects a domain to an IP address and other services. To troubleshoot, you only need to know what each record does.
SOA
The zone's authority record. If the serial number differs between servers, your change has not reached some of them; the timing values decide how often servers refresh each other.
SPF · DKIM · DMARC
The three records that keep your email out of spam and stop others forging mail in your name. The report checks that each exists and is written correctly.
A / AAAA
Points the domain at an IPv4 (A) or IPv6 (AAAA) address. It decides which server your site runs on.
MX
Decides which server receives your email. A wrong MX is the most common reason mail does not arrive.
NS
Lists the nameservers that manage the domain's DNS. This is what changes when you move to a host or Cloudflare.
TXT
Holds SPF, DKIM, DMARC and domain verification records. Critical for email deliverability.
CNAME
Aliases one name to another (for example www to the main domain).
SOA / CAA
SOA holds the zone's authority data; CAA limits which authorities may issue SSL certificates.
How long does a DNS change take to propagate?
- 011
Change the record
Update the record in your DNS panel. The record's TTL decides how long caches keep the old answer.
- 022
Check propagation
In the propagation tab, query the same record on four resolvers. If all agree, the change has spread.
- 033
Be patient with nameserver changes
A nameserver change can take from a few hours up to 48 hours, depending on the registry update.
Frequently asked questions
What is a DNS lookup?
A DNS lookup asks which IP address, mail server and other services a domain is connected to. Your browser does this in the background every time it opens a site. With this tool you can ask the same question yourself and see the answer.
What does the DNS health report check?
It checks the nameserver delegation at the registry, whether your nameservers answer and are authoritative, the SOA values, MX and www records, the SPF/DKIM/DMARC email records and the DNSSEC/CAA status. Each item says what it means and how to fix it.
Is a warning in the report bad?
No. An error (red) is a problem that can break things and should be fixed. A warning (yellow) does not stop anything from working but can be improved, such as a DMARC policy of "none". Info (blue) items are for your information only.
Why does propagation look different in different places?
Resolvers cache answers for the TTL. If the old TTL was long, some resolvers keep returning the old value until it runs out.
Which resolvers does this tool use?
Cloudflare, Google, Alibaba DNS and DNS.SB. These are public resolvers; they do not represent every ISP worldwide, but they are a reliable sign that propagation is largely done.
How do I know my MX record is correct?
The MX with the lowest priority number is tried first. Records must match exactly what your email provider gave you.
Where do SPF and DMARC records appear?
Both are TXT records. SPF lives on the domain itself, DMARC on _dmarc.yourdomain.com.
What if the result is empty?
That record type is not defined. If the domain does not exist at all you will see NXDOMAIN; check that it is registered and its nameservers are correct.
Manage your DNS with ease
With FiberServer your domain and hosting live in one panel; edit your DNS records in a few clicks.
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