A Record Lookup

Find the IPv4 addresses associated with any domain name.

About A Records

The 'A' stands for 'Address'. It is the most fundamental type of DNS record and is used to point a domain or subdomain to an IPv4 address. When you type a URL in your browser, the DNS resolver looks up the A record to find the server hosting the website.

The A Record Lookup tool performs a live DNS query against the authoritative nameservers for any domain and returns the IPv4 address or addresses it resolves to, along with TTL values and propagation status.

What is a DNS A Record?

A DNS A record (Address record) is the most fundamental type of DNS record. It maps a domain name to one or more IPv4 addresses, telling the internet where to find the server hosting that domain.

When you type a URL into your browser, the DNS system resolves the domain name to an IP address using the A record — this is called "forward DNS resolution." Without an A record, a domain name cannot resolve to any server, making it unreachable.

A records also have a TTL (Time-To-Live) value, which tells DNS resolvers how long to cache the result before querying again.

Maps domain names to IPv4 addresses (e.g., example.com → 93.184.216.34)
The most queried DNS record type — every website visit starts here
A domain can have multiple A records for load balancing and redundancy
TTL controls how long the record is cached by DNS resolvers worldwide
Changes take time to propagate — controlled by the TTL value

Why DNS A Record Accuracy Matters

Incorrect or outdated A records cause website downtime, broken services, and failed connections. Security researchers use A records to track infrastructure, identify hosting providers, and map relationships between domains.

For security, monitoring A records is critical — unexpected IP changes can indicate DNS hijacking, where an attacker redirects your domain's traffic to a malicious server.

Incorrect A records = website unreachable or pointing to wrong server
Sudden A record changes can indicate DNS hijacking or unauthorized changes
Multiple A records enable round-robin load balancing across servers
Low TTL values speed up DNS propagation during migrations
CDN-proxied domains show CDN IPs in A records, not the origin server

How to Use the A Record Lookup Tool

Enter a domain name (e.g., example.com or subdomain.example.com)
Click "Look Up" to query DNS resolvers
Review the IP addresses returned and their TTL values
Note if multiple IPs are returned — this indicates load balancing or CDN
Use the IP addresses with our IP Geolocation tool for hosting location details

Understanding A Record Results

Field / Value	Meaning
`IP Address`	The IPv4 address the domain resolves to. Multiple addresses indicate load balancing, CDN, or redundant hosting.
`TTL (seconds)`	Time-To-Live — how long DNS resolvers cache this record. Low TTL (300s = 5 min) = fast propagation. High TTL (86400s = 24h) = slower propagation but fewer DNS queries.
`Hostname`	The fully qualified domain name (FQDN) the A record belongs to.
`Class`	Always "IN" (Internet) for standard DNS records.

Common Problems & How to Fix Them

The domain has no A record, meaning it does not resolve to an IP address. This can mean:
1. The domain does not exist (NXDOMAIN error)
2. The A record was deleted or never created
3. The domain only has CNAME records pointing elsewhere

Log in to your DNS provider and verify the A record is published. If the domain uses a CNAME, use our CNAME Lookup tool to trace the chain.

If your domain resolves to an IP you do not recognize, this could indicate:
1. DNS hijacking — an attacker changed your DNS records
2. Cached old record — your local resolver has a stale entry (flush DNS cache)
3. CDN or proxy — services like Cloudflare proxy traffic through their IPs

If you suspect hijacking: immediately log in to your DNS provider, enable 2FA, verify all DNS records, and contact your hosting provider.

DNS propagation time is controlled by TTL. If your TTL was 86400 (24 hours), resolvers worldwide can cache the old record for up to 24 hours after you make a change.

Best practice: Lower your TTL to 300 (5 minutes) at least 24 hours BEFORE making a DNS change. After the change propagates, you can raise the TTL back.

Best Practices

Lower TTL to 300 seconds before any planned IP migration — raise it back after propagation
Use multiple A records (round-robin) for basic load distribution across servers
Monitor A records for unexpected changes — DNS hijacking starts here
Point root domain (@) and www subdomain to the same IP or use CNAME for www
Use Cloudflare or another CDN — their A records are DDoS-protected and globally distributed
Keep a record of all IP addresses your domain has ever used for security auditing

Security Recommendations

Enable DNSSEC to cryptographically sign your DNS records and prevent spoofing
Monitor your A record with automated alerts for unexpected changes
Use CAA records to restrict which CAs can issue SSL certificates for your domain
Enable domain transfer lock at your registrar to prevent unauthorized domain changes

Frequently Asked Questions

A DNS A record maps a domain name to an IPv4 address. It is the most common DNS record type. When you visit a website, your browser queries DNS for the A record of the domain to find the server's IP address. A = Address (IPv4). For IPv6 addresses, the equivalent record is AAAA.

A domain can have multiple A records pointing to different IP addresses. This is called round-robin DNS load balancing — each DNS query returns all IPs, and the client connects to whichever it tries first. Most CDNs (Cloudflare, Fastly, Akamai) use multiple A records pointing to edge servers around the world.

For stable production domains: 3600 (1 hour) to 86400 (24 hours) is standard. For frequently changing IPs or before migrations: 300 (5 minutes) gives fast propagation. Avoid TTLs below 60 seconds — it creates excessive DNS query load. Lower your TTL 24 hours before any planned IP change, then restore it afterward.

An A record maps a domain to an IPv4 address (e.g., 93.184.216.34). An AAAA record maps a domain to an IPv6 address (e.g., 2606:2800:220:1:248:1893:25c8:1946). As IPv6 adoption grows, hosting both A and AAAA records ensures your domain works for all users. IPv6 clients prefer AAAA records when available.

If you have Cloudflare's proxy enabled (orange cloud icon in Cloudflare DNS), your domain's A record shows Cloudflare's IP addresses, not your origin server's IP. This is intentional — Cloudflare acts as a reverse proxy, providing DDoS protection, CDN caching, and SSL termination. Your actual server IP is hidden from public DNS.

Log in to your DNS provider (Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Route53, etc.) and add a record with:
Type: A
Name: @ (for root domain) or subdomain name
Value: Your server's IPv4 address (e.g., 1.2.3.4)
TTL: 3600 (or your preference)

Changes typically take effect within minutes but can take up to the current TTL duration to fully propagate.