In this tutorial, we will learn how to query a specific DNS server in Linux. Querying a DNS server allows you to retrieve information about domain names, such as IP addresses and other related records. Let’s get started!
Using the dig Command
The easiest way to query a specific DNS server is by using the dig command. Dig stands for “Domain Information Groper” and is a powerful tool for querying DNS servers.
To query a specific DNS server with dig, use the following syntax:
dig @DNS_SERVER DOMAIN_NAME TYPE_OF_RECORD
Let’s break down each part of the command:
- @DNS_SERVER: Replace this with the IP address or hostname of the DNS server you want to query. For example, if you want to query the Google Public DNS server, you would use @8.8.8.
- DOMAIN_NAME: Replace this with the domain name you want to look up.
For example, if you want to retrieve information about “example.com”, replace it with example.com.
- TYPE_OF_RECORD: Replace this with the type of record you want to retrieve. Common types include A (IPv4 address), AAAA (IPv6 address), MX (mail exchange), CNAME (canonical name), etc.
For example, if we want to query the Google Public DNS server for the IPv4 address of “example.com”, we would run:
dig @8.8 example.com A
The dig command will then send a DNS query to the specified server and display the results, including the requested record type, TTL (Time to Live), and other relevant information.
Alternative Methods
While dig is a popular and powerful tool, there are other options available for querying specific DNS servers in Linux:
1. nslookup
The nslookup command is another commonly used tool for DNS queries. To query a specific DNS server with nslookup, use the following syntax:
nslookup DOMAIN_NAME DNS_SERVER
In this case, you provide the domain name first, followed by the DNS server. For example:
nslookup example.com 8.8
2. host
The host command is another useful tool for querying DNS servers in Linux. Its syntax is similar to nslookup:
host DOMAIN_NAME DNS_SERVER
To query “example.com” using Google Public DNS, you would run:
host example.8
In Conclusion
In this tutorial, we explored different methods for querying a specific DNS server in Linux. The dig, nslookup, and host commands are all useful tools that allow you to retrieve information about domain names from custom DNS servers.
We hope this guide has been helpful in expanding your knowledge of DNS queries in Linux!