Host - Simple DNS Lookup Tool¶

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Overview¶

host is a simple DNS lookup utility that provides clean, easy-to-read output for DNS queries. It's designed to be more user-friendly than dig and more straightforward than nslookup, making it ideal for quick DNS lookups and basic troubleshooting tasks.

Basic Syntax¶

host [options] hostname [server]
host [options] IP_address [server]

Essential Commands¶

Basic DNS Lookups¶

# Look up A and AAAA records (IPv4 and IPv6)
host google.com

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# Reverse DNS lookup (IP to domain)
host 8.8.8.8

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# IPv6 reverse lookup
host 2001:4860:4860::8888

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# Using specific DNS server
host google.com 8.8.8.8

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Record Type Queries¶

# A record (IPv4 address)
host -t A google.com

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# AAAA record (IPv6 address)
host -t AAAA google.com

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# MX record (Mail Exchange)
host -t MX google.com

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# NS record (Name Server)
host -t NS google.com

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# TXT record (Text records)
host -t TXT google.com

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# CNAME record (Canonical Name)
host -t CNAME www.google.com

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# SOA record (Start of Authority)
host -t SOA google.com

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# PTR record (Pointer for reverse lookup)
host -t PTR 8.8.8.8

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# SRV record (Service record)
host -t SRV _sip._tcp.example.com

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Advanced Options¶

Verbose and Debug Output¶

# Verbose output (equivalent to -a)
host -v google.com

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# All records (ANY query type)
host -a google.com

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# Debug output
host -d google.com

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Timeout and Connection Options¶

# Set timeout (5 seconds)
host -W 5 google.com

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# Wait indefinitely for reply
host -w google.com

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# Use TCP instead of UDP
host -T google.com

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# Set number of UDP retries
host -R 3 google.com

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Query Behavior Options¶

# Non-recursive query
host -r google.com

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# Specify query class (default: IN)
host -c IN google.com

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# Show SOA records from all authoritative servers
host -C example.com

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# Zone transfer (list mode)
host -l example.com

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Popular DNS Servers¶

Using Different DNS Providers¶

# Google DNS
host google.com 8.8.8.8

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# Cloudflare DNS
host google.com 1.1.1.1

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# OpenDNS
host google.com 208.67.222.222

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# Quad9 DNS
host google.com 9.9.9.9

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Common Use Cases¶

Email Server Troubleshooting¶

# Check MX records for email routing
host -t MX example.com

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# Verify mail server IP
host mail.example.com

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# Check multiple mail servers
host -t MX gmail.com yahoo.com outlook.com

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Domain Verification¶

# Check TXT records for domain verification
host -t TXT example.com

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# Verify SPF records
host -t TXT example.com|grep "v=spf1"

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# Check DKIM records
host -t TXT default._domainkey.example.com

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Network Diagnostics¶

# Check authoritative name servers
host -t NS example.com

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# Verify domain authority information
host -t SOA example.com

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# Check CNAME aliases
host -t CNAME www.example.com

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# Comprehensive domain analysis
host -a example.com

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Reverse DNS Lookups¶

# Check hostname for IP
host 192.168.1.1

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# Verify server identity
host 208.67.222.222

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# IPv6 reverse lookup
host 2001:4860:4860::8844

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Troubleshooting Commands¶

Debug and Verbose Queries¶

# Debug mode with specific record type
host -d -t A google.com

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# Verbose TCP query
host -v -T google.com

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# Non-recursive NS query
host -r -t NS google.com

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# Extended timeout with MX query
host -W 10 -t MX example.com

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Command Options Reference¶

Option	Description
`-a`	Equivalent to `-v` and `-t ANY`
`-C`	Show SOA records from all authoritative servers
`-c class`	Specify query class (default: IN)
`-d`	Enable debug output
`-l`	List mode (zone transfer)
`-n`	Use IP6.INT domain for IPv6 reverse lookups
`-N ndots`	Set number of dots for absolute names
`-r`	Make non-recursive queries
`-R retries`	Set number of UDP retries
`-t type`	Specify query type (A, AAAA, MX, NS, etc.)
`-T`	Use TCP connection
`-v`	Verbose output
`-W seconds`	Set timeout in seconds
`-w`	Wait indefinitely for reply

Record Types¶

Type	Description	Example
A	IPv4 address	`host -t A google.com`
AAAA	IPv6 address	`host -t AAAA google.com`
CNAME	Canonical name	`host -t CNAME www.google.com`
MX	Mail exchange	`host -t MX google.com`
NS	Name server	`host -t NS google.com`
PTR	Pointer (reverse)	`host -t PTR 8.8.8.8`
SOA	Start of authority	`host -t SOA google.com`
SRV	Service record	`host -t SRV _sip._tcp.example.com`
TXT	Text record	`host -t TXT google.com`
ANY	All records	`host -a google.com`

Installation¶

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)¶

sudo apt-get install dnsutils

Linux (CentOS/RHEL/Fedora)¶

sudo yum install bind-utils
# or
sudo dnf install bind-utils

macOS¶

host comes pre-installed with macOS.

Windows¶

Use Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) or install via package managers like Chocolatey.

Tips and Best Practices¶

Clean output: host provides cleaner, more readable output than dig
Quick lookups: Ideal for simple DNS queries and basic troubleshooting
Multiple queries: Can query multiple domains in a single command
Reverse lookups: Automatically detects IP addresses and performs reverse lookups
Timeout settings: Use -W option for slow or unreliable networks
TCP queries: Use -T for large responses or when UDP is blocked
Combine with other tools: Use alongside dig and nslookup for comprehensive analysis

Common Error Messages¶

Error	Meaning
`Host not found`	Domain doesn't exist (NXDOMAIN)
`No address associated with hostname`	No A/AAAA records found
`Connection timed out`	DNS server unreachable
`Server failure`	DNS server error (SERVFAIL)
`Query refused`	DNS server refused the query

dig - More detailed DNS lookup tool with extensive options
nslookup - Interactive DNS lookup utility
ping - Test network connectivity and resolve hostnames
traceroute - Trace network path to destination
whois - Domain registration and ownership information