Which DNS records are public?
DNS is a public directory. Checking an exact name helps you understand what it exposes—and what a lookup cannot tell you.
Public records do not reveal an entire DNS zone →
Understand the difference between querying one name and enumerating subdomains.
Check certificate permissions with CAA →
Read flags, tags and values without confusing permissions with issued certificates.
Record type reference
- A / AAAA
- IPv4 and IPv6 addresses associated with a name.
- CNAME
- An alias relationship between one name and another.
- MX
- Incoming mail servers and their preference values.
- TXT
- Public text, such as SPF, verification values or DKIM data.
- NS / SOA
- Nameservers and essential zone information.
- SRV
- Service target, port, priority and weight. Enter the full service name.
- PTR
- Reverse mappings. Enter the corresponding in-addr.arpa or ip6.arpa name.
- CAA
- Public statements about certificate issuance authorization.
Scope of a lookup
All types covers common record types for the name you enter. It does not enumerate every subdomain or perform zone transfers, port scans or global propagation tests. Answers come from one recursive DNS service and may reflect its cache.