A Record Lookup

What is an A record?

Reviewed by Prabath Thalangama · Last updated October 23, 2026

An A record maps a host name to an IPv4 address, such as example.com to 203.0.113.10. It is the record a browser or other client needs before it can connect. This lookup resolves the name you enter and lists every IPv4 address returned, following any CNAME on the way.

Lookups run from our servers through a recursive resolver, so the answer is what the wider internet currently sees, not what your own computer may have cached. If you just changed the record, an old answer can persist until the previous TTL runs out.

If the name is a CNAME, the resolver follows the alias and you see the final addresses. Use the CNAME lookup to see the alias itself.

How do I look up a domain's IP address?

Enter the host name, for example example.com or www.example.com. They are separate names and can have different records.
Read the list of IPv4 addresses.
If an address is wrong, update the A record at your DNS provider and recheck after the old TTL has passed.

How to read the results

value: Each IPv4 address the name resolves to. More than one means round-robin load balancing or a CDN.
No A records found: The name doesn't exist (NXDOMAIN) or has no IPv4 address. That's normal for IPv6-only names or names used only for mail.

Common A record problems

The site works on www but not on the bare domain

www and the apex are different names. Add an A record for the apex (often shown as @), or an ALIAS/ANAME record if your provider supports one.

Old IP still showing after a change

Resolvers cache the previous answer until its TTL expires. Lower the TTL a day before planned changes, and use the propagation checker to see which resolvers have updated.

Private address returned (10.x, 192.168.x)

An internal address is published in public DNS. Use split-horizon DNS so internal records are only served internally.

Examples and command-line equivalents

Look up A records from the command line

dig +short A example.com
nslookup -type=A example.com
Resolve-DnsName example.com -Type A   # PowerShell

A record in a BIND zone file

example.com.      3600  IN  A  203.0.113.10
www.example.com.  3600  IN  A  203.0.113.10

Frequently asked questions

Why do I see more than one IP address?

Multiple A records are used for load balancing and redundancy, and CDNs return different addresses depending on location. All of them should serve the same site.

Can the apex domain be a CNAME instead of an A record?

No. The apex also holds SOA and NS records, and a CNAME can't coexist with other records. Use an A record, or the ALIAS, ANAME or CNAME flattening feature many DNS providers offer.

What TTL should an A record have?

3600 seconds (one hour) is a sensible default. Drop it to 300 a day before a migration so the switch takes effect quickly, then raise it again.