In our post today, we are going to look at the best 4 DNS commands that you can use for testing your network. You can use them to examine critical information such as your DNS records and the state of your network. Furthermore, it makes no difference whether you’re running Windows, macOS, or Linux. So, let’s clarify which DNS commands are the most frequent and explain a little more about them.
Nslookup command
One of the most commonly used DNS diagnostic commands is NSLookup. It has the advantage of being available on all of the major operating systems (OS). It allows you to view all types of DNS records. In addition, it also has a number of choices.
To see all of the accessible DNS records, use the NSLookup command. Write the following in the command line:
$ nslookup -type=any exampledomain.com
* Replace exampledomain.com with the domain name that you want to test.
It will display all of the accessible DNS records for the domain in question. If you wish to see a specific DNS record, change the type to NS, A, AAAA, MX, SOA, etc. You can input another domain name or IP address after the DNS type.
MTR command
MTR command (also referred to as My Trace Route) is an influential network diagnostic and troubleshooting tool used to help identify faults and improve the performance of networks. It can be used to track the performance of both public and private networks. When run, the MTR command sends packets through a designated path to measure latency and reliability along the route. The resulting output displays a historical log of time and data related to the network connection. An example of a basic MTR command is as follows:
sudo mtr -r exampledomain.com
* Replace exampledomain.com with the domain name that you want to test.
This command will continuously test the connection between the client and the designated server. The test results will be displayed in a table detailing the response time of the packets sent from hop to hop on the network. The origin can also be recorded with the -n flag.
The MTR command can be combined with the ping and traceroute commands for more detailed network analysis and troubleshooting. The combination of these commands can provide invaluable insight into the health and performance of individual networks. The results of the MTR command can also be used to study latency and packet loss at various intervals, giving users a real-time view of their networks.
Dig command
On macOS, the dig command is one of the pre-installed DNS commands. You can rapidly install the command whether you’re using Linux or Windows. It’s a valuable and useful DNS troubleshooting tool. This command can display information about any DNS record type. You can also explore your nameservers, traceroute both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, and verify a specific port. Troubleshooting with the Dig command is simple and quick, and it’s well worth your time.
For example, if you want to see all the data for a specific domain, type in the command line:
$ dig exampledomain.com any
* Replace exampledomain.com with the domain name that you want to test.
Simply substitute the domain name or IP address for the one you want to see. The Dig command is great since it gives you all of the information you need regarding the query you asked for. If you want a more specific result, you can use one of the several options provided by the Dig command.
Host command
The Host commands are fairly similar to the Dig commands in terms of functionality. As a result, you can use it to see the available DNS records and use it to troubleshoot DNS issues. You can also use many options to check an IP address or domain name, do a reverse lookup, discover the domain’s nameservers, or edit DNS queries. The Host command, like the Dig command, is built-in on Linux. As a result, you have complete freedom in selecting which one to utilize.
If you want to see all the available information about a domain, type the following command:
$ host -a exampledomain.com
* Replace exampledomain.com with the domain name that you want to test.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say that these DNS commands are really helpful for testing your network. They are easy and simple to use. Be applying the suggested commands whenever and however you wish. They will, in fact, offer you with the information you seek.