nslookup

nslookup [options] [host] [server]

nslookup queries DNS servers for hostname and IP information. It can perform forward and reverse lookups, query specific record types, and diagnose DNS issues.The tool operates in interactive or non-interactive mode, with interactive mode allowing multiple queries.

-type=type

Record type (A, AAAA, MX, NS, TXT, SOA, PTR, ANY, CNAME, SRV).

Alias for -type.

DNS class (IN, CH, HS, ANY). Default is IN.

Show debug information (full response packets).

DNS server port (default 53).

Query timeout.

Number of retries before giving up.

Use TCP instead of UDP for queries.

Do not append the search list to unqualified names.

Do not request recursive resolution from the server.

Print version and exit.

server name: Set default DNS server (uses current server to resolve it)lserver name: Set default server using the initial serverset type=type: Set query typeset class=class: Set query classset debug / set nodebug: Toggle debug outputset all: Display current option settingsexit: Quit

Deprecated in favor of dig. Behavior varies by implementation. Interactive mode differs from command line. Some features implementation-specific.

nslookup was written by Andrew Cherenson at UC Berkeley as part of BIND. While still included in most systems, the BIND documentation recommends using dig for DNS queries due to more consistent behavior.

dig(1), host(1), drill(1), getent(1)