dnstracer

DNS delegation tracing tool

TLDR

Trace DNS resolution path
$ dnstracer [www.example.com]
Start with specific DNS server
$ dnstracer -s [dns.example.org] [www.example.com]
Query IPv4 servers only
$ dnstracer -4 [www.example.com]
Retry failed requests 5 times
$ dnstracer -r [5] [www.example.com]
Display all steps
$ dnstracer -v [www.example.com]
Display overview of answers
$ dnstracer -o [www.example.com]

SYNOPSIS

dnstracer [options] name

DESCRIPTION

dnstracer determines where a DNS server gets its information from by tracing the DNS resolution path from root servers down to the authoritative nameserver.Useful for debugging DNS issues and understanding DNS delegation.

PARAMETERS

-s server

Start with specified DNS server
-4
Only query IPv4 servers
-6
Only query IPv6 servers
-r count
Number of retries on failure
-v
Verbose output
-o
Overview of all received answers

INSTALL

sudo apt install dnstracer
sudo dnf install dnstracer
sudo apk add dnstracer
sudo zypper install dnstracer
brew install dnstracer
nix profile install nixpkgs#dnstracer

CAVEATS

Requires network access to DNS servers. Tracing may take time for complex delegations. Some DNS servers may block tracing queries.

SEE ALSO

dig(1), nslookup(1), host(1)

RESOURCES

Homepage