Knowing the Host command in detail is very useful. It is a Domain Name System (DNS) checking tool that can greatly help you. From now, consider time reading this article a good investment.
What is the Host command?
Host command is a helpful network utility to diagnose and check DNS records. Technically, it is software, and through its command-line interface, you can test the types and specific DNS records you want.
Linux Host command – Options & Examples
Host command came to take the place of the known nslookup on operating systems that are Linux-based. If you are a Windows user, you should know nslookup too. That is a good reference to understand what Host command is. Just consider that it is more advanced and useful than nslookup. And to experience it, you should try it on Linux.
Administrating a network, you will constantly check on DNS and its records. Different needs and purposes can lead to these checkings. For instance, you can look for the name of your servers, search for the authority’s start, or the IP address of a specific domain in the A or AAAA records, etc.
How can you use the Host command?
You can use the Host command easily. Remember, it is a built-in command, and it works on Linux. Then, you only have to open the Terminal and use it from there based on the tasks you need to carry out.
What can you use the Host command for?
There are many actions you can execute through the use of the Host command. Here you have some useful examples.
If you need to check a specific type of DNS record, you can do it using the “type” choice. Let’s see some examples.
host -t ns enteryourdomainhere.com – you will see the name servers.
host -t txt enteryourdomainhere.com – you will see TXT type of DNS records (TXT, DKIM, or DMARC).
host -t mx enteryourdomainhere.com – you can check your MX records and the IP addresses of the incoming mail servers.
host -t cname enteryourdomainhere.com – through this, you will find the domain’s canonical names if they exist.
In case you need to check every single available DNS record and its corresponding value, you just need to type: host -a enteryourdomainhere.com
As a result, you will get a list of DNS records, A, AAAA, MX, CNAME, etc., plus their values.
If you need the IP addresses (IPv4 or IPv6) of a host, just type: host enteryourdomainhere.com
You will send a general DNS query to get A and AAAA records. You will get the addresses of your domain name.
Maybe you need to trace back an IP address to find out who it belongs to. Well, you can execute a reverse DNS check using this Linux command. For this, you need to type that IP address like this: host -i 098.111.059.010
This will give you the information you need!
Conclusion
Host command is a practical and effective way to check and diagnose your DNS. Master its use and get the best results!