DNS health
Catch DNS problems before they stop visitors from reaching your site.
Overview
DNS (Domain Name System) is like the phone book of the internet. When someone types your domain name into their browser, DNS translates it into the actual server address where your site lives. If your DNS records are wrong or missing, visitors can't find your site, even if the site itself is running perfectly. DomainDash monitors your DNS records so you'll know straight away if something changes.
What we check
Every DNS check looks at your domain's records and runs a set of health checks:
- Does your domain resolve? We check that your domain name actually points somewhere. If it doesn't, visitors will see an error.
- A and AAAA records point browsers to your website's server. A records use IPv4 addresses; AAAA records use the newer IPv6 format.
- Nameservers are the servers that manage your domain's DNS. If these are missing or misconfigured, nothing else will work.
- Mail records (MX) tell other mail servers where to deliver email for your domain. Not every site needs these, but if you send or receive email at your domain, they're essential.
- TXT records are used for verification and security policies like SPF (a setting that helps prevent email spoofing).
- Lookup time measures how long it takes to look up your domain's records, in milliseconds.
Understanding your DNS data
The routing detail page shows two cards:
Current records
This lists every DNS record we found for your domain, grouped by type. Each record type has a brief description so you know what it does:
| Record type | What it does |
|---|---|
| A | Points your domain to a server address (e.g. 203.0.113.42) |
| AAAA | Points your domain to a server using the newer IPv6 address format |
| NS | The servers that manage your domain's DNS |
| MX | The mail servers that handle email for your domain |
| TXT | Verification and policy records for email and security |
Routing checks
A pass/fail checklist showing:
- Whether your domain resolves at all
- Whether it has A or AAAA records (at least one is needed for your site to work)
- Whether nameservers are configured
- Whether mail records are present
If any of these fail, you'll see a red cross and a banner at the top of the page explaining the issue.
Common DNS issues
Domain not resolving
If your domain doesn't resolve, visitors will see a "site can't be reached" error. This usually means your DNS records haven't been set up yet, or they've been accidentally removed.
What to do: Log in to your DNS provider (often your domain registrar, or a service like Cloudflare) and check that your A or AAAA records are pointing to the correct server address.
Missing nameservers
Without nameservers, your domain can't answer any DNS queries at all. This can happen if you've recently transferred your domain to a new registrar and the nameserver records weren't carried over.
What to do: Check with your domain registrar that the correct nameservers are set. If you use a separate DNS provider (like Cloudflare or Route 53), make sure your registrar is pointing to their nameservers.
Slow lookup times
If DNS lookups are slow, it adds a delay before your site even starts loading. Most lookups should take under 100ms.
What to do: If your DNS provider is consistently slow, consider switching to a faster provider. Premium DNS services like Cloudflare, Route 53, or Google Cloud DNS tend to be very fast.
Related
- Domain registration for tracking when your domain expires
- Uptime monitoring for checking that your site is online and responding