ActiScan

Free A Record Checker

Look up the IPv4 address a hostname resolves to.

Need to monitor this across every client domain you manage? ActiScan does bulk scanning, scoring, and white-labeled reporting for MSPs.

What Is an A Record?

An A record is the most basic DNS record type – it maps a hostname to an IPv4 address. When a browser or any other client resolves a domain, an A (or AAAA) record is the record that ultimately answers 'where do I connect.'

  • •Pointing a domain or subdomain at a web server's IPv4 address
  • •Confirming a hosting migration or DNS change actually took effect
  • •Diagnosing why a hostname 'doesn't work' – a missing or wrong A record means it never resolves anywhere

Example

192.0.2.10

A single IPv4 address returned for the queried hostname.

Things to Know

Multiple A records means load balancing

It's normal for a domain to return several A records at once – clients typically pick one (often round-robin), spreading traffic across multiple servers.

A record vs. CNAME

A hostname can have an A record or a CNAME pointing elsewhere, but not both at the same name – if you expected a CNAME here and see an A record instead, check whether the setup uses CNAME flattening at the DNS host.

Next Steps

AAAA Record Checker

Check the IPv6 equivalent for the same hostname.

AAAA Record Checker →

CNAME Record Checker

Check whether a hostname is aliased elsewhere instead of resolving directly.

CNAME Record Checker →

General DNS Checker

Look up MX, TXT, NS, SOA, CAA, or PTR records too.

General DNS Checker →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this A record checker free?

Yes – look up A records for any domain, for free, no signup required.

What's the difference between an A and an AAAA record?

A records return IPv4 addresses; AAAA records return IPv6 addresses. A domain can (and increasingly does) publish both for the same hostname.

I just pointed my domain at a new server – why is it still showing the old IP?

DNS changes take time to propagate, bounded by the record's TTL. Some resolvers and ISPs also cache slightly past the stated TTL.

What resolver does this use?

Cloudflare's public DNS-over-HTTPS resolver. Every lookup is live, not a cached snapshot.

Use the free A checker as often as you need

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