Free A Record Lookup Tool
Free A record lookup tool — find IPv4 addresses, check hosting configuration, and identify CDN or load balancer usage for any domain.
What Are A Records?
An A (Address) record maps a domain name to a 32-bit IPv4 address. When you type a domain into your browser, a DNS lookup retrieves its A records — the IP addresses your browser connects to in order to load the website.
A records are the most fundamental DNS record type. Without them, browsers would have no way to find the server hosting a website. Each A record also has a TTL (Time To Live) value that controls how long resolvers cache the result.
A Records vs AAAA Records
A records hold IPv4 addresses (32-bit, e.g., 192.0.2.1), while AAAA records hold IPv6 addresses (128-bit, e.g., 2001:db8::1). Both serve the same purpose — mapping a domain to an IP address — but for different versions of the Internet Protocol.
IPv4 addresses are limited to about 4.3 billion unique addresses, which have been fully allocated. IPv6 provides a vastly larger address space. Modern domains ideally support both protocols for maximum accessibility.
Multiple A Records and Load Balancing
When a domain has multiple A records, DNS resolvers typically return them in rotating order (round-robin), distributing traffic across several servers. CDN providers like Cloudflare, Fastly, and AWS CloudFront use this technique extensively.
Some domains also use GeoDNS or anycast routing, where A records return different IP addresses depending on the geographic location of the resolver, ensuring visitors connect to the nearest server.
Run a Free A Record Lookup
Enter any domain above to instantly retrieve its IPv4 addresses, TTL values, and hosting details. This A record lookup tool queries live DNS data — no software installation or command-line knowledge needed.
For a complete picture, use the IP Lookup tool to see both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, or try the NS Lookup to find the domain's authoritative nameservers and DNS hosting provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an A record and what does it do?
An A (Address) record is the most fundamental DNS record type. It maps a domain name to a 32-bit IPv4 address, which is the numerical address computers use to communicate over the internet. When you type a domain name into your browser, the browser performs a DNS lookup for the A record to find the server's IP address and connect to it.
Why would I have multiple A records for one domain?
Multiple A records enable DNS-based load balancing, where traffic is distributed across several servers using round-robin rotation. CDN providers like Cloudflare and AWS CloudFront commonly use this technique. Multiple A records also provide redundancy — if one server goes down, traffic is routed to the remaining servers.
What's the difference between A records and AAAA records?
A records map domains to IPv4 addresses (32-bit, like 192.0.2.1), while AAAA records map to IPv6 addresses (128-bit, like 2001:db8::1). IPv4 has roughly 4.3 billion possible addresses and is fully allocated, while IPv6 has a virtually unlimited address space. Modern domains should ideally have both record types.
Can subdomains have different A records than the main domain?
Yes, subdomains can point to completely different IP addresses than the main domain. For example, www.example.com might point to a CDN server while api.example.com points to an application server and mail.example.com points to a mail server. Each subdomain's A record is independently configurable in your DNS settings.
What should I do if my A record points to the wrong IP address?
Log into your DNS provider's control panel and update the A record with the correct IP address. After saving, the change will propagate based on the record's TTL value. If you need the change to take effect quickly, consider lowering the TTL before making the change. You can use this A record lookup tool to verify the update has propagated.