dig Command in Linux with Examples
Last Updated : 06 Nov, 2024
dig command stands for Domain Information Groper. It retrieves information about DNS name servers. Network administrators use it to verify and troubleshoot DNS problems and perform DNS lookups. The dignslookup and the host.
Installing Dig command
In case of Debian/Ubuntu
$sudo apt-get install dnsutils
In case of CentOS/RedHat
$sudo yum install bind-utils
Syntax:
dig [server] [name] [type]
Working with Dig Command
1. To query domain “A” record
dig geeksforgeeks.org
This command causes dig to look up the “A” record for the domain name “geeksforgeeks.org”.
A record refers to IPV4 IP.
Similarly, if record type is set as “AAAA”, this would return IPV6 IP.
2. To query domain “A” record with +short
dig geeksforgeeks.org +short
By default dig is verbose and by using “+short” option we can reduce the output drastically as shown. 3. To remove comment lines.
dig geeksforgeeks.org +nocomments
This command makes a request and excludes the comment lines. 4. To set or clear all display flags.
dig geeksforgeeks.org +noall
We use the “noall” query option, when we want to set or clear all display flags. 5. To query detailed answers.
dig geeksforgeeks.org +noall +answer
If we want to view the answers section information in detail, we first stop the display of all section using “+noall” option and then query the answers section only by using “+answer” option with the dig command. 6. To query all DNS record types.
dig geeksforgeeks.org ANY
We use “ANY” option to query all the available DNS record types associated with a domain. It will include all the available record types in the output. 7. To query MX record for the domain.
dig geeksforgeeks.org MX
If we want only the mail exchange – MX – answer section associated with a domain we use this command. 8. To trace DNS path
dig geeksforgeeks.org +trace
“+trace” command is used for tracing the DNS lookup path. This option makes iterative queries to resolve the name lookup. It will query the name servers starting from the root and subsequently traverses down the namespace tree using iterative queries following referrals along the way. 9. For specifying name servers
dig geeksforgeeks.org @8.8.8.8
By default, dig command will query the name servers listed in “/etc/resolv.conf” to perform a DNS lookup. We can change it by using @ symbol followed by a hostname or IP address of the name server. 10. To query the statistics section
dig geeksforgeeks.org +noall +answer +stats
We use “+stats” option with dig command, to see the statistics section.
Reverse DNS Lookup
Reverse DNS lookup can be used to fetch domain name or the host name from the IP address.
“-x” option is used to perform reverse DNS lookup.
ex:
[xxxxxx ~]# dig +noall +answer -x 8.8.8.8
8.8.8.8.in-addr.arpa. 18208 IN PTR dns.google.
Note: DNS reverse look up will work only if the entry is present PTR.
PTR contents can be viewed using the command "dig -x xx.yy.zz.aa"
Batch Queries
Instead performing dig query for each domain at a time, a list of domains can be queried at once. To do so, enter the domain names in a file, only 1 domain name in each line and perform the dig query on file.
ex: let’s say, file.txt has the list of domain names to be queried then,
dig -f file.txt +shortwill perform DNS queries and return all the resolved IPs.
Conclusion
The dig (Domain Information Groper) command in Linux is a powerful tool used for querying DNS (Domain Name Sysetm) servers troubleshooting network-relatd issues. It provides detailed information about DNS records, including types like A, AAAA, MX, NS, CNAME, and TXT records, making it invaluable for network administrators and developers. dig is especially helpful for verifying DNS records, ensuring that domain configuration are accurate and DNS propagation is complete.
Similar Reads
dirs command in Linux with examples
dirs command shell builtin is used to display the list of currently remembered directories. By default, it includes the directory you are currently in. A directory can get into the list via pushd command followed by the dir name and can be removed via popd command. Syntax: dirs [-clpv] [+N] [-N] It
1 min read
df command in Linux with Examples
Ever felt the chilling fear of a "disk full" error message on your Linux machine? Fear not, for the mighty df command stands ready to guide you through the treacherous terrain of disk space management! This article delves deep into the df command, equipping you with the knowledge and skills to navig
5 min read
dstat Command in Linux With Examples
dstat is a tool that is used to retrieve information or statistics form components of the system such as network connections, IO devices, or CPU, etc. It is generally used by system administrators to retrieve a handful of information about the above-mentioned components of the system. It itself perf
3 min read
ctags command in Linux with examples
The ctags command in Linux is commonly used with classic editors such as vi or vim to create an index or tags file for source code. This allows quick navigation across files, enabling users to jump to function definitions or references. ctags generates a cross-reference file that lists various sourc
4 min read
egrep command in Linux with examples
The 'egrep' command in Linux is a powerful pattern-searching utility that belongs to the family of grep functions. It functions similarly to 'grep -E' by treating patterns as extended regular expressions, allowing more complex pattern matching without the need to escape special characters. This comm
3 min read
curl Command in Linux with Examples
curl is a command-line utility for transferring data to or from a server, employing a range of internet protocols such as HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SCP, and SFTP. Whether you want to download a file, test a REST API, or simply verify that a website is up and running, curl is your best friend. It is accessed
5 min read
ip Command in Linux with Examples
The ip command in Linux is a powerful utility for network configuration and management. It allows users to interact with various networking components such as network interfaces, routing tables, addresses, and more. Here, we will look into the 'ip' command, covering each aspect with examples, code,
7 min read
doexec command in Linux with examples
doexec command in the Linux system is used to run an executable with an arbitrary argv[0]. It allows the user to argv[0] other than the name of the executable, which is by default passed. Syntax: doexec /path/to/executable argv[0] [argv[1-n]] Options: The argv list is used to send all options to the
1 min read
as command in linux with examples
as command is the portable GNU assembler in Linux. Using as command, we can read and assemble a source file. The main purpose of 'as' is to assemble the output of the GNU compiler of the C language.as command reads and assembles the .s File. Also, whenever you do not specify the file, it normally re
3 min read
cron command in Linux with Examples
The cron is a software utility, offered by a Linux-like operating system that automates the scheduled task at a predetermined time. It is a daemon process, which runs as a background process and performs the specified operations at the predefined time when a certain event or condition is triggered w
4 min read