Performing a reverse DNS lookup
Syntax:
nslookup [IP Address]
Example:
nslookup 192.168.0.10
You can also do the reverse DNS look-up by providing the IP Address as an argument to nslookup.
Nslookup Command in Linux with Examples
Nslookup (stands for “Name Server Lookup”) is a useful command for getting information from the DNS server. It is a network administration tool for querying the Domain Name System (DNS) to obtain domain name or IP address mapping or any other specific DNS record. It is also used to troubleshoot DNS-related problems.
In easy words, imagine the internet as a giant neighborhood. Websites are like houses, but instead of street names, they have easy-to-remember addresses like “google.com”. However, computers communicate using numbers, so they need a way to find these houses. That’s where DNS comes in. It acts like a phonebook, translating those friendly website names into numerical addresses (IP addresses) that computers can understand.
Now, the nslookup
command is like a special tool you can use to explore this phonebook. It lets you ask questions about websites and how they’re connected. You can use it to:
- Look up a website’s address: Just like looking up a phone number in a phonebook, you can use
nslookup
to find the IP address of a website. - Troubleshoot problems: If you’re having trouble accessing a website,
nslookup
can help you pinpoint where the issue might lie. - Learn more about domain configurations: By using
nslookup
, you can discover details about a website’s domain, such as the servers responsible for managing it.