Dig stands for “Domain Information Groper”, a command-line tool that collects DNS information. It is most often used by system or network administrators to DNS Lookup and to troubleshoot DNS-related issues.
The dig command will, by default, submit a query to the DNS server specified in the /etc/resolv.com file. Also, it gives you the option to query a certain DNS server. In this guide, we will learn how to use the dig command.
How it works?
For the DIG command to work, your device must send a DNS query to the specified IP address or hostname. Your ISP’s recursive name servers will be the first to receive the request. You should expect a quick response if the data you need is stored there. If the answer is no, your question will be sent in a different direction. The query will eventually reach the authoritative DNS name server, which will undoubtedly know the answer and send it back to you.
Dig the syntax
The dig utility syntax will look like this in its most basic form:
Dig (server) (name) (type)
Server: The Internet Protocol (IP) or name server hostname to contact. Dig will resolve the hostname first before sending the query to the nameserver if the server parameter is the hostname. If you don’t provide a server, dig will use those specified in the /etc/resolve.conf file.
Name: The name of the resource record that will be searched.
Type: The kind of query that dig asks you to submit. It can be anything from an A record to an MX or SOA record. Dig will attempt to locate an A record with no type parameter using the default search method.
How to use the Dig command
Let’s review the basics of using the command:
Dig a domain name
Simply including the domain name in the dig command will allow you to run a DNS lookup for the domain:
Dig example.com
Dig displays record A if no other alternative is given. The output will also include the version of the search used, technical information about the answers, query statistics, a questions section and a few others.
How can I get a short answer using dig?
There’s a lot of useful information broken down into separate parts of the dig command just shown to you, but there may be times when you want to get the result of the query. You can accomplish this by using the +short option, which will display the IP address of the domain name’s A record:
Dig example.com + short
How can I get a long answer using dig?
There will be situations where you want to examine the answers section in more depth. Therefore, if you want more specific information about the answers area, you can use the dig command to stop displaying all sections by selecting the +noall option, and then query only the answers part using the option +answer.
Dig example.com +noall +answer
How do I perform all types of DNS records using dig?
Use the ANY option to query all different types of DNS records connected to a domain. The ANY option will cause the output to contain all currently available record types:
How can I get specific record types using mining?
Adding the record type to the end of the query will allow you to search for a specific record. For example, you can use the following dig command to query a domain to acquire only the mail exchange, or MX, response section connected to the domain:
Dig example.in MX
How can I perform reverse DNS lookups using dig?
You can find out which domain or hostname is bound to an IP address by using a reverse DNS query. By using the -x option with the desired IP address, you can perform a reverse DNS query using the dig program. Below is an example of a reverse DNS lookup for the google.com IP address:
Dig + answer -x 9.9.9.9
What does the dig command do in Linux?
The acronym dig refers to the Domain Information Groper command. Its main function is to retrieve information about DNS name servers. Network administrators are the main users of this tool. Lookups in the DNS system and checking and debugging of DNS issues are done with its help.
Is Dig a DNS tool?
The dig command, which stands for “domain information groper”, is a versatile tool that can be used to query DNS name servers. It performs DNS lookups and displays the responses returned by the requested name server.
