{"id":1487,"date":"2021-05-10T13:38:51","date_gmt":"2021-05-10T10:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/?p=1487"},"modified":"2025-11-27T13:44:04","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T11:44:04","slug":"how-to-troubleshoot-dns-with-dig-and-nslookup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/how-to-troubleshoot-dns-with-dig-and-nslookup\/","title":{"rendered":"Troubleshoot DNS with dig & nslookup"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amongst other users, DNS helps <\/span>web users connect to websites<\/b> without memorizing <\/span>IP addresses<\/b><\/a>\u2014unique numeric IDs assigned to computers to enable other computers to identify and communicate with them.<\/span><\/p>\n

This article guides you on how to <\/span>troubleshoot DNS with dig and nslookup.<\/b><\/p>\n

But first, let\u2019s clear a few things.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why DNS Errors Occur ?<\/b><\/h2>\n

People often see the<\/span> domain name system,<\/b> DNS for short, as the internet\u2019s phone book<\/span>. It\u2019s a network of servers that track domain names and matches them to the correct IP addresses.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you visit a website with the domain name (<\/span>like <\/span><\/i>scalahosting.com<\/i><\/b><\/a>)<\/span><\/i>, your browser<\/span> asks the DNS server <\/b>for the IP address, enabling you to connect to the website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DNS error occurs<\/b> when the browser is unable to connect to the IP address. And one of the primary causes of this error is the <\/span>DNS cache\u2019s Time to Live<\/b> (<\/span>TTL).\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the amount of time web admins set a packet <\/span>(DNS information) <\/span><\/i>to exist in a DNS cache before expiration\u2014this is where device operating systems or browsers <\/span>locally store DNS information <\/b>to speed up future requests.<\/span><\/p>\n

A DNS change doesn\u2019t often propagate in real-time – the TTL determines when and how fast it does.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When you make recent<\/span> changes to your <\/b>DNS records<\/b><\/a>, move to a new host, or change the domain name, your website visitors will continue to see the old results or run into error until the TTL expires.<\/span><\/p>\n

Basic Troubleshooting for DNS Issues<\/b><\/h2>\n

Some DNS issues require basic troubleshooting to resolve.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s quickly take a look at them :<\/b><\/p>\n