I have seen both terms being used and I am not sure if there is a difference between them.
2 Answers
Is there a difference between a name server lookup and a domain name lookup?
A Name Server lookup retrieves the IP address associated with a Domain Name.
A Domain Name lookup (also called whois) retrieves the domain registration data (the domain owner details).
How do I perform a Name Server Lookup?
Online using a variety of name server lookup services
On Windows use nslookup
On Unix use dig.
Example output ():
Example Output (Windows nslookup):
F:\test>nslookup redhat.com
Server: UnKnown
Address: 192.168.42.129
Non-authoritative answer:
Name: redhat.com
Addresses: 64:ff9b::d184:b769 209.132.183.105Example Output (Linux dig):
$ dig redhat.com +nocomments +noquestion +noauthority +noadditional +nostats
; <<>> DiG 9.7.3-RedHat-9.7.3-2.el6 <<>> redhat.com +nocomments +noquestion +noauthority +noadditional +nostats
;; global options: +cmd
redhat.com. 9 IN A 209.132.183.81How do I perform a Domain Name Lookup?
Online using a variety of domain name lookup services.
On Unix use whois.
Example Output ():
Domain Name: google.com
Registry Domain ID: 2138514_DOMAIN_COM-VRSN
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.markmonitor.com
Registrar URL:
Updated Date: 2015-06-12T10:38:52-0700
Creation Date: 1997-09-15T00:00:00-0700
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2020-09-13T21:00:00-0700
Registrar: MarkMonitor, Inc.
Registrar IANA ID: 292
Registrar Abuse Contact Email:
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone: +1.2083895740
Domain Status: clientUpdateProhibited ()
Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited ()
Domain Status: clientDeleteProhibited ()
Domain Status: serverUpdateProhibited ()
Domain Status: serverTransferProhibited ()
Domain Status: serverDeleteProhibited ()
Registry Registrant ID:
Registrant Name: Dns Admin
Registrant Organization: Google Inc.
Registrant Street: Please contact , 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Registrant City: Mountain View
Registrant State/Province: CA
Registrant Postal Code: 94043
Registrant Country: US
Registrant Phone: +1.6502530000
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax: +1.6506188571
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email:
Registry Admin ID:
Admin Name: DNS Admin
Admin Organization: Google Inc.
Admin Street: 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Admin City: Mountain View
Admin State/Province: CA
Admin Postal Code: 94043
Admin Country: US
Admin Phone: +1.6506234000
Admin Phone Ext:
Admin Fax: +1.6506188571
Admin Fax Ext:
Admin Email:
Registry Tech ID:
Tech Name: DNS Admin
Tech Organization: Google Inc.
Tech Street: 2400 E. Bayshore Pkwy
Tech City: Mountain View
Tech State/Province: CA
Tech Postal Code: 94043
Tech Country: US
Tech Phone: +1.6503300100
Tech Phone Ext:
Tech Fax: +1.6506181499
Tech Fax Ext:
Tech Email:
Name Server: ns1.google.com
Name Server: ns2.google.com
Name Server: ns4.google.com
Name Server: ns3.google.com
DNSSEC: unsigned
URL of the ICANN WHOIS Data Problem Reporting System: Source
Example Output (Linux whois):
$ whois google.com
Registrant: Dns Admin Google Inc. Please contact 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View CA 94043 US +1.6502530000 Fax: +1.6506188571 Domain Name: google.com Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com Registrar Whois: whois.markmonitor.com Registrar Homepage: Administrative Contact: DNS Admin Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View CA 94043 US +1.6506234000 Fax: +1.6506188571 Technical Contact, Zone Contact: DNS Admin Google Inc. 2400 E. Bayshore Pkwy Mountain View CA 94043 US +1.6503300100 Fax: +1.6506181499 Created on..............: 1997-09-15. Expires on..............: 2011-09-13. Record last updated on..: 2010-03-30.Further Reading
- How do I find the authoritative name-server for a domain name?
- Domain Name System
- 10 Linux DIG Command Examples for DNS Lookup
- nslookup - Lookup IP addresses on a NameServer.
domain name lookup can be responded by a cache (i.e. on localhost or by your provider). A name server lookup goes directly to the nameserver, thus bypasses caches between you and the name server.
