dns-checker-cli

A fast, zero-config CLI tool for looking up DNS records of any domain. Queries all common record types in parallel and displays the results in a readable, color-coded table -- or as JSON for scripting.

Install

npm install -g dns-checker-cli

Or run it directly without installing:

npx dns-checker-cli example.com

Usage

dns-checker <domain> [options]

Options

Flag	Description
-t, --type <types>	Comma-separated record types to query (e.g. A,MX,TXT)
-j, --json	Output results as JSON
-s, --short	Compact output — skip record types with no results
-V, --version	Show version number
-h, --help	Show help

Examples

Look up all DNS records for a domain:

dns-checker example.com

Query only specific record types:

dns-checker example.com --type A,MX,NS

Get JSON output (useful for piping into jq or other tools):

dns-checker example.com --json

Skip empty record types for a cleaner overview:

dns-checker example.com --short

Combine flags:

dns-checker example.com -t A,AAAA,MX -s

Supported Record Types

Type	Description
A	IPv4 addresses
AAAA	IPv6 addresses
CNAME	Canonical name (alias)
MX	Mail exchange servers (sorted by priority)
NS	Name servers
TXT	Text records (SPF, DKIM, domain verification, etc.)
SOA	Start of authority
CAA	Certificate authority authorization
SRV	Service locator records

By default, all types are queried. Use --type to limit the query to specific types.

JSON Output

When using --json, the output structure is:

{
  "domain": "example.com",
  "results": [
    {
      "type": "A",
      "records": ["93.184.216.34"]
    },
    {
      "type": "MX",
      "records": ["10 mail.example.com"]
    }
  ]
}

Records that failed to resolve will include an error field:

{
  "type": "SRV",
  "records": [],
  "error": "querySrv ENODATA example.com"
}

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run in development mode
npm run dev -- example.com

# Build for distribution
npm run build

# Lint
npm run lint

Project Structure

src/
├── index.ts       # CLI entry point (argument parsing, orchestration)
├── dns.ts         # DNS resolution logic (parallel queries via node:dns)
├── formatter.ts   # Output formatting (table and JSON)
└── types.ts       # Shared type definitions

Requirements

• Node.js >= 18

License

MIT