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DNS Tool

AAAA Record Lookup

Lookup DNS AAAA records for any hostname, verify IPv6 mapping accuracy, and troubleshoot dual-stack DNS resolution issues. Run fast checks, interpret results,…

Record Type

AAAA

Focused record verification for targeted DNS troubleshooting.

Best Use

Migration + incident checks

Validate live DNS answers during change windows.

Operational Context

Use this page to validate live resolver output during DNS cutovers, outage triage, and post-change verification windows.

AAAA Record Lookup — Start Here

Waiting for input

Enter a domain and run check

How to Use

Use AAAA Record Lookup in 4 Steps

Enter domain

Input the target domain in clean hostname format (no path or query string).

Run AAAA Record Lookup

Execute AAAA Record Lookup to pull live resolver output for this record scope.

Compare expected vs live

Match returned values with your intended DNS configuration at the source.

Cross-check related tools

Validate adjacent DNS layers to isolate cache vs source problems.

What is AAAA Record Lookup?

AAAA records map a hostname to an IPv6 address. The "quad-A" name reflects that IPv6 addresses are 128-bit — four times the 32-bit length of IPv4. A dual-stack domain publishes both A and AAAA records so IPv4 and IPv6 clients can both resolve.

As IPv6 adoption grows — currently over 40% of Google traffic — publishing AAAA records ensures your domain is reachable for IPv6-native networks without forcing a fallback penalty. Most CDNs (Cloudflare, Fastly, CloudFront) provide AAAA records automatically for proxied hostnames. The key risk is publishing an AAAA record pointing to a server that doesn't have IPv6 properly configured.

Best Use

Verifying IPv6 availability after enabling dual-stack, diagnosing slow load times caused by broken IPv6 configuration, and confirming CDN AAAA records.

Common Mistake

Publishing an AAAA record for a server that doesn't have IPv6 configured — IPv6-preferring clients will time out before falling back to IPv4, causing multi-second delays known as "IPv6 brokenness."

Validation Path

Confirm the AAAA address matches the server's public IPv6 interface, then test actual reachability with `ping6` or `curl -6` before relying on DNS alone.

Quick Interpretation Table

Use this reference to diagnose common outcomes when running AAAA Record Lookup.

Observed Result	Likely Cause	Next Step
AAAA missing, A present	IPv4-only — no IPv6 connectivity path	Add AAAA record if your server has a public IPv6 interface; otherwise leave it absent
AAAA returns loopback (::1)	Misconfigured record points to localhost	Replace with the server's public IPv6 address (not ::1 or fe80::...)
AAAA present but connection times out	Server IPv6 not configured despite published record	Either configure IPv6 on the server or remove the AAAA record

CLI Examples

Run these commands directly from a terminal to verify AAAA records without relying on a browser-based tool.

dig AAAA example.com

Query AAAA records using the default resolver

nslookup -type=AAAA example.com

AAAA lookup using nslookup (cross-platform)

curl -6 -v https://example.com

Force curl to connect over IPv6 — tests actual IPv6 reachability

ping6 example.com

Verify IPv6 connectivity to the resolved address (Linux/macOS)

Troubleshooting Workflow

Run this record check first for a scoped signal on the target hostname.
Validate nameserver authority and SOA context if results are unexpected.
Use propagation checks when different regions return different values.
Re-run after applying fixes and compare values against your expected configuration.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an AAAA record?

An AAAA record (quad-A record) maps a hostname to an IPv6 address. IPv6 addresses are 128-bit, written as eight groups of four hex digits separated by colons (e.g., 2606:4700:4700::1111). AAAA records work exactly like A records but for the IPv6 address family.

Do I need an AAAA record if I already have an A record?

Not strictly required, but recommended. Publishing an AAAA record enables IPv6 connectivity for the growing share of users on IPv6-native networks. Most CDNs provide AAAA records automatically for proxied hostnames, so you may already have one without realizing it.

What happens if my AAAA record points to an unreachable address?

IPv6-preferring clients will try the AAAA address first, fail after a timeout (typically 3–10 seconds), then fall back to IPv4. This causes a noticeable delay on every page load for IPv6 users. This is called "IPv6 brokenness." Remove or fix the AAAA record to eliminate the fallback penalty.

Can I have both A and AAAA records for the same hostname?

Yes — this is called a dual-stack configuration. Most operating systems prefer IPv6 when both are available (RFC 6724 address selection). Both records should point to the same server or service so behavior is consistent regardless of which IP version the client uses.

How is IPv6 written in DNS?

IPv6 addresses in AAAA records follow standard IPv6 notation with optional :: shorthand for consecutive zero groups. For example, 2606:4700:4700::1111 is Cloudflare's IPv6 DNS resolver. Leading zeros in each group can be omitted. DNS is case-insensitive for hex digits (a–f).