DNS Tool

LOC Lookup

Lookup LOC records and inspect published geographic location metadata in DNS. Run fast checks, interpret results, and use related tools for validation.

Record Type

LOC

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.

LOC Lookup — Start Here

Waiting for input

Enter a domain and run check

How to Use

Use LOC Lookup in 4 Steps

Enter domain

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

Run LOC Lookup

Execute LOC 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 LOC Lookup?

LOC records publish geographic coordinates and physical metadata (latitude, longitude, altitude, and precision) for hosts in DNS zones. They provide a DNS-native way to attach location data to hostnames without relying on IP geolocation databases.

LOC records encode WGS 84 coordinates in a structured format: degrees/minutes/seconds for latitude and longitude, altitude in meters above or below sea level, and horizontal/vertical precision values. They are rarely used in modern deployments since IP geolocation via MaxMind, ip-api, and similar databases has become the standard.

Best Use

Geo-aware infrastructure audits, legacy DNS metadata validation, and understanding how geographic metadata is encoded in DNS zones.

Common Mistake

Using LOC records as an authoritative geolocation source for security decisions or routing logic. LOC records are self-asserted by the zone operator and not verified — they can be easily falsified.

Validation Path

Validate coordinate precision fields against the intended deployment metadata; cross-reference with IP geolocation databases to confirm consistency.

Quick Interpretation Table

Use this reference to diagnose common outcomes when running LOC Lookup.

Observed Result	Likely Cause	Next Step
LOC record missing	No DNS-published geographic metadata for this host	Publish LOC record if your workflow or application requires DNS geolocation
Coordinate precision too broad	Location radius too large to be operationally useful	Update LOC precision fields to match actual deployment accuracy
Outdated site coordinates	Infrastructure has moved since LOC was published	Refresh LOC coordinates to reflect current physical deployment location

CLI Examples

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

dig LOC example.com

Query LOC record for a hostname

nslookup -type=LOC example.com

LOC lookup using nslookup (cross-platform)

dig LOC example.com +short

Compact LOC output: latitude longitude altitude precision values

dig LOC server1.example.com

Query LOC for a specific server hostname

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 a LOC record?

A LOC (Location) record publishes geographic coordinates for a hostname in DNS. It encodes WGS 84 latitude and longitude (in degrees/minutes/seconds), altitude in meters above or below sea level, and horizontal and vertical precision values. LOC records are defined in RFC 1876.

What is the LOC record format?

The LOC record RDATA format is: `d1 [m1 [s1]] {"N"|"S"} d2 [m2 [s2]] {"E"|"W"} alt["m"] [siz["m"] [hp["m"] [vp["m"]]]]`. For example, `37 23 29.700 N 122 01 12.000 W 15.00m 1m 10000m 10m` represents the IETF headquarters in San Jose, CA.

Are LOC records widely supported?

LOC records have poor tooling support in modern DNS management panels and monitoring platforms. They are rarely populated in practice. Few applications query LOC records — IP geolocation APIs (MaxMind GeoIP2, ip-api, ipinfo.io) are the dominant mechanism for geographic metadata in modern deployments.

How accurate must LOC coordinates be?

The LOC record includes a size field (physical size of the object) and horizontal precision (hp) and vertical precision (vp) fields. A typical server in a datacenter might use a size of 1m (1 meter), hp of 10m, and vp of 10m. Coordinates accurate to within a city are usually sufficient for operational purposes.

Can LOC records replace IP geolocation?

No. LOC records are self-asserted by the zone operator with no verification mechanism. They are static and don't update when infrastructure moves unless manually edited. IP geolocation databases like MaxMind GeoIP2 are updated continuously and are far more accurate for routing, analytics, and access control purposes.