The dig command, short for "domain information groper," is used for querying DNS (Domain Name System) name servers. It can perform :

• DNS lookups and displays the answers returned from the queried name server(s).
• Query Specific Record Types such as MX (Mail Exchanger) records for email servers, NS (Name Server) records for authoritative name servers, CNAME (Canonical Name) records for aliases, SOA (Start of Authority) records for zone information, and more.
• Trace DNS Resolution Paths: The +trace option allows us to see the full resolution path, showing the sequence of DNS servers queried to resolve a domain.
• Specify DNS Servers to query using the @ symbol followed by the server's IP address (e.g., @8.8.8.8 for Google's public DNS). It is part of the dnsutils (or bind-utils on some systems).

Dig syntax :

dig @DNS-server Hostname|IP type

DNS-server : The name or IP address of the name server Hostname|IP : The hostname or IP address to which the query is directed. type : The DNS record type to retrieve. By default, dig uses the A record type.

1. install

On debian based distributions

sudo apt install dnsutils

2. DNS lookup

dig chatons.org

Five columns can be found in the ANSWER SECTION :

1. name of the server that was queried.
2. Time to Live
3. query class : IN = Internet.
4. query type : A = address record.
5. IP address of the domain name.
   

   3. reverse DNS lookup

dig -x 142.250.180.206

4. Lookup a specific type

 dig chatons.org MX

5. Trace the DNS resolution path

dig +trace chatons.org

6. specify a DNS server

dig @8.8.8.8 chatons.org

7. Using common options

Display only the IP address associated with the domain name

dig +short chatons.org

94.130.212.178

Print Only the ANSWER SECTION

dig +noall +answer chatons.org

chatons.org.            1884    IN      A       94.130.212.178