Why Does dig Command Return No DNS Records? Troubleshooting Guide for Developers


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When you run a basic dig command like:



dig socialimpactportfolio.com


You might expect to see A records in the ANSWER section, but instead get only SOA records in the AUTHORITY section. This typically indicates one of several scenarios:


    

  1. The domain exists but has no A records configured
    2. 

  2. The domain uses a non-standard DNS configuration
    3. 

  3. There are issues with the resolver you're using
    4. 



1. Domain exists but has no A records:


dig example.nonexistenttld
;; ANSWER SECTION:
example.nonexistenttld. 3600 IN A 192.0.2.1


2. Using a recursive resolver that's filtering results:


dig @8.8.8.8 socialimpactportfolio.com
dig @1.1.1.1 socialimpactportfolio.com


For more comprehensive DNS checking:


1. Using host command:


host socialimpactportfolio.com
host -t ANY socialimpactportfolio.com


2. Using nslookup:


nslookup -type=any socialimpactportfolio.com


3. Online DNS tools:

- https://dnschecker.org

- https://mxtoolbox.com


1. Query specific record types:


dig socialimpactportfolio.com A
dig socialimpactportfolio.com MX
dig socialimpactportfolio.com TXT


2. Trace DNS resolution path:


dig +trace socialimpactportfolio.com


3. Check DNSSEC validation:


dig +dnssec socialimpactportfolio.com


The SOA (Start of Authority) record in your output indicates that:


dns1.name-services.com


is the primary nameserver for the domain, but no other records are published at this level. This is common for:


    

  • Newly registered domains
    • 

  • Domains with DNS misconfiguration
    • 

  • Parked domains
    • 



    

  1. Check different record types:

    dig socialimpactportfolio.com ANY
    

    2. 

  2. Query authoritative nameservers directly:

    dig @dns1.name-services.com socialimpactportfolio.com
    

    3. 

  3. Check DNS propagation:

    dig +short socialimpactportfolio.com @8.8.8.8
dig +short socialimpactportfolio.com @1.1.1.1
    

    4. 



Some ISPs and public DNS services filter records for various reasons. Test with:


dig +nocmd +nocomments +noquestion +noauthority +noadditional +nostats socialimpactportfolio.com


Compare results across different resolvers to identify filtering patterns.


For cleaner output, use:


dig +short socialimpactportfolio.com
dig +noall +answer socialimpactportfolio.com


For JSON output (requires dig 9.16+):


dig +json socialimpactportfolio.com


Here's a simple bash script to check multiple record types:


#!/bin/bash

DOMAIN="socialimpactportfolio.com"
RECORDS=("A" "AAAA" "MX" "TXT" "CNAME" "NS")

for record in "${RECORDS[@]}"; do
  echo "Checking $record records:"
  dig +short $DOMAIN $record
  echo "---------------------"
done


The TTL (Time To Live) value affects when changes become visible:


dig +ttlid socialimpactportfolio.com


If you suspect caching issues, query authoritative nameservers directly:


dig @ns1.example.com socialimpactportfolio.com






When you run a basic dig command like:


dig socialimpactportfolio.com


You might get output showing only SOA records in the AUTHORITY section, with an empty ANSWER section. This doesn't necessarily mean there are no DNS records - it just means your query didn't match what's actually configured.


Here are the most likely explanations:


    

  • The domain exists but has no A records (only CNAME, MX, etc.)
    • 

  • You're querying the wrong nameserver
    • 

  • The domain uses a CDN or proxy service
    • 

  • There's a caching issue with your DNS resolver
    • 



Try these more comprehensive query methods:


# Query all record types
dig socialimpactportfolio.com ANY

# Query specific record types
dig socialimpactportfolio.com A
dig socialimpactportfolio.com MX
dig socialimpactportfolio.com TXT

# Query directly against authoritative nameservers
dig @ns1.name-services.com socialimpactportfolio.com


If you want simpler output, consider these alternatives:


# Using host command
host socialimpactportfolio.com

# Using nslookup
nslookup -query=any socialimpactportfolio.com

# Using drill (from ldns)
drill socialimpactportfolio.com ANY


Let's say website.example.com isn't loading. Here's how to investigate:


# First check A records
dig website.example.com A +short

# If empty, check for CNAME
dig website.example.com CNAME +short

# Verify nameservers
dig website.example.com NS +short

# Query authoritative server directly
dig @$(dig website.example.com NS +short | head -1) website.example.com A


Remember that DNS changes can take time to propagate. If you've recently made changes, you might need to wait or explicitly query different nameservers:


# Check against multiple public DNS servers
dig @8.8.8.8 website.example.com
dig @1.1.1.1 website.example.com
dig @208.67.222.222 website.example.com