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Reverse DNS Lookup
Find domain names associated with an IP address
swap_horiz Reverse DNS Lookup
help_outline Understanding Reverse DNS
What is Reverse DNS?
Reverse DNS (rDNS) is the process of resolving an IP address to a domain name, which is the opposite of the standard forward DNS lookup that resolves domain names to IP addresses.
How it Works
- looks_one IP address is reversed (e.g., 8.8.8.8 → 8.8.8.8.in-addr.arpa)
- looks_two PTR (Pointer) record is queried in DNS
- looks_3 Domain name is returned if PTR record exists
Common Uses
- security Email server verification (anti-spam)
- verified_user Network troubleshooting and diagnostics
- analytics Log analysis and visitor identification
- admin_panel_settings System administration and monitoring
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Important Note:
Not all IP addresses have reverse DNS records. Many residential and mobile IP addresses may not have PTR records configured.
compare_arrows IPv4 vs IPv6 Reverse DNS
IPv4 Format:
8.8.8.8 → 8.8.8.8.in-addr.arpa
IP is reversed and .in-addr.arpa is appended
IPv6 Format:
2001:db8::1 → 1.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.8.b.d.0.1.0.0.2.ip6.arpa
Hex digits are reversed in nibble format