The DNS monitor verifies that your domain's DNS records resolve correctly. It's essential for catching DNS misconfigurations, propagation issues, or DNS provider outages.
๐ฏ What It Doesโ
- Queries DNS records for a domain
- Supports all record types: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, TXT, SRV, SOA, PTR, CAA
- Optionally validates against an expected value
- Can use a custom nameserver for queries
โ๏ธ Configurationโ
| Setting | Description | Example |
|---|
| Name | A friendly name | example.com DNS |
| Host / Domain | The domain to query | example.com |
| Record Type | Type of DNS record | A |
| Expected Value | What the record should resolve to | 93.184.216.34 |
| Custom Nameserver | Specific DNS server to query | 8.8.8.8 (leave empty for system default) |
๐ Usage Examplesโ
Example 1: Verify A recordโ
Make sure your domain points to the right IP:
| Setting | Value |
|---|
| Name | example.com A Record |
| Address | example.com |
| Record Type | A |
| Expected Value | 93.184.216.34 |
Example 2: Monitor MX recordsโ
Verify email routing is correct:
| Setting | Value |
|---|
| Name | Email MX Record |
| Address | example.com |
| Record Type | MX |
| Expected Value | mail.example.com |
Example 3: Verify TXT/SPF recordโ
| Setting | Value |
|---|
| Name | SPF Record |
| Address | example.com |
| Record Type | TXT |
| Expected Value | v=spf1 |
Example 4: Monitor with specific nameserverโ
Check Cloudflare's view of your DNS:
| Setting | Value |
|---|
| Name | DNS via Cloudflare |
| Address | example.com |
| Record Type | A |
| Nameserver | 1.1.1.1 |
๐ Available Record Typesโ
| Type | Purpose |
|---|
| A | IPv4 address |
| AAAA | IPv6 address |
| CNAME | Canonical name (alias) |
| MX | Mail exchange servers |
| NS | Nameservers |
| TXT | Text records (SPF, DKIM, verification) |
| SRV | Service records |
| SOA | Start of Authority |
| PTR | Reverse DNS |
| CAA | Certificate Authority Authorization |
๐ก Tipsโ
- Monitor from multiple nameservers: Create separate monitors using Google DNS (8.8.8.8), Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1), and your authoritative nameserver to catch propagation issues.
- Leave "Expected Value" empty if you just want to verify the record exists (resolves at all).
- TXT records: Use a partial match โ TXT records can be very long. Just check for a key part like
v=spf1.