DNS, WHOIS & Nameserver Lookup Tools and Websites

There are many websites and tools online that provide Nameserver, DNS and WHOIS lookups which you can freely use. As a Web Developer, I do nameserver lookups very often as I need to check which website is in which server, so I try to use the fastest and most reliable tool available.

Top 5 DNS, WHOIS & Nameserver Lookup Websites

Here are a few of the best online tools that I use:
1. DomainTools - www.domaintools.com
My personal favourite. The website processes your query fast and provides a whole load of information included in the WHOIS such as Registrant search, WHOIS history, Server stats and Website image. All TLDs (e.g. .com, .net. info) and ccTLDs (e.g. .sg, .us, .uk) can be queried too.

2. Network-Tools.com – www.network-tools.com

3. DNSstuff - www.dnsstuff.com

4. Whois.Net – www.whois.net

5. Domain.com - secure.domain.com
I happily used their services for a year until they implemented the CAPTCHA authentication. I simply have no time to enter letters and numbers for verification before doing a lookup. Another shortcoming is that they only cater for .com lookups.

How to do a Nameserver Lookup using the Windows Command Prompt

An alternative way to find out the nameservers of a certain website or IP address is by using the Windows Command Prompt. It is fast and doesn’t require an internet browser but it only shows the nameservers and nothing else.

Here’s how you can do it:
1. Launch Command Prompt
2. Type nslookup. Your Default Server and Address will be displayed. Press Enter.
3. Now type set type=ns and hit Enter.
4. In the new line enter your query, for example www.google.com and press Enter.
5. And the nameservers of the domain will be displayed. Refer to the screenshot below for a better understanding.