DNS Lab - Free Online DNS Resolution Simulator Tool | IconVault
Watch a DNS query travel from stub resolver to root, TLD and authoritative servers. Interactive step by step lab. Free, educational, no signup.
DNS Lab
Watch a DNS query travel hop by hop
Resolver cache: COLD
Full hierarchy walk: stub, recursive, root, TLD, authoritative.
5 of 5 free copies left - everything runs locally in your browser.
Stub resolver
your devicesystem call~1msquery
getaddrinfo("blog.example.com")
response
forward to recursive resolver
Your app asks the operating system for the IP. The OS stub resolver does no real DNS work itself - it forwards the question to the configured recursive resolver (often your ISP or 1.1.1.1).
Recursive resolver
cache MISSA~3msquery
A blog.example.com?
response
not in cache - start at the root
Root servers
".", 13 logical clustersNS referral~28msquery
A blog.example.com?
response
referral: ask the .com servers (NS records)
.com TLD servers
top-level domainNS referral~34msquery
A blog.example.com?
response
referral: ask ns1.example.com (NS records)
Authoritative server
ns1.example.comA~41msquery
A blog.example.com?
response
blog.example.com -> 203.0.113.10 (TTL 300s)
Recursive resolver
answer + cacheA (cached)~2msquery
store for TTL
response
returns 203.0.113.10 to the stub
Record types you will meet
Simulated lab: answers use documentation IPs (203.0.113.0/24). No real DNS queries leave your browser.
About this tool
IconVault's DNS Lab is an interactive DNS resolution simulator that shows exactly how a domain name becomes an IP address. Type any domain and watch the query move hop by hop: stub resolver on your device, recursive resolver, root server, TLD server and authoritative nameserver, with a plain-English explanation and realistic timing for every step.
Use play, pause, step forward and step back controls to study at your own pace, and see how DNS caching changes the path when an answer is already known. Everything is simulated in your browser using documentation IPs (no real network lookups), which makes it a safe, free study tool for students, bootcamp learners and interview prep. Visitors get 5 free lab runs with no signup; IconVault Pro ($12/year) unlocks unlimited use of every tool.
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