Website IP Lookup

Resolve any domain name to its IP addresses. This tool queries both A (IPv4) and AAAA (IPv6) records using Google Public DNS, showing all IP addresses a website resolves to along with TTL values.

What Is a Website IP Lookup?

A website IP lookup resolves a domain name to its corresponding IP addresses using the Domain Name System (DNS). Every website is hosted on a server identified by an IP address — either IPv4 (like 104.21.32.1) or IPv6 (like 2606:4700:3030::ac43:8f01). When you type a URL into your browser, a DNS resolver performs this translation automatically before your browser can connect.

This tool queries both A records (IPv4) and AAAA records (IPv6) to give you a complete picture of where a website's servers are located. This is useful for troubleshooting, security analysis, and understanding your network's DNS configuration.

Why Look Up a Website's IP Address?

There are several practical reasons to resolve a domain to its IP address:

• Troubleshooting connectivity — Verify that a domain resolves correctly when you can't reach a website. If DNS isn't responding, this confirms whether the issue is DNS-related.
• Identifying hosting providers — IP addresses reveal which hosting company or CDN serves a website (e.g., Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud).
• Security analysis — Check if a suspicious link resolves to a known malicious IP or an unexpected server.
• Server migration verification — Confirm that DNS changes have propagated and the domain points to the new server after a migration.
• Firewall configuration — Get exact IP addresses for allowlist/blocklist rules on your router or firewall.
• CDN detection — Websites behind CDNs like Cloudflare will show the CDN's IP addresses, not the origin server. Multiple IPs indicate load balancing.

Pro Tip: If a domain returns multiple IP addresses, it typically means the site uses a CDN or load balancer. The actual origin server IP is hidden behind these services for security and performance. To find your own public IP address, use our What Is My IP tool. To learn more about IP addresses in general, see our guide on what an IP address is.

Understanding A vs AAAA Records

DNS uses different record types for IPv4 and IPv6 addresses:

Most websites have A records for IPv4 compatibility. Increasingly, sites also publish AAAA records for IPv6 connectivity. Large providers like Cloudflare, Google, and Facebook fully support IPv6. You can use our Subnet Calculator to analyze IPv4 address ranges or the IP Lookup tool for geolocation information.

How DNS Resolution Works

When your browser needs to connect to a website, the DNS resolution process follows these steps:

1. Browser cache check — Your browser checks its local DNS cache for a recent lookup result.
2. OS cache check — If not cached, the operating system's DNS resolver checks its cache.
3. Recursive resolver query — The configured DNS server (from your DHCP settings or manual configuration) receives the query.
4. Root server referral — The resolver queries a root DNS server, which refers to the TLD server (.com, .org, etc.).
5. TLD server referral — The TLD server refers to the domain's authoritative name servers.
6. Authoritative answer — The authoritative server returns the A/AAAA records with their TTL values.
7. Caching and response — The resolver caches the result and returns it to your browser.

This entire process typically takes 10-100 ms. The DNS resolver you use greatly affects performance — run our DNS Speed Benchmark to compare providers. For encrypted queries, try our DNS over HTTPS Tester.

Looking Up IPs via Command Line

You can resolve domain names using built-in command-line tools on any operating system:

Windows

nslookup example.com
nslookup -type=AAAA example.com
ping example.com

macOS / Linux

dig example.com A +short
dig example.com AAAA +short
host example.com
nslookup example.com 1.1.1.1

Using Specific DNS Servers

# Query Cloudflare DNS
dig @1.1.1.1 example.com A

# Query Google DNS
dig @8.8.8.8 example.com AAAA

If you're getting different results from different DNS servers, it may be due to CDN geo-routing or DNS caching. Compare results from your ISP DNS vs custom DNS to identify discrepancies.

Common IP Ranges by Provider

Recognizing IP address ranges helps identify which service hosts a website:

Use our IP Address Lookup tool for detailed geolocation and WHOIS information about any IP address.

Troubleshooting DNS Resolution

If a domain isn't resolving correctly, try these steps:

• Flush DNS cache — Clear your local cache to force a fresh lookup.
• Try a different resolver — Query Google (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) directly to bypass ISP DNS issues. Change DNS on your router for a permanent fix.
• Check for CNAME chains — A domain may point to a CNAME that resolves to another CNAME. Use our DNS Lookup to trace the chain.
• Verify DNS propagation — After a change, records may not have propagated globally. TTL values determine how long old records persist.
• Check the authoritative servers — Query the domain's NS records to find its authoritative name servers, then query them directly.

Video: How DNS Works

Related Tools and Guides

• DNS Lookup Tool
• IP Address Lookup
• What Is My IP?
• Subnet Calculator
• Port Checker
• What Is DNS?
• What Is an IP Address?
• Find Router IP Address
• What Is a Gateway?
• Set Up Dynamic DNS (DDNS)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a website have multiple IP addresses?

Multiple IP addresses indicate load balancing or CDN usage. Traffic is distributed across several servers for reliability and performance. If one server fails, others continue serving the website.

Can I access a website by its IP address?

Sometimes. If the server is configured with a default virtual host, entering the IP in your browser will load the site. However, most modern hosting uses name-based virtual hosting, where multiple domains share one IP. In that case, the server needs the domain name (via the HTTP Host header) to serve the correct site.

Why do I get different IPs from different locations?

This is geo-DNS or anycast routing. CDNs and large providers direct users to the nearest data center by returning location-specific IP addresses. This reduces latency and improves loading speed for users worldwide.

How can I find the real IP behind Cloudflare?

Cloudflare intentionally hides origin server IPs for DDoS protection. You generally cannot find the real IP through DNS. Historical DNS records, SSL certificate transparency logs, or misconfigured subdomains may occasionally reveal the origin IP, but this is a security concern rather than a feature.

What does it mean if a domain has no AAAA record?

It means the website doesn't have IPv6 connectivity. The site is only accessible over IPv4. While IPv6 adoption is growing, many websites still operate on IPv4 only. This doesn't cause issues for most users since ISPs support both protocols.

Is the IP address the same as the server location?

Not necessarily. IP geolocation is approximate and identifies the data center location, not the website owner's physical location. CDN IPs resolve to the nearest edge server, which may be in a different country from the origin server.

Why does my website IP keep changing?

Dynamic IPs are common with CDNs, cloud providers, and load balancers. Cloudflare regularly rotates IPs for security. If you use a dynamic IP for your home server, set up DDNS to keep your domain pointed at the correct address.

About Tommy N.

Tommy is the founder of RouterHax and a network engineer with 10+ years of experience in home and enterprise networking. He specializes in router configuration, WiFi optimization, and network security. When not writing guides, he's testing the latest mesh WiFi systems and helping readers troubleshoot their home networks.