host - DNS lookup utility
host [-aACdlnrsTUwv] [-c class] [-N ndots]
  [-p port] [-R number] [-t type] [-W wait]
  [-m flag] [ [-4] | [-6] ] [-v] [-V] {name}
  [server]
host is a simple utility for performing DNS lookups. It is normally used
  to convert names to IP addresses and vice versa. When no arguments or options
  are given, host prints a short summary of its command-line arguments
  and options.
name is the domain name that is to be looked up. It can
    also be a dotted-decimal IPv4 address or a colon-delimited IPv6 address, in
    which case host by default performs a reverse lookup for that
    address. server is an optional argument which is either the name or
    IP address of the name server that host should query instead of the
    server or servers listed in /etc/resolv.conf.
  - -4
- This option specifies that only IPv4 should be used for query transport.
      See also the -6 option.
 
  - -6
- This option specifies that only IPv6 should be used for query transport.
      See also the -4 option.
 
  - -a
- The -a ("all") option is normally equivalent to -v
      -t ANY. It also affects the behavior of the -l list zone
      option.
 
  - -A
- The -A ("almost all") option is equivalent to -a,
      except that RRSIG, NSEC, and NSEC3 records are omitted from the
    output.
 
  - -c class
- This option specifies the query class, which can be used to lookup HS
      (Hesiod) or CH (Chaosnet) class resource records. The default class is IN
      (Internet).
 
  - -C
- This option indicates that named should check consistency, meaning
      that host queries the SOA records for zone name from all the
      listed authoritative name servers for that zone. The list of name servers
      is defined by the NS records that are found for the zone.
 
  - -d
- This option prints debugging traces, and is equivalent to the -v
      verbose option.
 
  - -l
- This option tells named to list the zone, meaning the host
      command performs a zone transfer of zone name and prints out the
      NS, PTR, and address records (A/AAAA).
    Together, the -l -a options print all records in
        the zone. 
 
  - -N ndots
- This option specifies the number of dots (ndots) that have to be in
      name for it to be considered absolute. The default value is that
      defined using the ndots statement in /etc/resolv.conf, or 1
      if no ndots statement is present. Names with fewer dots are
      interpreted as relative names, and are searched for in the domains listed
      in the search or domain directive in
      /etc/resolv.conf.
 
  - -p port
- This option specifies the port to query on the server. The default is
    53.
 
  - -r
- This option specifies a non-recursive query; setting this option clears
      the RD (recursion desired) bit in the query. This means that the name
      server receiving the query does not attempt to resolve name. The
      -r option enables host to mimic the behavior of a name
      server by making non-recursive queries, and expecting to receive answers
      to those queries that can be referrals to other name servers.
 
  - -R number
- This option specifies the number of retries for UDP queries. If
      number is negative or zero, the number of retries is silently set
      to 1. The default value is 1, or the value of the attempts option
      in /etc/resolv.conf, if set.
 
  - -s
- This option tells named not to send the query to the next
      nameserver if any server responds with a SERVFAIL response, which is the
      reverse of normal stub resolver behavior.
 
  - -t type
- This option specifies the query type. The type argument can be any
      recognized query type: CNAME, NS, SOA, TXT, DNSKEY, AXFR, etc.
    When no query type is specified, host automatically
        selects an appropriate query type. By default, it looks for A, AAAA, and
        MX records. If the -C option is given, queries are made for SOA
        records. If name is a dotted-decimal IPv4 address or
        colon-delimited IPv6 address, host queries for PTR records. If a query type of IXFR is chosen, the starting serial number
        can be specified by appending an equals sign (=), followed by the
        starting serial number, e.g., -t IXFR=12345678. 
 
  - -T, -U
- This option specifies TCP or UDP. By default, host uses UDP when
      making queries; the -T option makes it use a TCP connection when
      querying the name server. TCP is automatically selected for queries that
      require it, such as zone transfer (AXFR) requests. Type ANY queries
      default to TCP, but can be forced to use UDP initially via -U.
 
  - -m flag
- This option sets memory usage debugging: the flag can be record,
      usage, or trace. The -m option can be specified more
      than once to set multiple flags.
 
  - -v
- This option sets verbose output, and is equivalent to the -d debug
      option. Verbose output can also be enabled by setting the debug
      option in /etc/resolv.conf.
 
  - -V
- This option prints the version number and exits.
 
  - -w
- This option sets "wait forever": the query timeout is set to the
      maximum possible. See also the -W option.
 
  - -W wait
- This options sets the length of the wait timeout, indicating that
      named should wait for up to wait seconds for a reply. If
      wait is less than 1, the wait interval is set to 1 second.
    By default, host waits for 5 seconds for UDP responses
        and 10 seconds for TCP connections. These defaults can be overridden by
        the timeout option in /etc/resolv.conf. See also the -w option. 
 
If host has been built with IDN (internationalized domain name) support,
  it can accept and display non-ASCII domain names. host appropriately
  converts character encoding of a domain name before sending a request to a DNS
  server or displaying a reply from the server. To turn off IDN support, define
  the IDN_DISABLE environment variable. IDN support is disabled if the
  variable is set when host runs.
Internet Systems Consortium
2024, Internet Systems Consortium