Beginner dig Practice Lab
This small lab will help you see DNS resolution in real life, not just read theory. You don’t need to be a networking expert. Just follow the steps and observe.
You can run these on:
Linux
macOS
Windows (WSL, Git Bash, or PowerShell with dig installed)
Lab 1: Check Basic DNS Resolution
Command:
dig google.com
What to Observe:
Look for ANSWER SECTION
Find the A record
See the IP address
What You Are Learning:
You are seeing the final result of DNS resolution.
Lab 2: Find Root Name Servers
Command:
dig . NS
What to Observe:
- List of root servers (a.root-servers.net, b.root-servers.net, etc.)
What You Are Learning:
You are seeing the top of the DNS hierarchy.
Lab 3: Find .com TLD Name Servers
Command:
dig com NS
What to Observe:
- List of .com name servers
What You Are Learning:
You are seeing who manages the .com zone.
Lab 4: Find Authoritative Name Servers for google.com
Command:
dig google.com NS
What to Observe:
- NS records for google.com
What You Are Learning:
You are seeing the servers that control google.com DNS.
Lab 5: Trace Full DNS Resolution Step-by-Step
Command:
dig +trace google.com
What to Observe:
Root server responses
TLD server responses
Authoritative server responses
Final IP answer
What You Are Learning:
You are watching real DNS resolution happen live.
This is one of the best commands for learning DNS.
Lab 6: Compare Different DNS Resolvers
Command:
dig @8.8.8.8 google.com
and
dig @1.1.1.1 google.com
What to Observe:
Response time
Same or different IPs
What You Are Learning:
Different recursive resolvers may return different IPs due to load balancing and geography.
Lab 7: Check IPv6 (AAAA Record)
Command:
dig google.com AAAA
What to Observe:
- IPv6 address
What You Are Learning:
How IPv6 works in real DNS.
Lab 8: Check CNAME (If Any)
Command:
dig www.google.com
What to Observe:
- CNAME records (if present)
What You Are Learning:
How aliasing works in DNS.
Beginner Mistakes (So You Don’t Panic 😅)
If you see:
Long output → It’s normal
Multiple IPs → Load balancing
Different answers each time → Normal
No answer section → Check query type
DNS is distributed, so results can change.
Simple Challenge
Try this with any website:
your college website
your own domain (if you have)
Run:
dig +trace yoursite.com
And try to answer:
Who is the TLD?
Who is authoritative?
What is the final IP?
Why This Lab Matters
After this lab, you will:
✅ Understand DNS beyond theory
✅ Feel confident reading dig output
✅ Think like a backend/network engineer
✅ Better understand how browsers really work
This is exactly how professionals learn DNS — by observing real traffic.
