Skip to content

Query Parameters

DNSDB API queries use two types of parameters to control searches:

  1. Path Parameters - Required components that form the core query structure
  2. Query String Parameters - Optional filters that refine results

Path Parameters

Path parameters are embedded in the URL path and define what you're searching for. They vary by lookup method.

RRset Lookup Path Parameters

RRset lookups follow this URL structure:

/dnsdb/v2/lookup/rrset/TYPE/VALUE/RRTYPE/BAILIWICK
Parameter Required Description
TYPE Yes How VALUE is interpreted: name (DNS owner name or wildcard) or raw (hex octet string)
VALUE Yes The search value - interpretation depends on TYPE
RRTYPE No DNS record type (A, NS, MX, etc.). If omitted, functions as "ANY"
BAILIWICK No Zone context for filtering results. Cannot be used with raw queries

TYPE Parameter Values

Type Description
name VALUE is a DNS owner name in presentation format or wildcards (*.example.com or www.example.*). Left-hand wildcard queries are more expensive than right-hand.
raw VALUE is an even number of hexadecimal digits specifying a raw octet string

RRTYPE Special Values

  • ANY - Matches any RRtype except DNSSEC-related types (DS, RRSIG, NSEC, DNSKEY, NSEC3, NSEC3PARAM, DLV, CDS, CDNSKEY, TA)
  • ANY-DNSSEC - Returns only DNSSEC-related record types
  • If omitted, functions as if "ANY" was specified

Examples

# Lookup all RRsets for a domain
/dnsdb/v2/lookup/rrset/name/example.com

# Lookup only A records
/dnsdb/v2/lookup/rrset/name/example.com/A

# Wildcard search for subdomains
/dnsdb/v2/lookup/rrset/name/*.example.com/NS/example.com

# Raw query (hex for "fsi.io")
/dnsdb/v2/lookup/rrset/raw/0366736902696f00

Rdata Lookup Path Parameters

Rdata lookups follow this URL structure:

/dnsdb/v2/lookup/rdata/TYPE/VALUE/RRTYPE
Parameter Required Description
TYPE Yes How VALUE is interpreted: name, ip, or raw
VALUE Yes The search value - interpretation depends on TYPE
RRTYPE No DNS record type filter. If omitted, functions as "ANY"

TYPE Parameter Values

Type Description
name VALUE is a DNS domain name in presentation format, or left-hand (.example.com) or right-hand (www.example.) wildcard
ip VALUE is IPv4/IPv6 address, with prefix length, or address range. Use comma (,) instead of slash (/) for prefix delimiter
raw VALUE is an even number of hexadecimal digits specifying a raw octet string

IP Address Formats

For ip type queries, VALUE can be:

  • Single address: 10.0.0.1
  • Network prefix: 10.0.0.1,24 (note comma, not slash)
  • Address range: 10.0.0.1-10.1.255.255
  • IPv6 (URL-encoded): 2620%3A11c%3Af008%3A%3A,126

Note

For ip lookups, RRTYPE values A, AAAA, and ANY are interchangeable - results are based on the IP address provided, not the RRTYPE value.

Examples

# Find all names pointing to an IP
/dnsdb/v2/lookup/rdata/ip/104.244.13.104

# Find names in a network
/dnsdb/v2/lookup/rdata/ip/104.244.13.104,29

# Find domains using a nameserver
/dnsdb/v2/lookup/rdata/name/ns5.dnsmadeeasy.com

# Find domains with specific mail server
/dnsdb/v2/lookup/rdata/name/mail.example.com

Query String Parameters

Query string parameters are appended to the URL with ? and & to filter and control results. These are optional and work with both rrset and rdata lookups.

Available Parameter Types

Example with Query Parameters

# Combine path and query string parameters
/dnsdb/v2/lookup/rrset/name/example.com/A?limit=100&time_last_after=1468281600

This query: - Uses path parameters: name (TYPE), example.com (VALUE), A (RRTYPE) - Uses query parameters: limit=100, time_last_after=1468281600

Summarize Queries

Summarize queries use the same path parameter structure but under /dnsdb/v2/summarize:

/dnsdb/v2/summarize/rrset/TYPE/VALUE/RRTYPE/BAILIWICK
/dnsdb/v2/summarize/rdata/TYPE/VALUE/RRTYPE

See Summarize for details on summarize-specific behavior.

Next Steps