host command in Linux with examples

Last Updated : 21 May, 2019

host command in Linux system is used for DNS (Domain Name System) lookup operations. In simple words, this command is used to find the IP address of a particular domain name or if you want to find out the domain name of a particular IP address the host command becomes handy. You can also find more specific details of a domain by specifying the corresponding option along with the domain name. Syntax:

 host [-aCdlriTWV] [-c class] [-N ndots] [-t type] [-W time] [-R number] [-m flag] hostname [server]

host command without any option: It will print the general syntax of the command along with the various options that can be used with the host command as well as gives a brief description about each option. Example:

Different options with the host command:

host domain_name: This will print the IP address details of the specified domain. Example:
```
host geeksforgeeks.org
```
host IP_Address: This will display the domain details of the specified IP Address. Example:
```
host 52.25.109.230
```
-a or -v: It used to specify the query type or enables the verbose output. Example:
```
host -a geeksforgeeks.org 
```
-t : It is used to specify the type of query. Example 1:
```
host -t ns geeksforgeeks.org 
```
Example 2: To print SOA record
```
host -t SOA geeksforgeeks.org 
```
Example 3: To print txt record
```
host -t txt geeksforgeeks.org 
```
-C : In order to compare the SOA records on authoritative nameservers. Example:
```
host -C geeksforgeeks.org 
```
-R : In order to specify the number of retries you can do in case one try fails. If anyone try succeeds then the command stops. Example:
```
host -R 3 geeksforgeeks.org 
```
-l :In order to list all hosts in a domain.For this command to work you need to be either an admin or a node server. Example:
```
host -l geeksforgeeks.org 
```