NAPTR Record Lookup

What is NAPTR Record in DNS?

A Name Authority Pointer (NAPTR) record is commonly used in internet telephony. It allows servers and user addresses to be mapped in the SIP (Session Initiation Protocol). In laypeople's terms, a NAPTR record helps set dynamic rules for how a website processes requests.

Why Do You Need a NAPTR Record?

NAPTR records map E.164 numbers to a URI or an IP address. Essentially, an E.164 number is a telephone number. In addition, these telephone numbers contain a country code and a destination number. Hence, the NAPTR record will resolve these phone numbers to a URI or IP address allowing users to reach telephone devices over the internet.

NAPTR Record Example - What Does The Format Look Like?

A typical NAPTR record is illustrated below:

Its core record properties are explained below.

1. Record Type: When creating a NAPTR record, this should be specified as "NAPTR".
2. Order: This specifies a number between 0 and 65535 that determines what NAPTR records are processed.
3. Preference: It denotes the priority value in the DDDS algorithm.
4. Flags: It contains flags to control the rewriting and interpretation field records.
5. Services: It specifies the service parameters applicable to this recipient path.
6. Regular Expression: It contains an expression applied to the original string held by the client to construct the next domain name to lookup.
7. Replacement: It specifies the next domain name to query for depending on the potential values found in the flags field.

How To Perform NAPTR Record Lookup Using This Tool

You can do the following to perform a NAPTR record lookup for a given domain.

1. Navigate to the tool.
2. Provide the domain name or hostname for which you wish to query the NAPTR records.
3. Click "NAPTR Lookup".
4. The tool will generate and display a list of NAPTR records if they exist, else it will display an error message indicating that there are no NAPTR records for the specified domain/hostname.

FAQ

How do I add a NAPTR record?

Adding a NAPTR record can differ based on your DNS provider. For example, if you were using Route53, you can add a NAPTR record by:

1. Navigating to your hosted zone (DNS configuration file)
2. Clicking "New Record"
3. Selecting "NAPTR" and providing the required information.

Is a NAPTR record necessary?

No, including the NAPTR record in your DNS file is not mandatory. However, if your application belongs to the telecommunication sector or is involved in internet telephony, it is recommended to use a NAPTR record.

What's the difference between PTR & NAPTR records?

A PTR (Pointer Record) is used for Reversed DNS Resolution (where it uses an IP address to find the domain it is associated with). At the same time, a NAPTR record is responsible for resolving an E.164 telephone number to an IP address or URI.

Is NAPTR record still relevant?

Yes, NAPTR records are still being used for applications based on internet telephony.