Backed by mandō
Namesake is the handcrafted DNS resolution platform for teams that care about provenance. Query interactively. Resolve with intention. Understand every record behind every name.
The Craft
Each capability is thoughtfully designed around the way DNS professionals actually work. No bloat. No shortcuts. Just meticulous resolution.
Open a persistent session, set your parameters, and query at your own pace. Our interactive mode
remembers your context — server, set type=, set debug —
so you can explore DNS like a conversation, not a transaction.
Query any record type with -type=: A, AAAA, MX, NS, SOA, TXT, PTR, CNAME. Each type
surfaces a different layer of a domain's identity. Collect them all.
Direct your queries to any name server with namesake host server. Switch servers
mid-session with server or trace back to your initial resolver with
lserver.
Enable -debug to see the full response packet — headers, flags, question sections,
authority records. Every byte of the DNS conversation, laid bare.
Configure -timeout= and -retry= to match your network conditions.
Mission-critical lookups get the patience they deserve.
Toggle set recurse to control whether name servers chase referrals on your behalf.
Sometimes you want the full chain. Sometimes you need just the first answer.
Route queries through non-standard ports with -port=. Ideal for custom resolvers,
testing environments, and air-gapped infrastructure.
Go beyond Internet class with set class=: IN, CH, HS, or ANY. Query Chaosnet
metadata, Hesiod directories, or cast the widest possible net.
The Process
Provide any hostname, domain, or IP address. Namesake accepts both forward and reverse lookups — names to addresses, addresses to names.
Select a record type to focus your query. A records reveal addresses, MX records expose mail routing, SOA records uncover authority. Each lens tells a different story.
Optionally specify which name server to consult. Query your local resolver, Google, Cloudflare, or any authoritative server directly.
Receive authoritative or cached answers with full metadata. Enable debug mode for the complete packet trace — every header, every flag, every byte accounted for.
Signature Experience
Step into a persistent DNS session. Set your parameters once, query as many domains as you need. Context carries forward. The atelier remembers.
set type= Switch record type (A, MX, NS, SOA, TXT, PTR, CNAME,
AAAA)set debug Enable full packet traceset all Display current configurationserver Change name server (uses current server for lookup)lserver Change name server (uses initial server for lookup)set domain= Set the search domainset [no]recurse Toggle recursive queriesset [no]vc Toggle virtual circuit (TCP) modeexit Close the sessionThe Collection
Every domain tells its story through records. Each type reveals a different facet. Browse our curated collection.
The foundation. Maps a hostname to an IPv4 address. The most elemental act of resolution — turning a name into a destination.
The modern counterpart. Resolves hostnames to 128-bit IPv6 addresses. Future-proof resolution for the expanding internet.
Reveals the mail infrastructure. Discover which servers accept email for a domain, complete with preference ordering.
Maps the authority. Identifies which name servers are responsible for a domain — the custodians of its DNS records.
The provenance record. Contains the primary name server, administrator contact, serial number, and timing parameters.
The freeform canvas. SPF policies, DKIM keys, domain verification tokens — text records carry the metadata that secures modern email.
The reverse perspective. Given an IP address, PTR records reveal the hostname — tracing an address back to its origin.
The alias. Points one domain name to another, creating elegant indirection. One canonical truth, many names to reach it.
In Practice
Real queries. Real output. Nothing fabricated. The elegance is in the authenticity.
Curated Servers
Every resolver has a character. Choose the one that suits your query.
Your local resolver. Fastest response, closest to home. Use when speed matters more than independence.
namesake example.com
Globally distributed, heavily cached. Reliable baseline for verifying results from other resolvers.
namesake example.com 8.8.8.8
Privacy-focused, performance-optimized. When you want the fastest answer without the tracking.
namesake example.com 1.1.1.1
Skip the middlemen entirely. Query the authoritative name server for ground-truth records, no cache involved.
namesake example.com a.iana-servers.net
Kind Words
"We migrated our entire DNS debugging workflow to Namesake's interactive mode. The ability to set a record type once and query dozens of domains in sequence has been a category-defining unlock for our infrastructure team."
"The debug output is pure art. Where other tools give you a black box, Namesake surfaces the full packet trace — headers, flags, authority sections. It's the transparency our SRE team has been craving."
"As a solo developer, the server selection feature is invaluable. Being able to point queries at different resolvers — local, Google, Cloudflare, authoritative — without changing any config is the definition of high-leverage tooling."
"The record gallery alone justified our Enterprise subscription. Having A, MX, NS, SOA, TXT, PTR, CNAME, and AAAA all accessible through one unified interface compounds our team's velocity every single day."
Investment
Every tier is thoughtfully composed. Start with what you need. Expand as your practice grows.
-timeout= and -retry=set debuglserver commandset [no]vc TCP modeset [no]fail SERVFAIL handling-port=Questions
Non-interactive mode resolves a single host and exits — perfect for quick lookups and scripting. Interactive mode opens a persistent session where you can set parameters, switch record types, change servers, and query multiple domains without restarting. Think of non-interactive as a quick errand; interactive is a full studio session.
Absolutely. Use the server command to switch to any name server during an
interactive session. If you want to look up the new server's address using your original
resolver (rather than the current one), use lserver instead. This distinction
matters when debugging DNS delegation chains.
It means the response came from a caching resolver rather than the authoritative name server for that domain. The data is still accurate — it's simply been cached. For ground-truth answers, query the authoritative server directly using the second argument.
Namesake queries are sent to whatever DNS server you specify. The security of your queries depends on your choice of resolver and whether it supports encrypted transport. Our Enterprise tier includes dedicated resolver infrastructure with DNS-over-TLS support for maximum privacy.
The Chaos class (set class=CH) is a vestige of Chaosnet, but modern DNS servers use
it to expose operational metadata — like the server's version or hostname. It's a niche but
powerful diagnostic tool. Available on Atelier and Maison tiers.