A DNS check that explains itself
DNStotal runs the same tests a systems administrator would run by hand — dig against the registry, dig against each authoritative server, dig from resolvers around the world — and turns the answers into something you can act on.
How it is built
Python and Django on the server, dnspython for the protocol work, jQuery for the live parts of the interface. There is no database: every report is produced on demand and kept in a short in-memory cache so a refresh does not re-query the world.
Where the queries come from
Delegation and name server tests are sent directly from our servers to the servers being tested, without a recursive resolver in between, so nothing is hidden behind a cache. The propagation tool queries public resolvers so you see what ordinary users see.
Accuracy
DNS is a distributed system and any single measurement is a snapshot. Firewalls that filter our address, rate limits, anycast and GeoDNS can all produce results that differ from yours. When something looks surprising, re-run the check and compare with a query from your own network before changing anything.
Languages
The site is available in English and Spanish. Your browser language decides which one you get on your first visit; the switch in the header remembers your choice afterwards.