DNS monitoring
Monitor that a DNS record resolves, and optionally that it matches an expected value, from HowlOps's global prober fleet.
DNS monitors check that a given hostname resolves for a specific DNS record type, and can optionally confirm the resolved value matches what you expect.
How it works
DNS lookup check, from the prober to the authoritative resolver chain
DNS monitors run from the same multi-region prober fleet as ping and TCP monitors, with the same interval, region, and alerting options.
On Uptime Free, checks run from a single region (Nuremberg by default). Every paid Uptime plan can send the same query from multiple regions in parallel:
See Monitors, Prober regions for how multi-region results combine into one status.
Configuration
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | Hostname to resolve, e.g. example.com |
| Record type | One of A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS |
| Expected value | Optional. If set, the check passes only when one of the returned records contains this value as a substring |
| Check interval | How often to run the lookup. Minimum: 120s on Free, 60s on S, 30s on M, 15s on L |
| Alert threshold | Consecutive failures before triggering an alert. Default: 2 |
The monitor type and record type are fixed once the monitor is created, the same as ping monitors.
Use cases
- Domain migrations — confirm an
AorCNAMErecord still points where it should after a DNS provider or hosting change. - Mail deliverability — watch an
MXorTXT(SPF/DKIM) record to catch it being accidentally removed or changed. - DNS propagation and expected values — set an expected value to alert if a record drifts from what it should be, not just whether it resolves at all.
Plan availability
| Feature | Free | S | M | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DNS monitors | 50 total | 100 total | 500 total | 2000 total |
| Minimum check interval | 120s | 60s | 30s | 15s |
| Multi-region DNS | Single region | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
For current limits and pricing, see the pricing page.
Limitations
- Resolution only, not content verification. A DNS monitor confirms a record resolves (and optionally contains a substring you specify). It does not verify the service at that address is reachable or healthy — pair it with an HTTP, ping, or TCP monitor for that.
- Substring match only. The expected-value check looks for your value as a substring within a returned record; it is not a regex or exact-match comparison.
- No DNSSEC validation. The check resolves the record; it does not validate DNSSEC signatures.
FAQ
What happens if the record type doesn't apply to the host, or the domain has no records at all? If the resolver returns zero records of the selected type, the check is down.
Can I check for a specific IP address for an A record?
Yes. Set the expected value to the IP address; the check passes only if one of the returned A records contains it.
Does DNS monitoring check SSL certificates? No. DNS monitoring only resolves DNS records. Use an HTTP monitor with SSL monitoring enabled for certificate-expiry checks.
Related
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