Back to How to Look Up Historical DNS Records for Any Domain
August 30, 2025
When you want to investigate changes to a domain’s infrastructure—such as tracking which IP addresses it has used or uncovering subdomain behavior—historical DNS records can be an invaluable resource. These records offer a DNS history lookup, showing how a domain has evolved over time.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to look up these records, why they matter, and how tools like DNSArchive make it easy to access this data.
What Are Historical DNS Records?
DNS records are the internet’s address book, mapping domains to IP addresses and critical infrastructure like mail servers (MX), name servers (NS), and more. Historical DNS records are archived snapshots of how these records changed over time—offering a window into a domain’s past.
This includes:
- Previous A (IPv4) and AAAA (IPv6) records
- Past NS (Name Server) and MX (Mail Server) values
- Old CNAME or infrastructure redirection setups
- First-seen and last-seen timestamps for each change
Why Would You Need a DNS History Lookup?
Historical DNS data serves multiple investigative and operational needs:
| Use Case | What DNS History Reveals |
|---|---|
| Threat Hunting | Detect previously malicious infrastructure, even after domain reconfiguration. |
| Incident Response | Reconstruct the infrastructure timeline during a DNS-based attack. |
| Attribution | Discover shared IPs or name servers between otherwise unrelated domains. |
| Legal & Compliance | Provide timestamped DNS data for audits, litigation, or research records. |
How to Look Up DNS History with DNSArchive
Most DNS resolvers don’t store history. That’s why tools like DNSArchive exist. Here’s how to do a lookup:
- Go to the DNS Search page.
- Enter the domain name you want to investigate, like
github.com. - Browse the table of historical A, AAAA, MX, NS, and other records with associated timestamps.
- Click on IPs to pivot to related domains, reverse lookups, and IP reputation scores.
What Makes DNSArchive Different?
Unlike traditional resolvers, DNSArchive maintains a passive DNS sensor network that observes and stores DNS responses globally. This lets you go back in time to uncover changes others may have missed.
You also get access to:
- Web metadata (headers, CMS, status codes)
- IP reputation scoring
- SSL certificate data
- Pivoting between related infrastructure
Final Thoughts
DNS is often the first place attackers touch—and the first place defenders should look. Performing a DNS history lookup using historical DNS records can uncover patterns, infrastructure reuse, and hidden associations that are invisible to real-time queries.
Whether you’re investigating phishing campaigns, mapping adversarial infrastructure, or validating domain history—tools like DNSArchive provide the visibility you need.
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