Get Hostname or Domain from IP Address
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What is a reverse DNS lookup
This tool performs a reverse DNS lookup: given an IPv4 or IPv6 address, it queries the associated PTR record and returns the hostname that the holder of that address block has published.
What it's for
It's useful when you start from an IP and want to know what's behind it:
- Reading a server's access log and identifying which provider or network operates an IP that appears repeatedly.
- Checking whether the hostname of a visitor or a crawler is consistent with what it claims to be, as a first step before a more thorough verification.
- Seeing the hostname that a hosting provider or network operator assigns to its addresses, something common when debugging server-to-server connections.
How to read the result
The result is a single hostname. For example, for a documentation address such as 203.0.113.45 the PTR might return something like 203-0-113-45.proveedor.example, a format commonly used by providers that generate the name from the IP itself. For IPv6 the mechanism is the same, but the query travels under the ip6.arpa domain instead of in-addr.arpa, for example for 2001:db8::1.
The PTR record is published by whoever administers the address block —usually the internet or hosting provider— not the owner of a domain. That's why the returned hostname refers to the IP's provider, not necessarily to a specific company or service.
Why there's sometimes no result
The PTR record is optional: nothing requires it to exist for a given IP. If the block's holder hasn't configured it, or if the IP entered is private, reserved or invalid, the tool cannot return a hostname and reports it as an error.
Limits
- It returns a single hostname, the one the PTR provides; there's no list of alternatives.
- It doesn't check whether that hostname, when resolved again, points back to the same source IP (known as forward-confirmed reverse DNS). The data is shown exactly as the reverse DNS provides it.
- It doesn't include WHOIS, country, city or the IP's autonomous system (AS); that's covered by the IP Address Location and Details tool.