dns

n8n community node for raw DNS queries using the DNS wire protocol (RFC 1035)

Package Information

Released: 6 mo ago
Downloads: 35 weekly / 140 monthly
Latest Version: 1.0.3
Author: Claas Busemann

Available Nodes

DNS Lookup icon
DNS Lookup
Perform raw DNS queries using the DNS wire protocol
DNS Watch icon
DNS Watch
Watch for DNS record changes by polling

Documentation

n8n-nodes-dns

An n8n community node for raw DNS queries using the DNS wire protocol (RFC 1035). Query any record type against well-known public resolvers, custom servers, or auto-discovered authoritative nameservers — with built-in propagation checking and TXT record parsing for SPF, DMARC, and DKIM.

n8n is a fair-code licensed workflow automation platform.

Installation | Operations | Credentials | Compatibility | Resources

Why this node?

There is no built-in n8n node for raw DNS queries. The Node.js dns module (accessible via the Code node) delegates to the system resolver and hides critical information — you can't choose which nameserver to query, don't get TTL values, can't see authority sections, and can't query multiple resolvers in parallel.

Common workarounds have significant drawbacks:

  • Execute Command + dig — fragile text parsing, unavailable on n8n Cloud
  • HTTP Request + Google DoH — requires 7+ nodes for what should be one operation, locked to a single resolver, no propagation checking
  • Third-party APIs — paid services with no control over which resolver is queried

This node replaces all of that with a single node that speaks the DNS wire protocol directly, returning structured JSON with full control over which servers to query.

Features

  • 13 record types — A, AAAA, MX, TXT, SRV, PTR, CAA, SOA, NS, CNAME, NAPTR, DNSKEY, TLSA
  • Four resolver modes — well-known public resolvers, custom servers, authoritative (auto-discover via NS delegation), system (/etc/resolv.conf)
  • 9 well-known resolvers — Cloudflare, Google, Quad9, Quad9 Unfiltered, OpenDNS, Cloudflare Malware, Cloudflare Family, AdGuard, Control D
  • Multi-server parallel dispatch — query multiple resolvers concurrently using Promise.allSettled, one slow server never blocks others
  • Propagation monitoring — compare answers across resolvers with consistent and propagatedToAll flags, designed for downstream IF nodes
  • TXT record parsing — automatic structured parsing of SPF, DMARC, DKIM, and verification tokens (Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Stripe, Atlassian, Apple, GitHub Pages, Postmark)
  • DNS Watch trigger — poll for DNS record changes with configurable fire conditions: any change, record appears, record disappears, value matches
  • Authoritative discovery — auto-discover authoritative nameservers by walking the NS delegation chain, with glue record optimization
  • DNS response codes as data — NXDOMAIN, SERVFAIL, REFUSED are returned as structured output (not exceptions), enabling domain-existence monitoring
  • Configurable timeout and retry — per-query timeout (default 5000ms) and retry count (default 1)
  • Truncated response handling — responses with the TC flag include a truncated: true field
  • Item linking — correct pairedItem on every output for n8n expression support in downstream nodes
  • Pure wire protocol — zero external runtime dependencies, implements RFC 1035 from scratch using only Node.js built-ins (dgram, crypto, Buffer)
  • AI agent integration — usableAsTool enabled on both nodes for use in n8n AI workflows
  • Continue on fail — standard n8n error handling support

Installation

Follow the installation guide in the n8n community nodes documentation.

Operations

DNS Lookup

Perform raw DNS queries using the DNS wire protocol.

Parameter Description
Domain The domain name to query (expression-enabled for per-item resolution)
Record Type A, AAAA, MX, TXT, SRV, PTR, CAA, SOA, NS, CNAME, NAPTR, DNSKEY, TLSA
Resolver Mode Well-Known, Custom, Authoritative (auto-discover), System
Resolvers Select one or more: Cloudflare, Cloudflare Malware, Cloudflare Family, Google, Quad9, Quad9 Unfiltered, OpenDNS, AdGuard, Control D
Custom Servers Repeatable IP/port pairs (visible when Resolver Mode = Custom)
Options Output consistency check, timeout, retry count, recursion desired

DNS Watch

Watch for DNS record changes by polling. Supports all the same parameters as DNS Lookup, plus:

Parameter Description
Fire On Any Change, Record Appears, Record Disappears, Value Matches
Expected Value Value to match when using "Value Matches" mode (supports JSON for complex records like MX/SRV)

Credentials

DNS Server (optional)

Store a reusable DNS server configuration. This credential is optional — if not configured, the node uses the selected resolver mode. DNS has no authentication mechanism, so no token or password is needed.

Field Required Description
Server Yes IP address or hostname of the DNS server
Port No UDP port of the DNS server (default: 53)

Output Format

Single Server

When querying a single server, each input item produces one output item:

{
  "domain": "example.com",
  "type": "A",
  "server": "1.1.1.1",
  "serverName": "Cloudflare",
  "authoritative": false,
  "responseCode": "NOERROR",
  "responseTimeMs": 12,
  "answers": [
    { "name": "example.com", "type": "A", "ttl": 3542, "value": "93.184.216.34" }
  ],
  "authority": [],
  "additional": []
}

Multiple Servers

When querying multiple servers, the output is one combined item per input with consistency flags:

{
  "domain": "example.com",
  "type": "A",
  "results": [
    { "server": "1.1.1.1", "serverName": "Cloudflare", "answers": [...], "responseTimeMs": 12 },
    { "server": "8.8.8.8", "serverName": "Google", "answers": [...], "responseTimeMs": 18 }
  ],
  "consistent": true,
  "propagatedToAll": true,
  "serverCount": 2,
  "uniqueAnswers": 1
}

Record Type Values

Type Value Format
A / AAAA Plain IP string
MX { "priority": 10, "exchange": "mail.example.com" }
TXT { "raw": "v=spf1 ...", "parsed": { ... } } — parsed when SPF, DMARC, DKIM, or verification token detected
SRV { "priority": 10, "weight": 60, "port": 5060, "target": "sip.example.com" }
SOA { "mname": "...", "rname": "...", "serial": 2024010101, ... }
NS / CNAME / PTR Plain hostname string
CAA { "flags": 0, "tag": "issue", "value": "letsencrypt.org" }
NAPTR { "order": 10, "preference": 100, "flags": "s", "service": "SIP+D2U", ... }
DNSKEY { "flags": 256, "protocol": 3, "algorithm": 13, "publicKey": "base64..." }
TLSA { "usage": 3, "selector": 1, "matchingType": 1, "certificateData": "hex..." }

Compatibility

  • Minimum n8n version: 1.71.0 (n8nNodesApiVersion 1)

Development

Prerequisites

  • Node.js 22+
  • just command runner

Commands

Recipe Description
just build Compile TypeScript to dist/
just dev Watch mode — starts local n8n with the node loaded
just lint Run the n8n node linter
just lint-fix Lint and auto-fix
just format Run Prettier
just format-check Check formatting without writing
just test Run unit + integration tests
just test-unit Run unit tests only
just test-int Run integration tests (uses in-process DNS server)
just test-e2e Run e2e tests (uses in-process DNS server)
just test-all Run all test suites
just test-coverage Unit + integration with coverage enforcement
just check Full pre-publish check: lint + format + tests + build + verify
just verify Run the n8n community package scanner

Test Suites

  • Unit tests (test/unit/) — transport layer, record parsers, name compression, TXT parsers
  • Integration tests (test/integration/) — DNS client and resolver queries with in-process DNS server
  • E2E tests (test/e2e/) — full node execution for Lookup and Watch nodes

Design & Planning

See DESIGN.md for architecture docs, epics, and stories.

Resources

Version History

See CHANGELOG.md.

License

MIT

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