Host (Unix) Explained

host
Developer:	Internet Systems Consortium (ISC)
Operating System:	Unix, Unix-like
Genre:	Command
License:	Mozilla Public License 2.0

host is a simple utility for performing Domain Name System lookups.

Origin

It was developed by the Internet Systems Consortium (ISC), and is released under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.^[1]

Modes

When applied to a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) the host command will return information associated with that name such as its IP address and mail handling host. It can also be used to list all members of a domain. The host command is also able to perform reverse IP lookups to find the FQDN associated with an IP address.

See also

• BIND name server
• dig, a utility interrogates DNS servers directly for troubleshooting and system administration purposes.
• nslookup, another utility that can be used to obtain similar information
• Root name server - top-level name servers providing top level domain name resolution
• List of DNS record types - possible types of records stored and queried within DNS
• whois

External links

• Web site: host - DNS lookup utility. 2021. Internet Systems Consortium.

Notes and References

1. Web site: BIND 9 Adopts the MPL 2.0 License with BIND 9.11.0 - Internet Systems Consortium. 2020-07-18. www.isc.org. 27 June 2016 .