Using host for DNS lookups

nslookup and dig are great DNS query tools, but my favorite simple cmd line tool is 'host'.

Basic lookup:

host domain.com [name server]

Want to look up NS, A, or MX records for a domain?

host -t ns domain.com
host -t a domain.com
host -t mx domain.com

Want to look up all available records?

host -a domain.com

Give it a try. You'll like it.