Which utility is used by default to perform a DNS lookup in Ubuntu?

Which utility is used by default to perform a DNS lookup in Ubuntu?

• A. dig
• B. nslookup
• C. host
• D. ping

Answer: (A)

When you need to perform DNS lookups on Ubuntu, dig is the go-to tool because it queries DNS servers directly and returns detailed, flexible output that’s ideal for debugging. It shows every part of the response clearly, supports querying specific servers with @server, and lets you request particular record types like A, AAAA, or MX. You can also use options like +trace to follow the resolution path, which is invaluable when diagnosing where a DNS problem lies. Dig is part of the dnsutils package, and it’s widely available on Ubuntu, making it the standard choice for DNS troubleshooting. By comparison, nslookup is older and less versatile, host is simpler and focused on basic name-to-address lookups, and ping isn’t a DNS query tool at all—it's a connectivity test that may cause a DNS lookup only as a side effect.

When you need to perform DNS lookups on Ubuntu, dig is the go-to tool because it queries DNS servers directly and returns detailed, flexible output that’s ideal for debugging. It shows every part of the response clearly, supports querying specific servers with @server, and lets you request particular record types like A, AAAA, or MX. You can also use options like +trace to follow the resolution path, which is invaluable when diagnosing where a DNS problem lies. Dig is part of the dnsutils package, and it’s widely available on Ubuntu, making it the standard choice for DNS troubleshooting. By comparison, nslookup is older and less versatile, host is simpler and focused on basic name-to-address lookups, and ping isn’t a DNS query tool at all—it's a connectivity test that may cause a DNS lookup only as a side effect.