q DNS client (command line)

07/10/2025

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Tired of `dig` and `nslookup`? Meet `q`, Your New Favorite DNS Command-Line Tool

For system administrators, network engineers, and developers, DNS is the invisible backbone of the internet. When things go wrong, troubleshooting often starts with a DNS lookup. For decades, tools like dig, nslookup, and host have been the go-to utilities. While powerful, their output can be verbose and sometimes difficult to parse at a glance.

Enter q, a modern command-line DNS client designed for simplicity, clarity, and power. If you spend any amount of time in a terminal diagnosing network issues, this tool deserves a permanent place in your toolkit.

What Makes `q` a Better Choice for DNS Lookups?

q isn’t just another dig clone. It reimagines how DNS query results should be presented, focusing on providing the information you need without the unnecessary clutter. It’s built to be fast, user-friendly, and packed with modern features.

Here are the standout benefits:

Clean, Human-Readable Output: By default, q provides a simple, color-coded answer that is easy to understand. It intelligently formats results for different record types, saving you from wading through lines of protocol details just to find an IP address.
Sensible Defaults: Running a simple command like q example.com gives you exactly what you’d expect: the A record. There’s no need to specify the record type for the most common queries.
Built-in Support for Modern Protocols: Security is paramount. q supports DNS over TLS (DoT) and DNS over HTTPS (DoH) natively, allowing you to perform encrypted DNS queries directly from the command line without complex configurations.
Cross-Platform Availability: Whether you’re on Linux, macOS, or Windows, you can use the same tool with the same commands, ensuring a consistent workflow across all your systems.

Getting Started: Basic DNS Queries with `q`

Using q is incredibly intuitive. The basic syntax is simply q <domain> [record_type].

Let’s look at a few common examples.

1. Finding an IP Address (A Record)

To find the IPv4 address for a domain, just type q followed by the domain name.

$ q google.com

The tool will return the A record(s) in a clean, straightforward list.

2. Querying for Specific Record Types

Need to check Mail Exchanger (MX), Text (TXT), or other records? Simply add the record type after the domain.

To find MX records for a domain:
```
$ q google.com MX
```
This command will list the mail servers for google.com, neatly organized by priority.
To inspect TXT records, often used for SPF or domain verification:
```
$ q google.com TXT
```
To get the IPv6 address (AAAA record):
bash $ q google.com AAAA

Advanced Troubleshooting with `q`

Beyond simple lookups, q provides powerful features for deeper network diagnostics. These capabilities make it an indispensable tool for serious troubleshooting.

1. Specifying a Different DNS Server

By default, q uses your system’s configured resolver. To test how a specific DNS server resolves a domain, you can specify it using the @ symbol. This is essential for diagnosing issues related to caching or split-horizon DNS.

For example, to query Google’s public DNS server (8.8.8.8):

$ q @8.8.8.8 cloudflare.com

2. Tracing a DNS Query Path

One of the most powerful diagnostic features is the ability to trace a DNS query from the root servers down to the authoritative nameserver. This helps you identify exactly where a lookup might be failing or returning incorrect information.

To perform a trace, use the +trace flag:

$ q +trace yourdomain.com

The output will show each step of the resolution process, providing invaluable insight into the DNS hierarchy for that domain.

3. Performing Secure, Encrypted DNS Lookups

Protecting your DNS queries from snooping is crucial for privacy and security. q makes it simple to use encrypted protocols.

To use DNS over TLS (DoT): Prefix the resolver address with tls://.
```
$ q tls://dns.google yourdomain.com
```
To use DNS over HTTPS (DoH): Use the https:// prefix with the full resolver URL.
bash $ q https://cloudflare-dns.com/dns-query yourdomain.com
This is a powerful security practice that ensures your DNS queries are private and can’t be easily intercepted or modified.

Final Thoughts

While classic DNS tools have served us well, the modern internet demands modern tools. q provides the power and flexibility of dig in a package that is far more intuitive and user-friendly. Its clean output, support for secure protocols, and powerful tracing capabilities make it a superior choice for everyday DNS diagnostics.

If you haven’t already, install q and make it a part of your standard command-line toolkit. You’ll spend less time deciphering complicated outputs and more time solving the actual problem at hand.

Source: https://www.linuxlinks.com/q-command-line-dns-client/