Unlock the key to efficient website management by learning how to discover your site's IP address and nameservers, essential for understanding your site's hosting environment and DNS configuration.
Where to Find Your Websites IP Address
Among the various methods available, the easiest and simplest way to find out the IP address of your website is by utilizing the command prompt of your operating system. The following provides a step-by-step process on how to use it.
Step 1 - Open Command Prompt or Terminal:
On Windows, press the Windows key + R together to open the Run dialog box, type cmd and hit Enter. This will open Command Prompt.
On macOS, you can find Terminal in the Applications > Utilities folder or search for it via Spotlight.
On Linux, press Ctrl + Alt + T together to open Terminal.
Step 2 - Ping the Website:
In the Command Prompt or Terminal window, type ping followed by your website's URL (without 'www').
For example, if your website is www.mywebsite.com, you should type ping mywebsite.com and then hit Enter.
Step 3 - Find the IP Address:
Next, your computer will send several packets to the server where your website is hosted and receive several packets in return. The IP address of your website will be displayed in the results.
Look for the line that starts with Pinging [your website]. Just after your website name, you'll see the IP address in square brackets.
For example, Pinging mywebsite.com [66.29.132.4].
Please note that this method will give you the public IP address of your website's server, not its private IP address (if it has one). Also, due to the load balancing and CDNs (Content Delivery Networks), the IP address you see may not be the exact IP where your website is hosted, but one of the IP addresses serving your website content.
There are some other ways you can use to find your site's IP address.
Using Online Tools:
There are a number of online tools that allow you to find the IP address of a website. Here's how you can use one:
Visit an IP lookup service like https://www.iplocation.net/ip-lookup
Enter your website URL into the search bar.
Click on the button that says IP Lookup or similar.
The page will display the IP address of the website.
Using DNS Lookup:
DNS lookup services can also provide the IP address of a website. Here's how to use a DNS lookup:
Visit a DNS lookup service such as https://mxtoolbox.com/DNSLookup.aspx
Enter your website URL into the search bar.
Click on the DNS Lookup button.
In the response, you can find your website's IP address.
Where to Find Your Sites Name Servers Detail
Step 1 - Open Command Prompt or Terminal:
On Windows, press the Windows key + R together to open the Run dialog box, type cmd and hit Enter. This will open Command Prompt.
On macOS, you can find Terminal in the Applications > Utilities folder or search for it via Spotlight.
On Linux, press Ctrl + Alt + T together to open Terminal.
Step 2 - Type The Command for Name Server Search
To retrieve the NS (Name Server) records for your domain name, use the command "dig ns your-domain-name". Do not use www in the beginning of your domain name.
Example: type - dig ns mydomainname.com and then press Enter.
Step 3 - Find the Name Server Detail
Now a detailed data screen will be shown up where in the Answer Section you will find the Name Server address.
You can also have the same answer but in a more precious way without other details. All you have to do is type this command - dig +short ns yourdomainname.com and press Enter.
Alternative Way to Check Name Server
One of the easiest ways to check your name server is through a WHOIS lookup. Here's how you can do that:
Visit a WHOIS lookup service:
There are several available online. A popular one is https://whois.domaintools.com/
Enter your website's URL:
Do this in the search bar provided on the site.
Perform the WHOIS lookup:
Press enter or click the SEARCH button on the site to start the lookup.
Review the results:
In the results, look for a section labeled "Name Servers". The information here represents your site's nameservers.
Conclusion
Finding your site's IP address and nameservers can be done through various tools like the command line, online IP lookup services, DNS lookups, or WHOIS lookup services. However, due to factors like load balancers, CDNs, and privacy settings, these details may not be the precise ones but give a useful insight into your site's backend infrastructure. Always use this information responsibly and legally.