HINFO record
HINFO (host information) was meant to describe a host's CPU and operating system. Almost nobody publishes it now, for security reasons. You mostly meet it as the short reply many servers give to ANY queries: HINFO "RFC8482" "".
| Record type | HINFO |
|---|---|
| Type number | 13 |
| Used for | Information |
| How common | Rare |
| Defined in | RFC 1035, RFC 8482 |
Format
<name> <ttl> IN HINFO "<cpu>" "<os>"
| Field | What it means | Accepted values |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | The hardware. | A string. |
| OS | The operating system. | A string. |
Check an HINFO record
Type or paste a record in zone-file form (name, TTL, type, value) or just its value. Each part is explained as you type.
A valid HINFO record.
| Part | What it means |
|---|---|
| Nameexample.com. | A full name: the final dot means nothing is added to it. |
| TTL3789 | Resolvers may keep this answer for 1 hour 3 minutes before asking again. Changes can take that long to reach everyone. |
| ClassIN | Internet. Every record you'll write uses IN. |
| TypeHINFO | Host CPU and operating system. |
| CPURFC8482 | Not real host information: the server's short answer to an ANY query, which it doesn't answer in full. |
Examples
Reply to an ANY query
example.com. 3789 IN HINFO "RFC8482" ""
The server declines to list all records, as RFC 8482 allows.
Look up HINFO records
TTL
Any. How TTL works
Common mistakes
- Publishing real hardware and OS details, which helps attackers.
At your DNS host
- Rarely offered in dashboards.
Questions
Why did I get an HINFO record when I asked for ANY?
Many servers no longer answer ANY queries in full. RFC 8482 lets them reply with a single HINFO record instead.
This page is also available as Markdown.
Lemon Domains keeps every domain you own in one place, with expiry reminders, change monitoring and DNS editing from your AI assistant. Get started free