Which command can be used to perform DNS resolution for a hostname?

• A. dig <host> or getent hosts <host>
• B. nslookup <host>
• C. host <host>
• D. ping <host>

Answer: (A)

DNS resolution means translating a hostname into its IP address by querying DNS servers. The most direct tool for this is a DNS query utility. Dig is designed to request DNS records from a server and returns the exact DNS response, so you can see the IP address associated with the hostname and any additional records. Getent hosts taps into the system’s name service switch, so it resolves a hostname using whatever sources the system is configured to use (often DNS), returning the IP(s) tied to that name. Together, they provide straightforward ways to perform and verify DNS lookups: dig for a clear DNS query result, and getent hosts for system-level resolution. While other commands can perform DNS lookups (nslookup, host) or resolve names during ping, the listed options directly represent reliable DNS resolution methods, with dig being the primary, explicit DNS query tool.