Top 15 Best DNS Monitoring Tools to Monitor DNS Servers
Top 15 Best DNS Monitoring Tools to Monitor DNS Servers – (Pros and Cons). First of all, the Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical database containing public IP addresses. They are associated with website host names. So each web server or host website has a unique IP address, that identifies it. In general, DNS acts as the phonebook of the internet. As a result, DNS servers play a crucial role, but there is a need for continuous security monitoring.
So, it is crucial to monitor the DNS provider. As it holds your domain name records. You will stay informed of performance and faults. This article discusses the best DNS monitoring tools to monitor DNS servers.
Shall we continue with Top 15 Best DNS Monitoring Tools to Monitor DNS Servers – (Pros and Cons). Read on!
15 Best DNS Monitoring Tools
1. Paessler PRTG
Paessler PRTG provides efficient monitoring for DNS servers for availability and performance. Moreover, it offers a customizable DNS monitoring approach. Allows you to pay for the sensors you need.
Secondly, PRTG enables you to monitor DNS servers for spoofing or cache poisoning attacks. Also, it helps debug DNS related issues. They are: performance, domain authority, and global propagation issues. Besides, it displays DNS information intuitively and attractively. With clear and colourful charts that are easy to interpret and read.
Pros of Paessler PRTG
- Offers unlimited 30 day free trial.
- You can receive alerts via push notifications, SMS, and email.
- Has a drop and drag editor for building custom reports.
- An auto discovery feature creates a set of sensors for all devices within your network.
Cons of Paessler PRTG
- Steep learning curve for new users.
- Custom sensors can be challenging to configure manually.
- The sensor pricing model is complex and can accelerate your costs significantly.
2. ManageEngine
The ManageEngine Application Manager provides full and comprehensive DNS monitoring. In fact, it helps you in detecting issues in your servers. In addition, it provides complete visibility into your DNS server infrastructure in a single dashboard.
You can use ManageEngine to monitor the availability and performance of DNS monitors. Also, it monitors vital metrics such as search value, record time and response time. Besides, for monitoring availability and performance, you can use the Application Manager to troubleshoot your DNS server. Additionally, it enables you to proactively detect common issues such as root server inaccessibility, dynamic updates, network issues and improper configurations.
Pros of ManageEngine
- Enables monitoring from multiple geographical locations.
- Intuitive reports to analyse performance metrics.
- Simple to configure.
- Log monitoring capabilities for tracking key metrics such as cache status.
- Enables root cause analysis.
- Options for both cloud and on premise deployments.
Cons of ManageEngine
- Relatively expensive packages.
3. Site24x7
Next on the list of Top 15 Best DNS Monitoring Tools to Monitor DNS Servers is Site24x7. This particular tool provides continuous DNS server checks. Another key point is that, it monitors the server’s response time and availability alongside troubleshooting. Response monitoring enables you to identify the average response time from each location. Thirdly, the tool monitors other metrics such as DNS record name, search value and record type.
With Site24x7, you can resolve domain name resolution and minimize lookup time. That is regardless of geographic location. Ths it is easier to address DNS configuration errors and causes of server failure; such as out of date DNS records. All in all, Site24x7 enables seamless management of SLAs. You can integrate the server monitor with SLA reports and ensure your host provider meets the minimum service levels.
Pros of Site24x7
- Supports a freeware version ideal for small businesses.
- Supports custom SLAs reports for quality control.
- Fewer customizations that makes it easy to use.
- Real time notification for downtime and unavailability.
Cons of Site24x7
- Numerous features and options that require a lot of learning.
- Complex licensing model.
- Limited trial period and features.
4. Thousand Eyes
ThousandEyes is a DNS monitoring tool that enables you to monitor cloud hosted, on premise and third party DNS servers. Thus, it checks for record mappings, resolution speeds and availability. Besides, you can use this tool to trace the entire DNS hierarchy and understand the causes of performance degradation and outage.
Above all, ThousandEyes helps troubleshoot DNS servers. In this case you measure record accuracy, responsiveness and availability across all locations with ease. What is more, you detect DNS cache poisoning on your network.
Pros of ThousandEyes
- Monitor multiple DNS servers and services.
- Simple troubleshooting process.
- Intuitive user interface.
- Usage based pricing structure delivers substantial cost savings.
Cons of ThousandEyes
- Does not integrate seamlessly with other popular platforms.
- Limited customization options.
5. Datadog
Datadog enables you to monitor the health of your DNS servers. Truly designed to help you identify issues on both the client and server sides. Without doubt, it provides full, unified visibility into DNS traffic. Besides, it uses graphs that display health metrics such as failure rate, response times, volume, and more. These visualizations help you identify serious performance issues in your servers.
With Datadog you integrate seamlessly with related technologies such as Route 53, PowerDNS, and CoreDNS. This enables you to correlate DNS flow data with performance metrics.
Pros of Datadog
- Classifies errors by type.
- Helps investigate problems with individual DNS servers.
- Assist to identify low cache hit rate that slows down DNS servers.
- Detects surface potential problems and misconfiguration in either internal or external DNS servers.
Cons of Datadog
- You must have a fast, reliable internet connection from the network.
- Limited 14 day free trial.
6. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor provides comprehensive DNS monitoring. So you can check your server performance and health. Moreover, it has easy to use tools that simplify DNS performance monitoring. Firstly, it provides a holistic view of the health and performance of multi vendor DNS server hardware. As a result, it notifies users before failure occurs; on crucial server components like CPU, temperature, fan speed, etc.
Also, SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor has tools that check for requests on your DNS servers. In nutshell, when you use these tools, you cannot receive more requests that overwhelm your resources. In addition, it has built in forecast charts and metrics. These enable you to monitor resource usage before baseline thresholds are exceeded.
Finally, SolarWinds has a streamlined troubleshooting process to help you resolve misconfigurations and other critical errors. You can use it to flush DNS cache, TCP/IP settings, and more.
Pros of SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
- Complete suite of DNS server monitoring tools.
- Provides end to end user experience monitoring.
- Single dashboard for all DNS performance monitoring.
- You can monitor cloud DNS zones and records and gain real time information.
- Generates automated, custom DNS record reports.
Cons of SolarWinds Server & Applications Monitor
- Configuring alerts can be difficult.
- Relatively expensive for small companies.
7. Dotcom-Monitor
Next monitoring tool is Dotcom-Monitor. Evidently this tool checks the accuracy and performance of DNS query resolutions from all over the world. Moreover, this tool supports a wide range of record types. These are: MX, A, AAAA, SPF, TXT, PTR, NS, CNAME and SOA. Generally, it detects issues in your DNS servers and provides an instant trace. This trace shows the error’s extent and type of issue.
With Dotcom-Monitor, you receive alerts and reports related to DNS server performance. Evidently these reports enable you to keep up with performance related issues in real time.
Pros of Dotcom-Monitor
- Simple to use.
- Provides visibility into the root cause of the problem.
- Supports multiple types of DNS records.
- Provides alerts for SLA breaches.
- Highly customizable alert templates.
Cons of Dotcom-Monitor
- Relatively expensive compared to similar tools.
- Difficult in setting up reports.
8. Nagios XI
Another choice for monitoring your Dns servers is Nagios XI. Equally a network monitoring tool with comprehensive DNS monitoring experience. By all means, it enables you to monitor DNS servers, queries, and protocols. Also this tool gives comprehensive monitoring in a customizable user interface.
Certainly, using Nagios XI enables you to detect instances of DNS spoofing and hijacking quickly. At the same time, it also delivers detection of protocol failures and network outages. You can then troubleshoot these issues in real time and increase server availability.
Pros of Nagios XI
- Advanced monitoring and graphs.
- Has plugins for extra DNS server monitoring.
- Immediate detection of issues.
- Unlimited 60 day trial.
Cons of Nagios XI
- Relatively high pricing.
- Needs virtualization to run in a Windows OS.
9. Zenoss ZenPack
Zenoss ZenPack is an open source DNS monitoring tool built for modern infrastructure. Furthermore, it provides response time and status monitoring of your DNS servers. Being open source, it allows you to customize this tool to meet your individual monitoring needs.
Pros of Zenoss ZenPack
- Multi platform support across a wide range of software and hardware infrastructure.
- Vendor specific feature that delivers better end to end visibility than most legacy monitoring platforms.
- Highly scalable and easy to upgrade.
- Open source and free to use.
Cons of Zenoss ZenPack
- Limited integration with third party tools.
10. Uptrends
Uptrends enables you to perform extensive DNS health checks on your DNS servers. Certainly this tool is used to monitor; DNS zone records, verify website domains, check mail server domain name mappings, and more. As a result, uptrends enables you to verify A or AAAA records as well as SOA serial numbers.
With Uptrends, you can test your DNS connectivity from over 200 global locations. Besides, it has an alert system that you can configure to receive real time notifications in case of anomalies. Also, you can create shareable reports that give you an overview of your performance issues.
Pros of Uptrends
- 30 day trial with no credit card required.
- It has an error verification mechanism that prevents false alerts.
- Provides automatic trace routing for easier problem identification.
- Web based tool that requires no onboarding or installation.
Cons of Uptrends
- Lacks an intuitive graphical reporting and user interface.
- Initial setup is difficult.
11. AppNeta
Another monitoring tool is AppNeta. By all means, it provides complete coverage of your DNS environment. Forthwith, this tool is flexible and ideal for both on premise and cloud deployments. Used, whether you run DNS or rely on third party offerings. Furthermore, AppNeta is a perfect tool for root cause examination. Designed to assess DNS performance from an end user perspective.
Hence, AppNeta does not require configurations to monitor DNS servers. With automatic monitoring capabilities you make detecting issues in your servers easier. This tool keeps track of all your response times, responding servers, and server IP addresses.
Pros of AppNeta
- Stores your data for an entire year with no additional charge.
- Visualize the impact of DNS resolution on end user experience.
- Flexible approach to DNS monitoring and multi platform compatibility.
- Suitable for cloud deployments.
Cons of AppNeta
- Has bugs that affect its performance.
- The interface becomes complicated with an increase in monitoring.
12. LogicMonitor
LogicMonitor has tools ideal for DNS monitoring. Indeed with LogicModules, which are primary DNS monitoring tools, they give you out of the box monitoring for DNS. Ideally, they are templates that define how you collect data and configure alerts. For instance, it allows you to monitor DNS servers for availability and performance and detect issues in real time.
Pros of LogicMonitor
- Easy to use templates.
- Supports thousands of integrations for extensive monitoring.
- Leverages machine learning for root cause analysis and anomaly detection.
- Has pre-built, customizable dashboards.
Cons of Logic Monitor
- Limited documentation.
- It has a steep learning curve.
13. DNS Check
Well use this next tool; DNS Check for monitoring and troubleshooting DNS records. For this purpose you monitor name servers and DNS records; for lookup failures and changes. When it detects changes or anomalies, it sends notifications instantly. In turn this enables you to deal with those issues. Some of the issues it detects include:
- Duplicate DNS records.
- Invalid SPF record.
- Missing DNS record.
- Wrong IP address returned.
- Unresponsive name server.
This tool allows you to troubleshoot those issues before affecting performance and availability.
Pros of DNS Check
- Explicitly designed for DNS monitoring.
- Can check up to 10 records at a time.
- Easy to comprehend user interface.
- Comprehensive documentation.
- Easy to use tool.
Cons of DNS Check
- Cannot be automated.
- Read only API that does not allow programmatically setups.
14. Sucuri
Using Sucuri enables you to stay ahead of changes in your nameservers and IP addresses. With Sucuri, you can also view records such as A, AAAA, MX, and NS. Overall, Sucuri sends notifications for changed web hosts; IP addresses, email service changes, and domain registration expiration. Also, it will alert you upon detection of malicious intent in your DNS.
Pros of Sucuri
- Easy to configure.
- Designed for DNS security.
- Easy fixing of malware.
- Checks any site and API blacklists.
Cons of Sucuri
- Limited documentation.
- Poor user support.
15. ZoneWatcher
Last on our list of Top 15 Best DNS Monitoring Tools to Monitor DNS Servers is ZoneWatcher. Particularly used for monitoring, reporting and backup tool for DNS systems. Use this tool to monitor domains from multiple providers. Also, you can back up your DNS records and recover them in case something goes wrong. In addition it provides a powerful log. Thanks to that you can review the history of changes in an entire zone.
Pros of ZoneWatcher
- Automatic server monitoring and updates.
- TLS traffic encryption.
- AES-256 encryption for DNS provider credentials.
- Relatively inexpensive.
Cons of Zonewatcher
- Limited documentation.
- Unfriendly user interface.
Thank you for reading Top 15 Best DNS Monitoring Tools to Monitor DNS Servers. We shall conclude.
Top 15 Best DNS Monitoring Tools to Monitor DNS Servers Conclusion
Summing up, having the best DNS monitoring tools helps monitor your DNS server in real time. The above tools provide the necessary monitoring capabilities you need to maintain DNS server health. They help detect failures and connectivity issues. They can impact your network. You need to pick a tool that provides the most benefits and value for money.
Read our blog about DNS for more tips like these!
