Debugging Network Errors with Chrome's Net Internals DNS Tool

If you manage a website or cloud server, network errors like DNS resolution failures, slow page loads, or intermittent connectivity can be frustrating and challenging to diagnose. One of the most useful tools for debugging these issues is Chrome's Net Internals DNS tool.

At Go4hosting, where we provide cloud hosting, dedicated servers, and domain management services, we often assist customers who encounter network issues between their local device and their hosted services. Understanding how to use Net Internals DNS can help you quickly isolate and troubleshoot many of these problems.

In this knowledgebase article, we will cover:

• What Chrome's Net Internals DNS tool is
  

• How to access it
  

• How to use it to debug DNS issues
  

• How to interpret common DNS errors
  

• Additional troubleshooting tips
  

What is Net Internals DNS?

Net Internals is a set of diagnostic pages built into Google Chrome. These tools provide detailed insights into:

• DNS lookups
  

• Network events
  

• Sockets
  

• HTTP/HTTPS traffic
  

• Proxy settings
  

• And more
  

One particularly valuable section is chrome://net-internals/#dns, which gives you visibility into DNS resolution behavior within Chrome.

The DNS tab allows you to:

• View cached DNS records
  

• Clear the DNS cache
  

• Observe live DNS resolutions
  

• Identify delays or failures in DNS lookups
  

Why Debug DNS Issues?

DNS (Domain Name System) translates human-friendly domain names (like www.go4hosting.com) into IP addresses that computers use to connect to servers.

Common DNS-related problems include:

• Website not loading (server not found)
  

• Intermittent connectivity to a website or server
  

• DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN errors in Chrome
  

• Slow initial page loads (DNS latency)
  

• Incorrect or outdated IP resolution (after DNS changes)
  

Using Net Internals DNS, you can determine whether these issues are caused by:

• Local DNS caching problems
  

• Incorrect public DNS records
  

• Slow or failing upstream DNS resolvers
  

• Network configuration errors
  

How to Access Net Internals DNS

Accessing Chrome's DNS diagnostics is easy:

1. Open Google Chrome.
   

In the address bar, type:

chrome://net-internals/#dns

2. Press Enter.
   

You will see the DNS section of the Net Internals tool.

Important: In Chrome 90 and newer versions, the original chrome://net-internals page is deprecated. Instead, use:

chrome://net-internals/

or

chrome://net-export/` + `chrome://net-internals/#dns`

Key Sections of the DNS Tool

1. Host Resolver Cache

This section shows the cached DNS records that Chrome currently holds. Each entry typically includes:

• Hostname
  

• Resolved IP addresses
  

• Expiration time (TTL)
  

• Whether the entry is usable or expired
  

Cached DNS records can sometimes cause:

• Outdated IP addresses being used after DNS changes.
  

• Conflicts when testing DNS propagation.
  

Tip: If your DNS records were recently updated, clear this cache to force Chrome to re-resolve the domain.

2. Clear Host Cache

This button allows you to:

• Flush Chrome's DNS cache.
  

• Force Chrome to re-query DNS servers on the next page load.
  

This is useful when:

• You�ve updated DNS records but Chrome is still using the old IP.
  

• You�re switching between environments (staging - production).
  

• You�re testing DNS propagation.
  

3. Internal Events Log (Old Net Internals)

In older versions of Chrome's Net Internals tool, the Events Log would show detailed, timestamped logs of DNS lookups, including:

• Query sent
  

• Response received
  

• Failure status
  

• Timing
  

For detailed DNS event tracing, Chrome now recommends exporting a Net Log:

chrome://net-export/

You can capture a Net Log to analyze complex DNS behaviors or share with technical support.

Debugging Common DNS Issues with Net Internals

1. Website Not Loading / DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN

Symptoms:

• Chrome error page shows DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN.
  

• Domain won't resolve in browser.
  

Steps:

1. Go to chrome://net-internals/#dns.
   

2. Check the Host Resolver Cache for the domain.
   

• If no entry or an expired/unusable entry appears, this indicates an upstream DNS failure.
  

• If the cached IP is incorrect, flush the cache and retry.
  

3. Test domain using external tools:
   

• dig www.example.com or nslookup www.example.com on your terminal.
  

• Check using online tools like dnschecker.org.
  

4. If external tools also fail, the issue is with your DNS records or upstream DNS server.
   

2. Intermittent DNS Failures

Symptoms:

• Website sometimes loads, sometimes fails.
  

• Pages hang during Resolving host phase.
  

Steps:

1. Monitor Host Resolver Cache for inconsistencies:
   

• Are multiple IP addresses being cached?
  

• Is the cache expiring unexpectedly?
  

2. Check if DNS TTL values are too short.
   

3. Run a Net Log to identify potential DNS timeouts or resolver issues.
   

4. Try switching DNS servers:
   

• Use Google DNS (8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4) or Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1).
  

• Configure this in your system�s network settings or your router.
  

3. Delayed First Page Load

Symptoms:

• First visit to a website takes a long time to load.
  

• Subsequent visits are fast.
  

Possible cause: Slow DNS resolution or DNS latency.

Steps:

1. Clear Host Cache.
   

2. Load the site and observe DNS resolution time in Net Log.
   

3. Compare performance when using different DNS servers.
   

4. If your site is on Go4hosting Cloud, verify that:
   

• Your domain registrar points to correct authoritative nameservers.
  

• Your Go4hosting DNS records are correct and propagated.
  

Additional Tips for Using Net Internals DNS

Test After Changing DNS Providers

If you switch from default ISP DNS to Google DNS or Cloudflare DNS, clear Chrome's DNS cache first:

chrome://net-internals/#dns ? Clear host cache

Then re-test domain resolution.

Debug DNS After Moving to Go4hosting

When migrating your site to Go4hosting Cloud, DNS propagation can take time. Use:

• chrome://net-internals/#dns - Clear cache.
  

• External global DNS checkers to verify propagation.
  

This ensures your browser is querying the correct DNS records and not cached entries.

Combine with Other Tools

For advanced debugging:

• Use Net Log export in Chrome.
  

• Combine with system tools:
  
  

• dig
  

• nslookup
  

• traceroute
  

• ping
  

This helps determine if DNS errors are local (browser) or upstream (server, network).

Summary

Chrome's Net Internals DNS tool is an excellent resource for quickly diagnosing browser-side DNS issues. Combined with system and external DNS tools, it can help you resolve problems such as:

• Domains not resolving (NXDOMAIN errors)
  

• Slow initial page loads due to DNS latency
  

• Intermittent connectivity caused by DNS caching or resolver issues
  

At Go4hosting, we encourage our clients to:

• Understand how DNS caching works.
  

• Regularly flush browser and system DNS cache when troubleshooting.
  

• Verify DNS records during migrations.
  

• Use reliable DNS servers for optimal performance.
  

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