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Request Path Simulator

Simulate the complete request path a URL takes from initial input through DNS resolution, hosting provider configuration, service-level redirects, and HTTP redirects. This request simulator allows you to import DNS records in BIND or JSON format, and see a detailed visualization of every step in the request journey. Perfect for verifying DNS configurations, understanding redirect chains, and debugging domain setup issues before deploying changes.

DNS Records

Simulator-Only Tool

This simulator only uses the DNS records you provide. It does not query live DNS servers (Cloudflare, Google DNS, etc.). For CNAME chains to work, you must include all records in the chain in your zone file.

This is a simulator, not a live DNS query tool.

It only uses the DNS records you paste or import - it does not query live DNS servers
It does not fetch missing records from Cloudflare, Google DNS, or any other DNS provider
For CNAME chains to work, you must include all records in the entire chain in your zone file

Example: CNAME chains

If you want to simulate cc-j-test.balug.org which has a CNAME chain like:

cc-j-test.balug.org → cc-i-test.balug.org → ... → cc-0-test.balug.org → www.balug.org → A/AAAA records

You must include all of these records in your zone file, not just the first one.

Tip:

Export your complete DNS zone from your DNS provider (Cloudflare, Route53, etc.) to ensure you have all necessary records.

Drag and drop or

Or paste DNS zone data

Filter:

Group by type

0 records

Name	Type	TTL	Data	Priority	Actions

No DNS records found. Click "Add Record" to create one.

Service Configuration

Configure how your hosting service handles domain aliases and redirects. This simulates service-level redirects (e.g., www → primary domain) that happen at the hosting provider level, separate from DNS. When DNS records are imported, the configuration is automatically detected. If a www subdomain is found, it will automatically redirect to the primary domain.

Primary Domain

Domain Aliases

Domain	Target	Primary	Redirects To	Actions

No domain aliases. Click "Add Alias" to create one.

Redirect Rules

From	To	Type	Actions

No redirect rules. Click "Add Redirect" to create one.

Target shows where each domain points, for example jsonyaml.com → Netlify.

Redirects to means this domain forwards to another one, like www.jsonyaml.com → jsonyaml.com.

Redirect rules are extra HTTP rules (such as /old/* → /new/*) that run after the domain is chosen.

URL

View Mode

Full DNS shows the complete simulated request path. curl modes approximate what a basic curl command would see.

Enter a URL and add DNS records to start simulation

When to use this tool

You are diagnosing why a domain resolves to the wrong host.

You want to understand redirect chains across DNS and hosting providers.

Developer use cases

Validate a domain migration before making DNS changes.

Explain a complex redirect chain to a teammate or client.

Common mistakes to avoid

Importing outdated zone files or missing CNAME chains.

Assuming hosting provider redirects are the same as HTTP redirects.

Related guides

Why Googlebot Kept Showing My Old Website on Netlify (Even After Deploys), And How I Finally Solved It

When Googlebot and Google Search Console showed an old cached homepage while regular users saw the updated site, I discovered Netlify's prerendering cache was the culprit. Here's how I fixed it.

Related Tools

DNS Lookup

Query DNS records for any domain (A, AAAA, MX, TXT, CNAME, NS, SOA)

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the request path simulator work?

Enter a URL and import your DNS zone file (BIND or JSON format). The tool will simulate the complete request path: DNS resolution with CNAME chains, hosting provider detection and configuration, service-level redirects (like www to primary domain), HTTP redirects, and the final destination.

What DNS formats are supported?

The tool supports BIND format zone files (commonly exported from DNS providers like Cloudflare) and JSON format DNS exports. You can upload a file or paste the DNS zone data directly.

Which hosting providers are detected?

The tool automatically detects and simulates configurations for Netlify, Vercel, Cloudflare Pages, AWS CloudFront, and generic hosting providers. It shows primary domain setup, domain aliases, and redirect rules.

What information does the simulation show?

The simulation shows: DNS resolution steps with CNAME chains, hosting provider configuration, service-level redirects, HTTP redirect chains, final destination, and detailed information for each step including timing and status codes.

Can I use this to test DNS changes before deploying?

Yes! Import your DNS zone file and test different URLs to see how requests would be handled. This helps verify configurations before making changes to production DNS records.