Overview
DNSSEC Checker works by querying DNSKEY, DS, and RRSIG records for a domain and validating the cryptographic chain of trust. It identifies whether DNSSEC is properly configured, highlights any validation errors, and derives a deployment-health risk score that distinguishes an unhardened domain from one with a broken chain of trust.
Endpoint
One host, one path per API. The block below shows this call in four languages; every one of them is the same HTTP request. Making requests covers the timeouts, retries and parameter rules that apply to all of them. The SDKs wrap the same call in a typed client.
curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/dnsseccheck?domain=cloudflare.com" \
-H "x-api-key: your_api_key_here"const res = await fetch('https://api.apiverve.com/v1/dnsseccheck?domain=cloudflare.com', {
headers: { 'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here' },
});
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);import requests
res = requests.get(
"https://api.apiverve.com/v1/dnsseccheck?domain=cloudflare.com",
headers={"x-api-key": "your_api_key_here"},
timeout=15,
)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json()["data"])package main
import (
"fmt"
"io"
"net/http"
)
func main() {
req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/dnsseccheck?domain=cloudflare.com", nil)
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "your_api_key_here")
res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
defer res.Body.Close()
out, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(out))
}Replace your_api_key_here with the key from your dashboard. When the inputs arrive as a list rather than one at a time, batch requests run up to 200 of them through this same API in a single call.
Authentication
Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — there is no token exchange and no per-endpoint scope to configure. Authentication covers creating, rotating and revoking keys.
A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.
Parameters
Sent in the query string. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
domainRequired | string | The domain name to check DNSSEC configuration for domain |
Response
Every API returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape. Response format covers the envelope, the other output formats and how premium fields are withheld.
{
"status": "ok",
"error": null,
"data": {
"domain": "cloudflare.com",
"dnssecEnabled": true,
"valid": true,
"records": {
"dnskey": 3,
"ds": 2,
"nsec": "NSEC3"
},
"errors": [],
"details": {
"dnskeyCount": 3,
"dsCount": 2
},
"status": "DNSSEC is properly configured with DS records at parent",
"recommendation": "DNSSEC is properly configured",
"riskScore": 5,
"riskLevel": "low"
}
}Response fields
Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.
| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
domain | string | "cloudflare.com" | Domain that was checked |
dnssecEnabled | boolean | true | Whether DNSSEC is enabled |
valid | boolean | true | Whether DNSSEC configuration is valid |
recordsPremium | object | {...} | DNSKEY and DS record details |
dnskeyPremium | number | 3 | Number of DNSKEY records published by the zone |
dsPremium | number | 2 | Number of DS records held by the parent zone |
nsecPremium | string | "NSEC3" | Number of NSEC or NSEC3 records used to prove non-existence; null when none were returned |
errors | array | [] | Problems found in the chain of trust; empty when DNSSEC validates |
details | object | {...} | Record counts behind the verdict |
dnskeyCount | number | 3 | Number of DNSKEY records seen |
dsCount | number | 2 | Number of DS records seen at the parent |
status | string | "DNSSEC is properly configured with DS records at parent" | Plain-language verdict on the domain's DNSSEC configuration |
recommendation | string | "DNSSEC is properly configured" | What to do about the current configuration |
riskScorePremium | number | 5 | Composite 0-100 DNSSEC deployment-health score. A fully valid chain of trust scores low; a domain that published keys but never lodged its DS record at the parent zone (a broken chain that can break resolution) scores high; an undeployed domain scores in between |
riskLevelPremium | string | "low" | Risk band derived from the score: low, medium or high |
Errors
Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change. Error handling covers the full status list and which of them are worth retrying.
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
400 | Input was rejected | Read error; it names the parameter. |
401 | Key missing or invalid | Check the header name and the key value. |
403 | Key valid, but not permitted | A key restriction or IP allow-list; see key scoping. |
429 | Rate limited, or out of credits | Read error to tell them apart; see rate limits. |
Use cases
- Security Auditing
- Verify that domains have properly configured DNSSEC to prevent DNS spoofing and cache poisoning attacks
- Compliance Checking
- Ensure domains meet security compliance requirements that mandate DNSSEC
- Domain Monitoring
- Monitor DNSSEC status and get alerts if configuration becomes invalid
- Troubleshooting
- Diagnose DNSSEC validation failures and identify misconfigured records
Other ways to use DNSSEC Checker
Set up DNSSEC Checker on APIVerve, or reach the same source a different way. Your APIVerve account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
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