How can I check the value of a DNS TXT record for a host?

Question

I'm looking to verify domain ownership via a script, specifically a Python script, and would like know how to lookup the value of a DNS TXT entry. I know there are services and websites out there for this, but I would like to do it with a script.

Answer 1

This is easy using dnspython. Here is an example:

import dns.resolver
print dns.resolver.query("aaa.asdflkjsadf.notatallsuspicio.us","TXT").response.answer[0][-1].strings[0]

This gives the following output:

PnCcKpPiGlLfApDbDoEcBbPjIfBnLpFaAaObAaAaMhNgNbIfPbHkMiEfPpGgJfOcPnLdDjBeHkOjFjIbPbIoKhIjHfJlAhAhFgGbGgNlMgKmFkLgNfBjMbCoBeNbGeOnAeHgLmKoFlLhLmDcKlEdEbDpFeHkFaBlGnHiOnChIoMlIhBgOnFfKoEhDnFkKfDaMgHbJhMgPgMjGiAoJpKjKkPaIcAdGiMbIbBbAfEiKjNbCeFoElKgOePmGjJaImL

Another option is to use dig in subprocess:

import subprocess

print subprocess.Popen(["dig","-t","txt","aaa.asdflkjsadf.notatallsuspicio.us","+short"], stdout=subprocess.PIPE).communicate()[0] 

Answer 2

This may be overly simplified, but if all you want is a quick read of the TXT record and don't mind dealing with parsing the result separately:

nslookup -q=txt somedomain.com

I found this did what I needed, short & sweet.