DNS Health Score - Grade Your Domain from A to F
Get an instant DNS health check for any domain. DNSMonit analyzes your DNS configuration, security settings, and email authentication to deliver a clear A-to-F grade with actionable recommendations.
What is a DNS Health Score?
A DNS health score is a comprehensive assessment of your domain's DNS configuration, measuring how well it adheres to industry best practices for reliability, security, and email authentication. Think of it as a report card for your domain -- a quick way to understand whether your DNS setup is helping or hurting your online presence.
DNSMonit evaluates your domain across three critical categories and assigns a score out of 100 points. This score is then mapped to a letter grade from A+ (excellent) down to F (critical issues found). Unlike simple DNS lookup tools that only show raw record data, the health score interprets that data and tells you exactly what is configured correctly, what is missing, and what needs improvement.
By tracking your DNS health score over time, you can ensure that configuration changes, provider migrations, and new security policies are properly implemented. A declining score acts as an early warning that something may have gone wrong with your domain setup.
How the Scoring System Works
DNS Basics (40 points)
The foundation of your DNS configuration. This category checks that your essential records are present and properly configured.
- A Record presence
- IPv6 (AAAA) support
- NS Record configuration
- SOA Record presence
- MX Records for email
- Optimal TTL values
Security (35 points)
Measures how well your domain is protected against DNS-based attacks and unauthorized certificate issuance.
- DNSSEC enabled and valid
- CAA records present
- CAA restrictive policy (issue/issuewild)
Email Authentication (25 points)
Evaluates your email security configuration to ensure messages are authenticated and protected from spoofing.
- SPF record present
- SPF strict mode (-all)
- DMARC record present
- DMARC enforcement (quarantine/reject)
- DKIM configuration
What Each Grade Means
Your domain follows all DNS best practices. Security, email authentication, and core records are fully configured.
Nearly perfect configuration with only minor improvements possible. Your domain is well-protected.
Solid foundation but missing some security or email authentication features. A few improvements would strengthen your setup.
Several important configurations are missing. Your domain may be vulnerable to DNS spoofing or email impersonation.
Significant gaps in your DNS configuration. Immediate action is recommended to prevent security issues.
Major DNS issues detected. Your domain is at high risk and requires urgent attention to basic configuration.
Benefits of DNS Health Monitoring
Track Improvement Over Time
Watch your domain health score improve as you implement recommendations. DNSMonit tracks your score history so you can see the impact of each change you make to your configuration.
Actionable Recommendations
Each scoring criterion comes with a clear pass/fail status and specific suggestions for improvement. No guesswork -- DNSMonit tells you exactly what to add, change, or fix to raise your score.
Portfolio-Wide Visibility
See the health score for every domain in your portfolio at a glance. Quickly identify which domains need attention and prioritize improvements across your entire infrastructure.
Security Posture Assessment
The security component of your health score evaluates DNSSEC, CAA records, and email authentication -- giving you a clear picture of your domain's defense against common DNS-based attacks.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the DNS health score calculated?
The score is based on 100 points across three categories: DNS Basics (40 points for A, AAAA, MX, NS, SOA records and TTL optimization), Security (35 points for DNSSEC and CAA records), and Email Security (25 points for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configuration).
What does each grade mean?
A+ (95-100): Excellent configuration. A (85-94): Great with minor improvements possible. B (70-84): Good but missing some security features. C (55-69): Several issues need attention. D (40-54): Significant problems. F (below 40): Critical issues requiring immediate action.
How can I improve my DNS health score?
The most impactful improvements are: enabling DNSSEC, adding CAA records, configuring SPF with -all (hard fail), setting up DMARC with quarantine or reject policy, and ensuring all essential DNS records are present.
Check Your Domain Health Score Now
Use our free DNS health checker to get an instant grade for any domain. Then sign up to monitor your score continuously and receive alerts when it changes.