How a Stressed DevOps Engineer Stopped Copy-Pasting DNS Checks With One n8n Workflow

The Night Everything Broke

At 11:47 p.m., Alex stared at the screen for what felt like the hundredth time that week. Another domain migration, another round of DNS checks, and the same old ritual of opening a browser, running manual lookups, copy-pasting records into tickets, and hoping nothing slipped through the cracks.

Managing DNS records was part of Alex’s job as a DevOps engineer, but it was also the part that kept piling up. Every new domain meant checking A, AAAA, MX, TXT records, sometimes repeatedly, and always under time pressure. It was tedious, error prone, and worst of all, completely manual.

Alex knew there had to be a better way to manage DNS entries. Something automated, repeatable, and fast. That search is how Alex stumbled on an n8n workflow template that promised exactly what was needed: a way to automatically get DNS records for any domain.

Discovering n8n and a Different Way to Work

Alex had heard of n8n before, but only in passing. This time, the description caught attention.

n8n is an extendable workflow automation tool that lets you connect apps and APIs and automate tasks without writing a full application. You build workflows visually, link nodes together, and let n8n handle the execution.

For someone drowning in repetitive DNS lookups, that sounded like a lifeline.

As Alex read further, a specific template stood out – an n8n workflow that retrieves DNS entries for a domain using the Uproc API. It was simple, focused, and exactly aligned with the problem at hand.

From Manual Chaos to a Simple Automated Plan

Alex sketched out the current process on a notepad:

• Type domain into a DNS lookup tool
• Wait for results
• Copy A, AAAA, MX, TXT records into a document
• Repeat for the next domain

It was embarrassingly manual.

The n8n template, on the other hand, broke the job into three clear automated steps:

• Manual Trigger – start the workflow when needed
• Create Domain Item – define the domain to query
• Get DNS Records – call the Uproc API and fetch all DNS entries

Instead of juggling browser tabs and tools, Alex could click one button and get structured DNS data instantly. That was the moment the decision was made: this workflow had to be tested.

Setting Up the Workflow: The Turning Point

Step 1 – A Trigger That Replaces the Old Routine

Alex opened n8n, imported the DNS template, and saw the first node: Manual Trigger.

This node did one simple but powerful thing. It initiated the workflow whenever Alex clicked execute. No scheduling needed, no complex conditions. Just a clean way to say “I want DNS records for a domain right now.”

That alone felt more controlled than the old browser-based chaos.

Step 2 – Teaching the Workflow Which Domain to Check

Next was the Create Domain Item node, implemented as a FunctionItem node. This was where the domain name was prepared as input for the DNS lookup.

Inside the node, Alex found a tiny piece of JavaScript that suddenly made the whole workflow click:

item.domain = "n8n.io";
return item;

This line added a JSON key called domain with the value "n8n.io". In other words, it told the workflow, “Here is the domain you are going to query.”

Alex realized how flexible this could be. Today it might be n8n.io, but tomorrow it could be any domain, supplied dynamically from another node, a form submission, or even a CSV file. For now, though, keeping it simple was enough.

Step 3 – Letting Uproc Handle the Heavy Lifting

The final node was where the magic happened: Get DNS Records.

This node used the getDomainRecords tool from the Uproc API to actually fetch the DNS entries. The domain value did not need to be typed again. It was dynamically taken from the output of the Create Domain Item node, which meant the workflow passed data cleanly from one step to the next.

There was one important requirement though. Alex needed to have Uproc API credentials configured in n8n before this node could work. That setup took just a few minutes, and once the credentials were in place, the node was ready.

With all three nodes connected and configured, the workflow was complete. It was time to test.

The First Run: From Click to Complete DNS Overview

Alex took a breath, clicked Execute Workflow, and watched the nodes light up one after another.

The Manual Trigger fired. The FunctionItem node prepared the domain n8n.io. The Uproc node called getDomainRecords and returned a structured response.

On the screen, n8n displayed exactly what used to take Alex several minutes per domain:

• A records
• AAAA records
• MX records
• TXT records
• And other relevant DNS entries

All in a single, organized output.

No more jumping between tools, no more copy-paste glitches, no more missed records because of late night fatigue. The workflow had turned a messy, manual task into a repeatable, reliable automation.

Why This Simple n8n Template Changed Alex’s Workflow

As the next week rolled in, Alex started using the DNS retrieval workflow for every new domain, and the benefits became obvious.

1. Manual Work Vanished

Instead of running separate DNS lookups by hand, Alex could trigger the workflow and get complete DNS records in one go. The time saved added up quickly, especially during migrations and audits.

2. Dynamic Domain Queries Became Easy

Because the workflow relied on a domain field in JSON, it was naturally ready for dynamic input. Alex started imagining future improvements:

• Pull domains from a database
• Read them from a spreadsheet
• Trigger DNS checks after a deployment completes

The core structure was already in place. Only the input needed to change.

3. The Workflow Was Simple to Extend

n8n’s node based design meant Alex could easily chain additional steps after the DNS lookup:

• Send DNS results to Slack for the team
• Store records in a monitoring system
• Log them in a database for audits

The original template was small, but it became a foundation for a richer automation system.

From One Template to a Better Way of Working

Looking back, Alex realized that the biggest win was not just getting DNS records faster. It was the shift in mindset. Tasks that once felt like unavoidable manual chores were now seen as automation opportunities.

With n8n and Uproc, DNS record retrieval turned into a simple, efficient workflow instead of a late night headache. The same pattern could be applied to other repetitive parts of network and domain management.

Ready to Automate Your DNS Checks Too?

If you find yourself repeating the same DNS lookups, copying the same records into tickets, or double checking domains by hand, you are in the same place Alex was before discovering this template.

Using n8n, you can:

• Automate DNS queries for any domain
• Retrieve A, AAAA, MX, TXT, and other DNS records in one execution
• Extend the workflow with notifications, logging, or integrations

All it takes is a simple three node workflow and configured Uproc API credentials.

Call to Action: Try this n8n DNS entry retrieval workflow yourself and start turning your repetitive DNS checks into a smooth, automated process.