---
name: "addr2name"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "ndisc6"
version: "1.0.9-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/addr2name"
---

# addr2name(1)

perform DNS lookups from scripts

## NAME

addr2name, name2addr - perform DNS lookups from scripts

## SYNOPSIS

**addr2name** \[**-46cmnr**\] \[**HOSTNAMES**\]

**name2addr** \[**-46cn**\] \[**HOSTNAMES**\]

## DESCRIPTON

Write addresses or canonical hostname of specified names to the standard output. If no names are specified via the command line, they are read from the standard input.

## OPTIONS

- **-4** or **--ipv4**

  Only try to perform IPv4 lookups.

- **-6** or **--ipv6**

  Only try to perform IPv6 lookups.

- **-c** or **--config**

  Only lookup and print results for address families that match locally configured addresses (If the system has no IPv4 resp IPv6 address, then IPv4 resp IPv6 addresses are ignored).

- **-h** or **--help**

  Display some help and exit.

- **-m** or **--multiple**

  Normally, if a name yields multiple results, only the first one is printed. With this optional parameter, all results will be printed on a single line, separated by spaces.

- **-n** or **--numeric**

  Prevent forward hostname lookup. This ensures that the input names are numeric addresses, which do not need to be looked up. Typically used along with the --reverse option to convert numerical addresses to canonical hostnames.

- **-r** or **--reverse**

  Perform a reverse DNS lookup (enabled implicitly with **addr2name**). **addr2name** prints numerical resolved addresses by default instead.

- **--version**

  Display program version and license and exit.

## SEE ALSO

[host(1)](/host/1.md), [getaddrinfo(3)](/getaddrinfo/3.md), [getnameinfo(3)](/getnameinfo/3.md), [resolv.conf(5)](/resolv.conf/5.md)

## AUTHOR

Rémi Denis-Courmont \<remi at remlab dot net\>

http://www.remlab.net/ndisc6/