# View DNS hostnames for your EC2 instance
<a name="vpc-dns-viewing"></a>

You can view the DNS hostnames for a running instance or a network interface using the Amazon EC2 console or the command line. Knowing these hostnames is important for connecting to your resources.

The **Public DNS (IPv4)** and **Private DNS** fields are available when the DNS options are enabled for the VPC that is associated with the instance. For more information, see [DNS attributes for your VPC](AmazonDNS-concepts.md#vpc-dns-support).

## Instance
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**To view DNS hostnames for an instance using the console**

1. Open the Amazon EC2 console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/ec2/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/ec2/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **Instances**.

1. Select your instance from the list.

1. In the details pane, the **Public DNS (IPv4)** and **Private DNS** fields display the DNS hostnames, if applicable.

**To view DNS hostnames for an instance using the command line**
+ [describe-instances](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/ec2/describe-instances.html) (AWS CLI)
+ [Get-EC2Instance](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/powershell/latest/reference/items/Get-EC2Instance.html) (AWS Tools for Windows PowerShell)

## Network interface
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**To view the private DNS hostname for a network interface using the console**

1. Open the Amazon EC2 console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/ec2/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/ec2/).

1. In the navigation pane, choose **Network Interfaces**.

1. Select the network interface from the list.

1. In the details pane, the **Private DNS (IPv4)** field displays the private DNS hostname.

**To view DNS hostnames for a network interface using the command line**
+ [describe-network-interfaces](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/ec2/describe-network-interfaces.html) (AWS CLI)
+ [Get-EC2NetworkInterface](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/powershell/latest/reference/items/Get-EC2NetworkInterface.html) (AWS Tools for Windows PowerShell)