canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/networkcalc.com/networkcalc

# NetworkCalc API

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for NetworkCalc API, keeping it validated and agent-ready. NetworkCalc gives developers and network engineers a structured surface for DNS lookups, WHOIS registration data, and SPF record validation, plus persistence so saved queries and historical results can be referenced later. The nine-endpoint surface covers live DNS resolution, WHOIS, SPF parsing, and saved-query retrieval - handy for deliverability tooling, DNS dashboards, and ops automation.

## For AI agents

Resolve DNS records, WHOIS data, and SPF rules for a hostname, and persist saved queries on a NetworkCalc account.

## Scope

Does not handle authoritative DNS record management, DDoS protection, or email sending - use for DNS, WHOIS, and SPF lookups and saved-query retrieval only.

## Capabilities

- Resolve DNS A, AAAA, MX, TXT, and NS records for a hostname
- Look up domain WHOIS registration and expiry data
- Parse and validate an SPF record for an email-sending domain
- Save a DNS, WHOIS, or SPF lookup for later retrieval
- Retrieve a previously saved lookup by id
- Build a deliverability dashboard powered by SPF and DNS data

## Use cases

### Deliverability Pre-Flight

Before a marketing or transactional email send, validate the sending domain's SPF record and resolve its MX records to confirm the configuration is intact. NetworkCalc's SPF endpoint parses the record and surfaces include chains, hard-fail flags, and resolution counts so deliverability bugs are caught before they affect inbox placement.

Example prompt: Call `/dns/spf/sender.example.com`, return whether the record evaluates to softfail or hardfail, and list every include chain encountered.

### DNS Operations Dashboard

Power an internal dashboard that resolves DNS for a list of customer-facing domains and saves the results for trend analysis. Pair the live lookup endpoint with the save endpoint so historical snapshots can be diffed when something breaks.

Example prompt: For each hostname in the customer list, call `/dns/lookup/{hostname}` and post the result to `/dns/lookup/save/{hostname}` for historical comparison.

### Domain Expiry Alerting

Periodically pull WHOIS data for owned domains to detect upcoming expiries and registration status changes. Combine with a saved-query pattern to detect deltas between runs without re-pulling raw WHOIS each time.

Example prompt: Call `/dns/whois/example.com`, parse the expiry date, and raise an alert if expiry is within 30 days.

### AI Agent Network Diagnostics

Let an AI agent answer questions like 'is example.com's MX record correct?' or 'when does this domain expire?' through Jentic. The agent calls the right NetworkCalc endpoint and returns a plain-English answer without the user dropping into terminal-based dig and whois commands.

Example prompt: Given the user question 'is acme.com's SPF set up correctly?', call `/dns/spf/acme.com` and return a one-paragraph plain-English summary.

## Key endpoints

| Method | Path | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GET | `/dns/lookup/{hostname}` | Resolve DNS records for a hostname |
| POST | `/dns/lookup/save/{hostname}` | Save a DNS lookup |
| GET | `/dns/whois/{hostname}` | Look up WHOIS for a domain |
| POST | `/dns/whois/save/{hostname}` | Save a WHOIS lookup |
| GET | `/dns/spf/{hostname}` | Parse and evaluate an SPF record |
| POST | `/dns/spf/save/{hostname}` | Save an SPF evaluation |
| GET | `/dns/saved/{id}` | Retrieve a saved lookup by id |

## Key resources

- **DNS Lookup** — Live DNS resolution for any hostname
- **WHOIS** — Domain WHOIS registration and expiry data
- **SPF** — Parsed and evaluated SPF records
- **Saved Queries** — Persisted lookups retrievable by id

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** Wiring the NetworkCalc API by hand means setting its bearer auth, targeting the networkcalc.com/api host, and shaping DNS, WHOIS, and SPF lookup and save calls yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import NetworkCalc from the API Directory, store the token once, and your agent calls it.
- **Permission scoping:** NetworkCalc puts the hostname and saved-query id in the URL path (`/dns/lookup/{hostname}`, `/dns/saved/{id}`), so a rule can pin your agent to specific lookups. You choose the operations it may call, so the save operations are not included unless you add them.
- **Credential handling:** Your NetworkCalc bearer token is stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. It never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'resolve DNS records' or 'check an SPF record', and Jentic returns the matching NetworkCalc operation with its parameter schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs.

## Related APIs

- **Cloudflare API** — Cloudflare's DNS APIs cover lookup and record management; broader scope including authoritative DNS hosting.
- **NS1 API** — NS1 is a managed DNS provider with a richer record-management API.
- **SendGrid Mail API** — SendGrid Mail sends transactional email; NetworkCalc validates the SPF and DNS records that govern its deliverability.

## FAQ

### Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for the NetworkCalc API?

NetworkCalc documents its API in narrative form on the NetworkCalc site but does not publish a downloadable OpenAPI specification. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call NetworkCalc API via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started with Jentic One, the self-hosted execution layer.

### What authentication does the NetworkCalc API use?

NetworkCalc uses HTTP bearer token authentication on endpoints that touch saved queries. Public lookups can be called unauthenticated within rate limits. Through Jentic the token is stored encrypted and injected at execution time.

### Can I save a DNS or WHOIS lookup with the NetworkCalc API?

Yes. POST `/dns/lookup/save/{hostname}`, `/dns/whois/save/{hostname}`, and `/dns/spf/save/{hostname}` persist a lookup against your account, and GET `/dns/saved/{id}` retrieves it later. Useful for trend analysis and audit trails.

### What are the rate limits for the NetworkCalc API?

NetworkCalc enforces conservative per-IP limits on unauthenticated calls and higher limits on authenticated calls. The exact ceiling is not published per second; for production volume request authenticated quotas via the NetworkCalc account.

### How do I validate an SPF record through Jentic?

Run jentic.search('validate spf record'), load the matching operation, and execute GET `/dns/spf/{hostname}` with the sending domain. Jentic returns the parsed record so the agent can summarise pass/fail and surface the include chain.

### Does the NetworkCalc API resolve IPv6 (AAAA) records?

Yes. GET `/dns/lookup/{hostname}` returns A, AAAA, MX, TXT, and NS records in a structured payload. Filter the response client-side for the record type you need.

### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the NetworkCalc API?

Yes. Because you run Jentic One yourself, your own rules decide which NetworkCalc operations and credentials your agent may use. You can allow only the read lookups such as GET `/dns/lookup/{hostname}`, GET `/dns/whois/{hostname}`, and GET `/dns/spf/{hostname}` while excluding the save operations, since those are not included unless you add them. NetworkCalc also puts the hostname and saved-query id in the URL path, so a rule can pin the agent to specific lookups.