ENOTFOUND in Node.js — What It Means and How to Fix It

ENOTFOUND means DNS could not resolve the hostname to an IP address.

What it means and why it happens

Typical causes: a typo in the domain, no internet or DNS, or a service name that is unreachable from the container.

Read the full message: it names the file and line where the problem was detected, which is the best place to start.

What you see

Practical examples

Code that triggers it

await fetch('https://api.exmaple.com')

The fix

await fetch('https://api.example.com')

Test DNS

nslookup api.example.com
dig +short api.example.com

Common mistakes

• Typos in hostnames.
• Docker network names.
• VPN DNS overrides.

Key takeaways

• ENOTFOUND: ENOTFOUND means DNS could not resolve the hostname to an IP address.
• Read the message and the line number first.
• Fix the cause, don't just silence the error.

FAQ

localhost ENOTFOUND?

Check your hosts file and use 127.0.0.1.

How do I find which line caused ENOTFOUND?

The error message and stack trace show the file and line; start there and work backwards.