How do I use dig to obtain a copy of a zone?

Question

How do I use dig to obtain a copy of a zone file? 

Answer

The dig command can request the type AXFR to perform a zone transfer to request all of its records. 

dig AXFR domain.tld @nameserver.domain.tld

Please note that most nameservers block zone transfers by default. If this is the case, the command above will report "Transfer failed".

Additional Resources

How to enable AXFR for cPanel controlled domains in BIND

How to enable AXFR for cPanel controlled domains in PowerDNS