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DNS Propagation Checker

See what 12 public DNS resolvers return for a record right now, and how long each will keep its cached answer.

About DNS Propagation

A DNS propagation checker shows whether a DNS change has reached the resolvers people actually use. After you edit a record, each resolver keeps serving its cached copy until the record's TTL runs out, so for a while different networks see different answers. This tool asks 12 large public resolvers, including Cloudflare, Google, Cisco OpenDNS, AdGuard, NextDNS and Alibaba, for the same record at once over DNS over HTTPS, and shows each answer with the seconds it has left in that resolver's cache. Add the value you expect and it tells you which resolvers already have it and when the rest should catch up.

How this checker differs from map-based tools

Most propagation checkers send a query from servers in different countries and show a tick or a cross on a map. That tells you what one server saw at one moment. This tool asks each resolver directly, reads the TTL in its answer, and subtracts any time the answer spent in an HTTP cache, as RFC 8484 requires. The remaining TTL is how long that resolver will keep its current answer, which is the real countdown to your change appearing there.

Large resolvers run many sites around the world. Queries from this tool reach the site of each provider nearest to the Cloudflare data center that handles your request, so caches in other regions can hold a different copy for a while.

Resolvers checked

Cloudflare 1.1.1.1, Google Public DNS 8.8.8.8, Cisco OpenDNS, AdGuard DNS (unfiltered), Control D, NextDNS, DNS.SB, Alibaba Public DNS, Tencent DNSPod, LibreDNS, dnsforge and 360 Secure DNS.

Reading the results

  • New value: the resolver already returns the value you entered.
  • Old value: it still returns something else. The TTL column says how many seconds until it asks again.
  • No record: the resolver got NXDOMAIN or an empty answer, common for a brand new record that a resolver cached as missing.
  • No answer: the resolver did not reply in time. Try again.

To see every record type for a domain from Cloudflare or Google, use the DNS lookup. The guide to flushing your DNS cache clears the copy on your own device.

Sources: RFC 1035 (DNS and TTL), RFC 8484 (DNS over HTTPS). The 48-hour .com delegation TTL was read from a.gtld-servers.net.

Frequently asked questions

How long does DNS propagation take?

Up to the TTL of the old record, counted from the moment you saved the change. Resolvers keep a cached answer for as many seconds as its TTL allows, then ask again and get the new one. A record with a 300-second TTL updates everywhere within about five minutes; one with a 86,400-second TTL can take a day. This checker shows how long each resolver still has to wait.

Why do nameserver changes take longer?

When you change nameservers at your registrar, the parent zone has to publish the new delegation, and resolvers cache the old one for the TTL that zone sets. The .com servers, for example, hand out delegation records with a TTL of 172,800 seconds (48 hours).

Why do some resolvers show a different answer?

Either they still hold the old answer in cache, or the domain deliberately gives different answers to different places, as content delivery networks do. Enter the value you expect in the optional box: resolvers that already return it are marked, and the rest show how many seconds of cache they have left.

Can I make DNS propagate faster?

Plan ahead. Lower the TTL of the record to something like 300 seconds a day before the change, make the change, then raise the TTL again. You cannot force other people's resolvers to drop a cached answer early, although Cloudflare and Google offer pages to purge their own caches.

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