DNS propagation overview

DNS propagation is the amount of time it takes for changes to the Domain Name System (DNS) records to spread throughout the internet. It may take up to 48 hours to propagate globally.

When a website switches server hosts or launches a new website, the domain’s nameserver DNS records may need to be updated. These Domain Name System (DNS) records may need to propagate across a selected list of DNS servers in several regions worldwide.

During this time, ISPs around the world update their DNS caches with the most recent information for your domain. To check if the new DNS settings have propagated, you can perform a quick DNS propagation lookup. You may use the nslookup command on the command line or choose from any of the readily available online tools, such as https://dnschecker.org/.

* Z.com cannot control how quickly your DNS propagates throughout the internet.

The domain propagation period, or the time it takes for DNS changes to be fully recognized across the internet, can be influenced by several factors.

Here are some key ones:

1. Time to live (TTL) settings — The DNS server may cache the information from the DNS settings in its DNS cache. This setting is temporarily cached, and DNS servers will retrieve the updated DNS information when the TTL (Time to Live) expires. A shorter TTL results in quicker distribution. For instance, with a TTL of 60 minutes, modifying a DNS record means that servers globally will retain the outdated information for an hour before discarding it and fetching the latest data through a new DNS query.

2.Internet service provider (ISP) — ISPs around the world implement different caching levels. Globally, ISPs store DNS records in their caches to facilitate faster website access for users. They conduct a single DNS lookup for each website and reuse the obtained result across multiple users whenever feasible. However, some ISPs may disregard TTL (Time to Live) configurations and continue using cached DNS records even after the TTL duration has expired. This behaviour can lead to prolonged propagation times.

3.Domain name registry — Root DNS servers are at the top of the DNS hierarchy and provide a list of top-level domain (TLD) servers to resolvers. If you change your website’s host nameserver (the DNS server with the official, correct information for your web addresses), this change must be reflected higher up in the DNS hierarchy. Root servers may have a TTL (Time to Live) of 48 hours or more to prevent overuse, so this change might take longer to propagate.

How to check if DNS propagation is completed

The easiest way to check if DNS propagation is completed is to use a readily available online lookup tool, such as DNSCHECKER.ORG. This online DNS Propagation Test tool provides a comprehensive list of global DNS servers. Tools like these are designed to collect, parse, and display all DNS propagation results on a DNS map. It visually shows how your DNS settings updates are propagated across different DNS servers in various regions worldwide.

These resources offer a quick and easy way to verify the status of DNS changes, giving you peace of mind.