DNS Propagation Checker
Whats My DNS is designed to check DNS resolution and propagation for a given domain. This tool helps you check whether the changes you’ve made to the DNS records have been propagated globally or not. Our tool queries the entered domain's DNS records through various servers globally.
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Working of Our DNS Propagation Checker
When you enter the domain name, our DNS checker attempts to access the DNS records for that domain from various servers placed around the globe. The servers that are able to resolve the request and provide the DNS records data for the domain are shown with a green check mark ✔. On the other hand, if the DNS request is not able to get resolved through a particular server, then that server is marked with a red cross ❌. Our tool displays the statuses of the various DNS servers in an interactive map widget/display. 🌐
How to Use Our DNS Check Tool?
Here is how you can run a DNS Propagation test online using our tool.
- First of all, you have to enter the name of the domain in the provided field. Then, you have to specify the type of DNS record that you want to check. (DNS propagation can be checked for almost all major types of DNS records, such as “A,” “CNAME,” “MX,” and so on.)
- Once you have entered the domain name and selected the record type, you can press the search button (
). This will run the DNS propagation check, and you will be able to see the selected DNS record data in all the servers worldwide along with their resolution status shown as follows: - ✔️ indicating successful propagation.
- ❌ indicating unsuccessful propagation.
- You can also enter a custom DNS for the propagation check. To do this, you have to click on the Add Custom DNS button (
). You can then enter the details in the respective fields. - Our tool also lets you specify your record for the propagation check. You can click on the “settings” button (
) to reveal the input field. Here, you can enter a particular record, such as a specific IP address for the A record, server name for the MX record and so on. Once you enter the exact record contents, you will be able to see all the global DNS servers in the list that contain those records and the ones that don’t.
What Type of DNS Records Can You Check for Propagation?
With Whatsmydns, you can check the propagation of various DNS records. The records are listed below
- A: The “A” record is one of the basic DNS records. It is responsible for providing the IPv4 address of a domain (If you only want to find the IP address of a domain, you can use our What is My IP tool to keep things simple).
- AAAA: The "AAAA" record is used to store the IPv6 address for a domain.
- CNAME: This record is used when one domain/subdomain has to be pointed toward another domain/subdomain rather than toward an IP address.
- NS: The NS record in DNS is used to describe the authoritative nameservers for a particular domain
- MX: The MX record is used to specify where the emails for a specific domain have to be directed. This record specifies the email server that is used for a domain.
- TXT: The TXT record is used to enter textual instructions/notes in the DNS records of a domain.
- PTR: A PTR record is also referred to as a “reverse DNS lookup” record. This record is used to store the domain name under a particular IP address. It is used for the reverse IP lookup process.
- SRV: An SRV record (or “Service”) record is used to define the port of various services in your domain.
- SOA: An SOA record is used to store important administration information and details about your DNS zone, such as the email address of the admin, refresh intervals, and so on.
- CAA: The CAA record stands for Certification Authority Authorization. This record is used by a domain to describe which certification authorities (CAs) can issue certificates for it.
- DS: The DS records are used as a part of the DNSSEC system, which is used to improve the security of a domain.
- DNSKEY: The DNSKEY record contains the public signing key, which is needed for verifying and accepting DNS records.
Features and Options of Our Global DNS Checker Tool
Let’s take a look at some of the specific features and options that you can enjoy with our DNS propagation check tool.
1. You can check a wide range of different records
One of the main features that you can get with our DNS checker is the option to check the propagation for various types of records, one by one. There are a total of 12 DNS records types that you can choose from, such as “A,” “AAAA,” and “CNAME,” etc.
2. Up-to-date results
When you run a DNS propagation check using our tool, you get up-to-date results.
3. You can add “Custom DNS”
Another good feature of our tool is that you can add a custom DNS. You can click on the “Add Custom DNS” button, which will show up different fields in which you can enter this data. Keep in mind that when adding the custom DNS, the DNS name and DNS IP have to be compulsorily entered. The rest of the details are optional.
4. Map-style results
Our DNS checking tool provides propagation results from multiple servers across the world and presents them in the form of a world map. In this way, you are able to easily visualize the results and see the locations where the DNS requests are resolved and where they are not.
5. Save your DNS propagation results
This is another excellent feature that you can use with our DNS check tool. When you run the propagation check and get the results in the map-style format, you can save them to your device storage in the following formats:
- PNG
- JPEG
- SVG
Our tool also provides the option to print the map showing the DNS propagation results. You can click on the “Print chart” button to open the print menu.
6. Multiple languages available
With our tool, you can choose from 6 different languages. You can choose from the various languages by clicking on the button at the top right corner of the tool window. Selecting from the different languages allows you to view the settings and menus of the tool in that particular language. The options include:
And so on. successively.
Understanding DNS — What is the Domain Name System?
The Domain Name System is essentially the process that is responsible for converting domain names (such as example.com or google.com) into their respective IP addresses that computers use to identify and communicate with each other on a network. When humans have to visit websites, they use domain names that consist of normal words and terms, such as “Whatsmydns.me.
But when a computer or an internet client has to find and access a domain, it does not use these names/terms, etc. It uses an IP address. All the websites/devices/machines on the Internet have a unique IP address. DNS allows computers to understand the domain names and load the respective websites by using their IP addresses.
What is the Meaning of DNS Propagation?
DNS propagation is the time in which changes to DNS records are applied throughout the various servers on the Internet. When you make some changes to the DNS records of your website, such as adding/changing the MX records or modifying the “A” records, etc., it takes some time for those changes to be applied to all the DNS servers around the world.
How Much Time is Required for Changes to a Domain to Propagate Globally?
The duration taken for DNS propagation is typically not very long. Changes made to the DNS records can be propagated to all the servers usually in under 24 to 48 hours. However, there are a number of factors that can affect this duration and make it longer.
For example, if you set the TTL (Time to Live) to be quite long when entering the DNS record, the changes will likewise take long to get applied to the various servers around the globe. The Time to Live is the time that you specify for a DNS record to be retained in the cache before it looks to be updated.
What is the Need to Check DNS Propagation?
If you use our DNS propagation tool, you will be able to see the DNS records for your domain in all the different servers across the world. You can check and confirm whether or not the correct changes in the records have been applied to all the DNS servers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is DNS Resolution?
DNS resolution is the process through which a domain name is changed to its respective IP address. The steps involve querying various servers and finding the relevant IP address information for the domain name.
How does TTL affect global DNS propagation?
TTL refers to Time to Live. It indicates the time after which the DNS records for a particular domain are refreshed and the cache is reset. TTL affects global DNS propagation by deciding how long the propagation process takes. If the TTL is set high, it means that the propagation will take a long time. For example, if you make changes to a DNS record that has a TTL of 3600 seconds, it means that the changes will be globally propagated after 1 hour. For 1 hour, the old records will stay in place
How to Speed-up the DNS Propagation?
To speed up the DNS propagation process, there are different steps that you can take.
- Method 1: You can set a low TTL for the records so that they are updated quickly
- Method 2: You can also flush the DNS cache on your device so that it can get the newer information.
- Method 3: Request the DNS resolvers (such as Google, Cloudflare, etc.) to purge their DNS cache.
How do I know if my DNS has propagated?
You can use online DNS propagation checkers to see if your DNS records have propagated or not. If you see the updated records in the data provided by the tools, it means that your DNS record data has been propagated. But if the old records are showing, then it means the changes have not yet been applied.
Why is my domain not propagating?
It can take some time for your DNS records to propagate across servers globally. The time taken is usually around 24 to 48 hours. It also depends on the TTL of your DNS records.
How does DNS propagation work?
When changes are made to DNS records, the authoritative nameservers around the world replace the old information in their caches with updated information. This is how the process of DNS propagation works. The time taken for the changes to propagate is basically the time taken by the servers to update the information in their caches.