DNS Propagation Checker

DNS propagation is the time it takes for a DNS record change to spread across all DNS resolvers worldwide. When you update a DNS record (such as an SPF, DKIM, or MX record), the change is first made at your authoritative nameserver. Other resolvers around the world cache the old value until their cache expires (based on the TTL — Time To Live). During this period, different users may see different DNS results depending on which resolver they use.

DNS resolvers cache records for the duration specified by the TTL (Time To Live) value in the record itself. Until that cache expires, a resolver will serve the old value rather than querying the authoritative nameserver again. Common TTL values range from 300 seconds (5 minutes) to 86400 seconds (24 hours). To speed up propagation for planned changes, reduce the TTL to 300 seconds at least 24 hours before making the change, then increase it back after propagation is confirmed.

Typically, DNS propagation takes anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours, depending on the TTL of the record being changed. Records with a low TTL (e.g. 300 seconds) can propagate globally in minutes. Records with a high TTL (e.g. 86400 seconds) may take up to 24 hours or more. Most modern DNS providers support low TTLs and changes typically propagate within 1–2 hours for the majority of resolvers worldwide.

Some public DNS resolvers restrict access to DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) queries originating from server infrastructure rather than end-user devices. This is a security measure some providers use to prevent abuse. If a resolver shows an error, it does not necessarily mean your DNS record is incorrect — it may simply mean that particular resolver blocked this checker's query. Check the results from multiple resolvers and focus on the ones that respond successfully (Google, Cloudflare, NextDNS).

NXDOMAIN (Non-Existent Domain) means the queried record does not exist according to that resolver. For a new record, NXDOMAIN indicates the record hasn't propagated to that resolver yet. For an existing record, NXDOMAIN may indicate the record was deleted, the domain has expired, or there is a DNS misconfiguration. If you see NXDOMAIN for a record you just added, wait for the TTL to expire and check again — the new record should appear once the authoritative nameserver's response is cached.

This checker includes a dedicated South Africa resolver entry (Cloudflare ZA), which uses Cloudflare's anycast network. Cloudflare operates Points of Presence (PoPs) in Johannesburg and Cape Town, meaning South African users are typically served from local infrastructure. Checking against the South Africa entry helps confirm that DNS changes are visible to local users and ISPs without needing to wait for updates to propagate from international nodes first.