DNS propagation is the process by which changes to DNS records are distributed and updated across the internet. When a domain name’s DNS records are modified, such as changing the IP address associated with a domain, these changes need time to be reflected universally. DNS propagation can take some time, ranging from a few minutes to several hours, depending on factors like TTL (Time to Live) settings and DNS caching.
During this propagation period, different DNS servers across the internet gradually update their cached information to reflect the new DNS records, ensuring consistent access to the updated resources. DNS propagation sometimes confuses users because a visitor in one geographic region may see the updated DNS while another sees the original settings that are still propagating.
Here’s a tool to check to see if the same A Records are returned across critical DNS servers and regional DNS servers:
