Whenever you made any changes regarding the nameservers or DNS configuration of your domain name or web hosting, there must be one thing that certainly came into your mind, and you are already aware of that – the DNS propagation. And this issue arises because when you made any change related to your domain name or web hosting, you find everything working well with some users while it does not with other people.
Now here is where you learn about the issue.
It is very essential to have an idea about how the Domain Name System (DNS) works to understand the issue of DNS propagation. You will get to know more about DNS propagation, its process and how long it takes here.
Table of Contents
Definition of DNS Propagation
DNS propagation is the updating of your DNS records on internet servers globally due to the changes made to your DNS settings.
DNS (Domain Name System) can be referred to as the phonebook of the internet. Instead of memorizing the numerical IP address, visitors will enter your domain name on their browser, and DNS guides them to the correct web server.
If you change any DNS records like:
- Nameserver update
- A Record change
- CNAME Record update
- MX Record update for email
- TXT Record for verification purposes
- IPv6 (AAAA Record) update
they will not be updated immediately across all locations. The DNS servers across the globe keep a cache copy of your DNS records which gradually gets refreshed and is known as DNS propagation. Also, see how to point a domain name to a web hosting server.
Why Does DNS Propagation Occur?
The information gets stored on the DNS servers in order to ensure that the website can be accessed fast and also decrease the request to the internet.
When the DNS records change, the information is not immediately purged but rather the DNS resolver keeps using the old DNS records till the time their cache expires, after which they start asking for the new records.
This way one user can access the new hosting server and the other continues to access the old website.
Duration of DNS Propagation
The most common question that website owners tend to ask is, “How long does DNS propagation take?”
In general, the following process occurs in most cases when it comes to DNS changes:
- A change of record: Usually propagates within several minutes to hours.
- Changes of CNAME and TXT: Usually propagates within several hours.
- Changes of MX record: Usually propagates within several hours, but it depends on the email providers.
- Name servers changes: Take from 2 to 24 hours, but sometimes full propagation takes 48 hours.
It should be noted that in modern times, many DNS changes occur faster than the usual 48 hours period described above. However, one should always allow 48 hours for the change.
DNS Propagation Factors
There are several things that affect the speed at which DNS propagations occur.
1. Time To Live (TTL)
TTL is the duration that DNS resolvers keep DNS records cached before they ask for new copies of the same records.
Records with low TTL will cause DNS propagation to happen faster because cached records expire sooner.
2. DNS Caching by Resolvers
There are ISPs and public DNS servers that cache DNS records differently. While some refresh them fast, others keep cached data for a long time.
It is this factor that makes people visiting from different regions get different versions of your website during propagation.
3. The Type of DNS Record
Simple updates of DNS records cause DNS propagation faster than name server updates, where all the DNS zone gets affected.
Watch how to update your DNS records
4. Your DNS Hosting Provider
A good DNS provider always updates DNS records effectively compared to slow or out-of-date DNS infrastructure.
Getting a good hosting company for your DNS management will make things easy for you.
DNS Propagation – What Are The Best Practices While It Occurs?
First of all, take your time and do not do anything while the DNS propagation process takes place.
Here are some best practices for you to follow:
- Keep your old hosting account active until the DNS propagation process ends.
- Do not modify your DNS records more than once.
- See if your site works on a new hosting server.
- Test your emails if you modify the MX records.
- Check if your website works via different Internet connections.
If you migrate your website to a different hosting company, check out what you need to do before and after changing hosting services.
How to Check DNS Propagation
In case you have just made any changes in your DNS settings but find that your website doesn’t work, do not panic.
It’s possible to check DNS propagation via:
- DNS propagation online checker.
- Checking your website using different networks.
- Clearing your browser’s cache.
- Flushing DNS cache from your computer.
- Checking the result using different public DNS servers.
It should be noted that until DNS propagation is complete, people will get different answers from DNS
DNS Propagation Issues
Even though there are usually no difficulties with DNS propagation, certain issues might arise that may cause delays.
Some of them include:
- Wrong nameservers
- Incorrect IP address in the A record
- No DNS records
- Typing errors
- High TTL values
- DNS zone deletion
Before making any changes, make sure to double-check all of the DNS records.
Should you encounter DNS errors on your website after changing DNS records, you might want to check our article “How to Fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN Error.”
Methods of Increasing Speed of DNS Changes
The following methods are aimed at increasing the speed of DNS changes:
1. Lowering Your TTL in Advance of DNS Changes
In case you have some idea in advance that you will be making DNS changes, lower the value of TTL 24-48 hours in advance of making the changes.
2. Checking All DNS Records Before Making DNS Changes
Before making any DNS changes, double-check all your nameservers, IP addresses and other DNS records. Otherwise, if there is any error, you will spend some more time fixing it after the process of DNS propagation starts.
Read more here if you want to update your DNS records and your don’t know.
3. Proper Migration Planning of Your Website
In case you are going to move your website to a new hosting company, make sure that everything works well before the process of DNS propagation.
Our articles on How to Point a Domain Name to a Hosting Server and explain how you can do this properly.
How Can DNS Propagation Affect Your SEO?
By itself, DNS propagation does not have any negative impact on your SEO rankings.
However, what might hamper your SEO and your site’s reputation is the prolonged downtime that may be experienced due to incorrect DNS configurations of your website.
With careful planning, maintaining your old web hosting while DNS propagation takes place and proper DNS configuration, you will be able to keep your website working just fine.
Conclusion
DNS propagation is a typical phenomenon that happens when making changes to your website’s DNS settings. Even though those changes may not become apparent at once on the internet, it’s merely the process of updating the DNS servers cache.
If you plan to move your website, to change DNS settings, or switch your hosting provider, then finding a good hosting company can greatly facilitate the whole process. HarmonWeb is a company which provides fast and safe hosting services as well as easy DNS settings and technical support in case of any difficulties.
