DNS Record Checker

TTL (Time to Live) is the number of seconds a DNS record is cached by resolvers before they re-query for a fresh value. A TTL of 3600 means the record is cached for one hour. Lower TTLs mean changes propagate faster but increase DNS query load. Higher TTLs reduce query load but mean changes take longer to roll out globally.

DNS changes typically propagate within 30 minutes to a few hours for most users, but can take up to 48 hours globally due to DNS caching. The actual propagation time depends on the TTL of the record being changed — a record with TTL 3600 takes up to one hour to update everywhere after a change.

An A record maps a hostname directly to an IP address. A CNAME record maps a hostname to another hostname, which is then resolved to an IP address. CNAMEs add an extra DNS lookup but are more flexible — changing the IP address of the target hostname automatically updates all CNAMEs pointing to it.

TXT records were originally designed to hold arbitrary text for human consumption. Over time, they became the standard location for machine-readable authentication data because they are flexible and universal. SPF records start with v=spf1, DMARC records with v=DMARC1, and DKIM records with v=DKIM1, allowing applications to identify their type.

There is no practical limit to the number of DNS records a domain can have. You can have multiple A records (for load balancing), multiple MX records (for redundancy), multiple TXT records (for different authentication protocols and verification tokens), and so on.

NS records identify which nameservers are authoritative for your domain. If these are wrong, DNS queries for your domain may fail or return stale data. Incorrect NS records can cause your website, email, and all DNS-based services to stop working. Always verify NS records after transferring a domain or changing nameservers.