DNS Server Check: How to Test DNS Propagation Globally

Performing a DNS propagation lookup is essential for ensuring your website changes are live worldwide. Our DNS Server Check tool provides a comprehensive solution for instantly testing DNS propagation across over 100 global DNS servers. This tool goes beyond simple text-based reports, offering a visual map-based display of DNS propagation results from various regions.

Visualize how your DNS updates spread across different DNS servers globally, making it easier to spot regional inconsistencies or issues. Effectively monitor and manage your DNS records with our intuitive and powerful tool.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on using our free online DNS Server Check tool:

Enter Your Domain or Hostname

Begin by entering the domain name or hostname you want to examine for DNS propagation.

Select the DNS Record Type for Your Check

Choose the specific DNS record type you wish to check for propagation status. Click the dropdown menu next to the search bar and select from these record types:

A Record: Displays the IPv4 address associated with the hostname.
AAAA Record: Shows the IPv6 address information for the hostname.
CNAME Record: Also known as a Canonical Name record, it aliases a subdomain to a domain, for example, pointing www.example.com to example.com. Gain detailed insights into a domain’s CNAME records with our CNAME Record Lookup.
MX Record: Specifies where emails for your domain should be routed and the priority of mail servers. Use our MX Record Lookup for more details about a domain’s MX records.
NS Record: Provides information about the authoritative name servers for a domain. Our NS Checker will list all name servers associated with a domain.
PTR Record: Used in Reverse IP Lookup to link an IP address back to a domain name, helping identify the host related to a specific IP address.
SRV Record: Defines the location and configuration of specific services, such as email or VoIP, enabling clients to find and connect to the correct server.
SOA Record: The Start of Authority record holds crucial information about a DNS zone.
TXT Record: Commonly used for various DNS configurations like SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records.
CAA Record: Assists in SSL validation by specifying which Certificate Authorities are permitted to issue certificates for a domain.
DS Record: Acts as a Delegation Signer, establishing a chain of trust between parent and child DNS zones. Explore further with our DS Record Lookup tool.
DNSKEY Record: Contains public signing keys such as Zone Signing Key (ZSK) and Key Signing Key (KSK). Check DNSKEY records for additional information.

Initiate the DNS Propagation Check

Once you’ve entered your domain and selected the record type, click “Search” to initiate our DNS propagation check tool. The results will be displayed shortly, highlighting server locations with their respective propagation statuses.

Understand the results at a glance:

✔️ (Green Tick) indicates successful DNS record propagation.
❌ (Red Cross) indicates DNS records have not yet propagated to that server.

Specifically, a green tick signifies that the queried DNS record is present on the DNS server, while a red cross means it’s not. The green tick can also mean the DNS record matches an expected value you’ve set, and conversely, a red cross may indicate a mismatch with your expected or updated value.

Adding a Custom DNS Server

Our tool allows you to easily add custom DNS servers for your checks. Simply click the “+” button and provide the following details:

DNS Name
DNS IP
DNS Provider
DNS Map Latitude
DNS Map Longitude

The DNS Name and DNS IP address are mandatory fields.

You also have the option to add your custom DNS server to the public DNS list if desired.

Specifying an Expected IP Address Value

If you’ve recently changed your IP address, you can use smart controls to specify the expected new IP address value. You can define expectations using “regular expressions,” “containing numbers,” or “exact match number” options.

Advanced DNS List Filtering

For more targeted checks, navigate to the “DNS Lists” section to utilize our tool’s advanced search features. This allows you to check DNS propagation for your website based on:

IP Address
Continent
Country

Simply click on the desired filter (IP address type, continent, or country). The DNS status checker will reload, allowing you to enter your hostname or IP and verify its propagation status within that specific scope.

For example, to check DNS propagation in Asia, click “Asia.” Then, proceed with your domain input as described earlier. The results will show DNS propagation status specifically within the Asian continent. The same process applies to IPv4, IPv6, and individual countries worldwide.

Frequently Asked Questions About DNS

Gain a deeper understanding of DNS with these frequently asked questions:

What is the Domain Name System (DNS)?

The Domain Name System (DNS) is a decentralized, hierarchical system that translates domain names into IP addresses. Think of it as the internet’s phone book, converting user-friendly domain names into the numerical IP addresses that computers use to locate each other.

What is DNS Resolution?

DNS resolution is the process of translating a domain name into its corresponding server IP address. Knowing a site’s IP address is crucial for understanding its location on the internet.

Four types of DNS servers collaborate in a chain to resolve a domain name to its IP address, enabling your browser to load the requested web resource.

Here’s how DNS resolution works:

Recursive DNS Resolver: These are the first servers in the process. They receive DNS queries from clients and initiate the process of translating a domain name into an IP address. They will cache the IP address for future requests.
Root DNS Servers: Located at the top of the DNS hierarchy, these servers provide resolvers with a list of Top-Level Domain (TLD) servers.
TLD Name Servers: These servers direct queries to the authoritative name servers for specific domains. They handle requests for TLDs like .com, .org, and .net. For example, the .com TLD server will handle queries for abc.com but not abc.org.
Authoritative DNS Servers: These are the final stop in DNS resolution. They hold the actual DNS records for a domain and respond to queries with the correct IP addresses.

How Does the DNS Process Work Step-by-Step?

Let’s illustrate the DNS process when you type https://xyz.com into your browser:

Your browser sends a DNS query to a recursive DNS resolver, typically provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
The recursive resolver checks its local cache to see if it already has the DNS information for xyz.com. If found, it returns the information to your computer, and the process ends quickly.
If the resolver doesn’t have the information cached, it queries the root DNS servers.
Root servers respond with the IP addresses of the appropriate TLD DNS servers (e.g., for .com).
The recursive resolver then queries the .com TLD servers.
TLD servers respond by pointing to the authoritative DNS servers for xyz.com.
Finally, the authoritative DNS servers respond with the requested DNS records for xyz.com, including the IP address.
The recursive resolver caches these records for future use and sends them back to your computer, allowing your browser to connect to xyz.com.

What is DNS Propagation?

DNS propagation is the time it takes for DNS changes, such as updated IP addresses or name servers, to be updated across the internet. This update process can take up to 48 hours to propagate globally. Utilize our free Global DNS Propagation Checker for a quick status report.

How Do DNS Records Propagate?

When you modify your DNS records, these changes don’t become instantly live everywhere. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) around the world need to update their DNS caches with the new information for your domain. This update process is DNS propagation.

DNS records propagate over time due to these different DNS cache levels. During propagation, some visitors might be directed to your old server’s IP address until the process is complete globally. However, most users will see updated DNS records relatively soon after changes are made. You can check A, AAAA, CNAME, and other DNS records using our comprehensive DNS Lookup tool.

Why Does DNS Propagation Take Time?

Imagine you’ve switched your domain’s name servers. When someone tries to visit your domain, their ISP’s DNS server first checks its cache for DNS information. If it’s not there, it queries the authoritative DNS server to get the latest information. To speed up future lookups, the ISP’s DNS server saves (caches) this information.

Because ISPs worldwide have different caching refresh intervals, some may still have older DNS information in their cache even after you’ve made changes. This variation in cache refreshing is why DNS propagation isn’t instantaneous.

Why is DNS Not Propagating?

ISPs globally have varying cache refresh rates. DNS clients and servers also cache DNS record information temporarily based on the TTL (Time to Live) setting of the DNS record. When the TTL expires, DNS servers will request updated DNS information.

Note: If your DNS changes are still not reflecting after a reasonable time, use a DNS health check to ensure your DNS configuration is correct and standards-compliant. You can also try to flush your DNS cache locally.

What Happens If a Domain Name Does Not Exist?

If a domain name doesn’t exist, the DNS server will return a “name error,” specifically an NXDomain (Non-Existent Domain) response. This indicates that the queried domain name is not registered or valid.

Which Port Does DNS Use?

DNS uses both TCP and UDP port 53. UDP port 53 is the most commonly used for standard DNS queries between a client and a DNS server. UDP is preferred for speed, especially for smaller queries (under 512 bytes).

TCP port 53 is primarily used for Zone Transfers (transferring entire DNS zone files between servers) and for DNS queries larger than 512 bytes, often when DNSSEC (DNS Security Extensions) is used, which adds security overhead to DNS packets. You can test server ports with an online port scanner.

What is DNS Failure?

DNS failure occurs when a DNS server cannot translate a domain name into an IP address within a TCP/IP network. This failure can happen on a private network or across the internet, preventing access to websites or online services.

What Are Some of the Best DNS Servers?

Here are some leading Global DNS Servers known for their reliability and performance:

Google Public DNS:
- IPv4:
  - Primary: 8.8.8.8
  - Secondary: 8.8.4.4
- IPv6:
  - Primary: 2001:4860:4860::8888
  - Secondary: 2001:4860:4860::8844
OpenDNS:
- IPv4:
  - Primary: 208.67.222.222
  - Secondary: 208.67.220.220
- IPv6:
  - Primary: 2620:119:35::35
  - Secondary: 2620:119:53::53
Quad9 (Malware Blocking Enabled):
- IPv4:
  - Primary: 9.9.9.9
  - Secondary: 149.112.112.112
- IPv6:
  - Primary: 2620:fe::fe
  - Secondary: 2620:fe::9
DNS.Watch:
- IPv4:
  - Primary: 84.200.69.80
  - Secondary: 84.200.70.40
- IPv6:
  - Primary: 2001:1608:10:25::1c04:b12f
  - Secondary: 2001:1608:10:25::9249:d69b
Comodo Secure DNS:
- IPv4:
  - Primary: 8.26.56.26
  - Secondary: 8.20.247.20
Cloudflare:
- IPv4:
  - Primary: 1.1.1.1
  - Secondary: 1.0.0.1
- IPv6:
  - Primary: 2606:4700:4700::1111
  - Secondary: 2606:4700:4700::1001

Explore a comprehensive list of Public DNS Servers by country, including top IPv4 and IPv6 options.