Domain Name System propagation measures the time between publishing a new record and resolvers worldwide returning that answer. It is shaped by cache behaviours, record Time-To-Live values, and asynchronous zone transfers among authoritative and recursive infrastructure. Understanding this interval helps you plan website cut-overs, email migrations, and content delivery updates without unexpected availability gaps.

The checker sends encrypted DNS-over-HTTPS queries to a curated list of public anycast resolvers and gathers their JSON answers. A lightweight reactive layer computes unique answers, failures, and majority vote, then displays live badges for rapid interpretation. An optional donut chart visualises distribution by answer, supporting quick outlier detection during critical change windows.

Run this propagation check minutes before redirecting traffic toward a new server to confirm at least ninety-five percent resolver alignment across global networks, particularly for worldwide audiences, and *if business-critical services cannot tolerate residual cache divergence, schedule additional sampling or lower the record’s Time-To-Live well in advance to maintain a smooth user experience*.

Technical Details:

All logic executes within the browser, issuing fetch requests to DNS-over-HTTPS endpoints and parsing returned JSON without touching any server owned by this site. Because no query data or answers are persisted, your change-management evidence remains private and compliant with internal security policies.

Resolver Selector

Enter example.com and pick AAAA to test IPv6 readiness. Caution: custom endpoints must support DNS-over-HTTPS, or the answer field shows a dash.

Propagation Badge

A blue badge reads 90% when nine of ten resolvers agree on one answer. Caution: badges refresh only after pressing Check, not automatically.

Answer Table

The table lists each resolver beside its returned answer for quick comparison. Caution: dashed rows indicate failures; flush caches before repeating tests.

Donut Chart

Switch to Chart to view coloured slices proportional to each unique answer. Caution: the chart appears only after a successful check to prevent blank panels.

JSON Export

Copy or download a JSON file for audit trails or automated pipelines. Caution: some browsers block clipboard access; enable permissions if Copy JSON remains inactive.

Step-by-Step Guide:

Follow these steps to evaluate record propagation.

Type your domain in the Domain field.
Choose a record from the Record Type dropdown, or keep A.
Press the Check button and wait until the spinner disappears.
Inspect the percentage badge; a 90 % indicates near completion.
Open the JSON tab and click Copy JSON to store evidence.

FAQ:

Common questions answered for quick reference.

Is my data stored?

No. All queries occur in your browser, and nothing is logged or transmitted to this server.

Why does a dash appear?

The resolver returned no matching record or produced an error. Verify the endpoint supports your chosen record type.

Can I add other resolvers?

Yes. Fork the code and append additional DNS-over-HTTPS endpoints that return JSON in the expected format.

How often should I test?

Test after publishing changes and again near the record’s Time-To-Live expiry to confirm caches have aligned.

Does this alter my DNS?

No. The tool is read-only and performs external lookups without changing authoritative records.

Troubleshooting:

Resolve issues quickly using this checklist.

No results displayed — Check your internet connection and retry.
Badge stuck at 0% — Ensure the domain is spelled correctly and reachable.
Chart not loading — Activate the Chart tab only after a successful check.
Copy JSON does nothing — Grant clipboard permission or use Download JSON as a fallback.
Mixed answers across resolvers — Lower the TTL and allow caches to refresh before retesting.

Advanced Tips:

Enhance your workflow with expert techniques.

Bookmark the page with ?domain=example.com&type=AAAA to preload values.
Run parallel checks in separate tabs for A and AAAA records during dual-stack rollouts.
Schedule automated checks via browser scripting to monitor critical records hourly.
Export JSON before and after a change to create a propagation audit trail.
Lower TTL values temporarily before migrations to accelerate cache turnover.

Glossary:

Key terms used in this tool.

Resolver: A server that answers DNS queries on behalf of clients, often caching results.
TTL: Time-To-Live; duration a DNS answer may be cached before refreshing.
Anycast: Network technique where multiple servers share one IP address for proximity routing.
DNS-over-HTTPS: Protocol that wraps DNS queries in HTTPS to improve privacy and integrity.
Propagation: The spread of updated DNS records across recursive resolvers worldwide.

Global DNS Propagation Checker

DNS Propagation