DNS checker
Changed a record? Enter the domain. We ask its own nameservers for the current answer, then ask four big public resolvers what they’re handing out, and mark the ones that still have the old value.
DNS mistakes take sites down quietly
PingWise checks your site from 15 locations and tells you when part of the world can’t reach it. 650,000 free credits every month.
What is DNS propagation?
After you change a DNS record, the domain’s own nameservers have the new value at once, but resolvers around the world keep the old one until its TTL runs out. A DNS checker shows where the change has arrived and where it hasn’t yet. People call this propagation, although really it’s old answers expiring.
Has the new answer
The resolver hands out the same records as the domain’s own nameservers.
Still the old answer
The resolver has an older answer cached. The TTL column shows how long it may keep it.
Didn’t answer
The resolver or nameserver timed out or refused. Try again; if a nameserver never answers, fix it first.
The source, then the big four.
We ask the domain’s authoritative nameservers and four public resolvers: Cloudflare, Google, Quad9 and OpenDNS. These serve a large share of the internet, so when all four have the new answer, most visitors do too. Your own ISP’s resolver may still lag; its cache follows the same TTL.
Find the zone
We look up which zone the name belongs to and its nameservers, up to four.
Ask the source
Each nameserver is asked directly, without recursion: that’s the current answer.
Ask the resolvers
Cloudflare, Google, Quad9 and OpenDNS are asked the same question at the same moment, from our server in Germany.
Compare
Each answer is compared with the nameservers’, record by record. The TTL says how long an old one may stay.
How long does DNS propagation take?
As long as the old record’s TTL, in most cases minutes to a few hours. Nameserver changes at the registrar can take up to 48 hours, because the .com or .gr servers cache them for longer.
Why does one resolver still show the old value?
It cached the old answer and is waiting for the TTL to run out. You can’t force a public resolver to forget; Cloudflare and Google offer a «purge cache» page for their own.
Can I make the next change faster?
Yes. A day before, lower the record’s TTL to 300 seconds. After the change, raise it again.
Do you check from many countries?
Not yet. The answers come from four global resolvers and the domain’s own nameservers, asked from our server.
Do you store what I check?
We keep your IP address and the time for one hour, only to limit how often you can check. We don’t keep the domain or address you entered.