DNSReach
MULTI-RESOLVER DNS CHECKER
Compare public DNS resolver answers with authoritative nameservers for A, MX, CNAME, TXT and other records.
DNS COVERAGE
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Markers identify each public DNS provider's home region; queries run natively from this DNSReach server.
Public resolver results are compared with up to four authoritative nameservers. Map positions identify providers and do not claim that queries originated in those countries.
UNDERSTAND YOUR RESULTS
A DNS propagation checker compares the answers returned for a domain by multiple DNS resolvers. It is most useful after changing a DNS record, moving a website, configuring email, or investigating why one network reaches a different destination from another. DNSReach checks independent public recursive resolvers and compares their responses with available authoritative nameservers, helping you distinguish an older cached answer from the DNS data currently published by the domain.
“Propagation” does not mean that one central DNS database pushes a change to every server at once. DNS is distributed. Recursive resolvers cache answers to make lookups faster, and each cached record remains usable for its time to live, or TTL. After a change, a resolver with no cached copy may obtain the new answer immediately, while another resolver can continue returning the previous value until its cache expires.
An authoritative nameserver publishes the domain owner’s DNS zone. A public recursive resolver answers requests for users and applications and may respond from cache. When authoritative servers agree on a new value but a recursive resolver returns an older one, caching is a likely explanation. If authoritative nameservers disagree with each other, the zone itself may be inconsistent and should be checked before waiting longer.
Green means a source returned records. Amber identifies a successful answer that differs from the authoritative consensus, or from the majority when an authoritative comparison is unavailable. Red means the requested record was not found or the query failed. A missing record is not automatically an outage: some record types are optional, and records such as DMARC, SRV, TLSA and PTR use specific names or formats.
There is no universal propagation time. The previous record’s TTL is usually the most important factor because resolvers can retain the old answer for that duration. Provider caches, negative caching and nameserver inconsistencies can also affect what users see. Lowering a TTL before a planned migration can shorten the cache window, but lowering it after the old value has already been cached cannot invalidate those existing copies.
The map identifies the organizations operating the public DNS services being checked. It does not represent a physical probe running in every marked country. DNSReach sends native queries from the DNSReach server, and many public resolvers use anycast routing that directs traffic to nearby infrastructure. The results are therefore a multi-resolver comparison, not a claim of country-by-country testing.
Choose the record that matches the service you are troubleshooting. Address records connect hostnames to IP addresses, routing records control email and services, and policy records help protect certificates and outbound mail.
COMMON QUESTIONS
DNS propagation is the informal term for the period during which recursive resolvers replace cached DNS answers after a record changes. Different caches can expire at different times, so resolvers may temporarily return different values.
The timing depends mainly on the previous record’s TTL, resolver caching and whether every authoritative nameserver publishes the same data. Some resolvers may update quickly while others retain an older cached answer until it expires.
No. DNSReach sends native DNS queries from its server to public resolver services and available authoritative nameservers. Map markers identify provider organizations and do not claim that a query originated in that country.
Resolvers can disagree because of cached data, TTL timing, split-horizon DNS, filtering policies, DNSSEC validation, resolver failures or inconsistent authoritative nameservers.