{"id":1431,"date":"2021-05-10T13:10:10","date_gmt":"2021-05-10T10:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/?p=1431"},"modified":"2024-03-26T11:00:02","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T09:00:02","slug":"what-factors-affect-dns-propagation-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/what-factors-affect-dns-propagation-time\/","title":{"rendered":"What factors affect DNS propagation time?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A long <\/span>Domain Name System<\/b> (<\/span>DNS<\/span><\/i>) propagation time can dampen a website owner\u2019s mood during an important site feature launch or migration. Propagation, here, refers to the estimated time for any change done to <\/span>DNS information<\/b> to be updated across the web.<\/span><\/p>\n

Propagation causes different DNS to<\/span> cache information at different times<\/b>. So when you change the nameservers, while some visitors can see the changes, some others will still be directed to the old server for a while.<\/span><\/p>\n

The speed of the entire process can take about <\/span>24 to 48 hours<\/b> depending on location and the internet service provider.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Happens During a DNS Propagation?<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"What<\/span>Image credit: <\/span><\/i>Wikimedia<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

To give context, imagine that you live in a different location from where you\u2019re <\/span>hosting your domain.<\/b> Then you changed the nameservers for that domain.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you type your <\/span>domain<\/b><\/a> in a web browser, the request doesn\u2019t go directly to your hosting server. It\u2019ll first go to your<\/span> ISPs local DNS server.<\/b><\/p>\n

Your search will end here if the<\/span> IP address of the domain<\/b> has been cached locally. Otherwise, your ISP will have to send a query to the root DNS server.<\/span><\/p>\n

The<\/span> root DNS server<\/b> will point the local DNS server to the authoritative DNS server for that domain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, when the <\/span>local DNS queries<\/b> the authoritative server, it reveals the IP address for that domain and other useful information. The local DNS will then, <\/span>cache a copy of this information <\/b>to reduce the load on the root server and speed up future queries.<\/span><\/p>\n

Each time we <\/span>change the DNS records<\/b> for our domain, the new information updates the cache. However, the local DNS can only hold this information for a stipulated time. Once the data is deleted, you\u2019ll have to repeat the process to visit the same domain.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Factors Affect DNS Propagation?<\/b><\/h2>\n

The internet should naturally update itself with the<\/span> changes you make on the DNS records<\/b>. The period within which this update happens is the propagation time. Usually, this should take some hours, but it might last for<\/span> 48 hours <\/b>if it\u2019s a complete internet propagation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This delay can result from several factors, including your:<\/b><\/p>\n