Chapter 5 · 5.11
When does a change take effect? Waiting time and TTL
A change in DNS Administration appears on our nameservers within a few minutes. Still, not everyone sees it straight away. That's because of the TTL (Time To Live).
What is the TTL?
Computers and internet providers remember DNS answers for a while, so they don't have to ask again every time. How long depends on the TTL of the record, in seconds:
| TTL | Is |
|---|---|
| 300 | 5 minutes |
| 3600 | 1 hour (the default at WebOké) |
| 14400 | 4 hours (the DMARC record) |
| 86400 | 1 day |
If you change a record with a TTL of 3600, it can take up to an hour before everyone sees the new value. If an internet provider has just looked up the record, it may keep using the old answer for up to an hour.
How long does it take?
- A new record (one that didn't exist before): usually within a few minutes. Unless someone already looked up the name before it existed. In that case, that computer remembers that the name doesn't exist, for up to a few hours. So only look up a new name once it exists (see also Een subdomein aanmaken, en wat te doen als het niet werkt).
- A changed record: until the TTL of the old record expires, usually within an hour.
- Different nameservers (for example, when moving a domain): up to 24 hours, sometimes up to 48 hours.
Switching faster: lower the TTL in advance
Are you moving your website or email and want the switch to be visible everywhere quickly? Then lower the TTL of the records you're going to change to 300, a day in advance. After the switch, set it back to 3600.
Override TTL Value
With OVERRIDE TTL VALUE in DNS Administration, you set one TTL for all records of the domain at once. Default means: each record keeps its own TTL.
You change the TTL of a single record using the pencil icon next to that record.
Check it yourself
- Open your website in a private window, or on your phone using 4G or 5G instead of wifi.
- Use an online DNS checker, such as dnschecker.org. This shows you what the DNS answers per country.
- Look it up yourself with nslookup or dig, including directly at ns1.webawere.nl. You can read how to do this in DNS zelf opvragen met nslookup, dig en online tools.
- In My WebOké, you'll find the Domain / Email health block next to a domain in My Domains. This checks, among other things, the DNS and email records of your domain.
Tip: Do you still see the old website while others already see the new one? Clear your browser's cache, or restart your computer. Your computer also remembers DNS answers.