How to Troubleshoot DNS Propagation Issues

DNS propagation issues are one of the most common causes of website downtime after domain or server changes. This guide covers systematic diagnosis.

Check from Multiple Locations

https://dnschecker.org
https://whatsmydns.net

# Command line
dig @8.8.8.8 yourdomain.com A    # Google
dig @1.1.1.1 yourdomain.com A    # Cloudflare

Flush Local DNS Cache

# Linux
sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches

# macOS
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

# Windows
ipconfig /flushdns

Speed Up Propagation

# Lower TTL 24 hours BEFORE making changes
# Change TTL to 300 (5 minutes)
# Make DNS change
# Raise TTL back to 3600 after verified

Conclusion

DNS propagation issues are always temporary but can be minimised with proper TTL management. Our team handles DNS migrations and troubleshooting with zero downtime.