Overview
DNS changes rarely take effect instantly because resolvers cache records for the duration of their TTL. If you updated a record and nothing has changed, work through this checklist to find out whether it is caching or a mistake.
Before you begin
- The record you changed and the domain it applies to.
- Access to your DNS zone — either the records editor in the ALYPOD Console or wherever the domain's nameservers point.
Steps
- Query the authoritative nameservers directly. This bypasses caches and shows the real, current record:
bash
dig +short example.com @ns1.your-nameserver.com
- Check a public resolver to see what the world currently sees:
bash
dig example.com @1.1.1.1
dig example.com @8.8.8.8
- Confirm you edited the right zone. A common mistake is editing DNS in the registrar's panel when the domain uses different nameservers, so your edit is ignored.
- Check the record type and value. An
Arecord needs an IPv4 address,AAAAan IPv6 address, andCNAMEa hostname (not an IP). A trailing dot matters on some panels. - Check the TTL. Records with a high TTL (for example 86400 seconds) can take a day to expire. Lower the TTL in advance of planned changes.
- Flush your local cache. On your own machine:
```bash
Linux (systemd-resolved)
sudo resolvectl flush-caches
Then retry the lookup
dig example.com ```
- Test in a browser private window to rule out browser DNS caching.
- Allow time. After correcting the record, propagation typically completes within the TTL. If it still fails after that, re-check steps 1–4.
Troubleshooting
- Problem:
dig @authoritative-nsshows the new value but public resolvers show the old one. Solution: This is normal caching — wait for the TTL to expire. - Problem: The authoritative nameserver still returns the old value. Solution: The change was not saved, or was saved in the wrong zone. Verify and re-save.
- Problem: Only some users see the change. Solution: Their resolver has not expired its cache yet; this resolves itself within the TTL.
Related articles
- [Configuring a TLS / SSL certificate]
- [My server is unreachable (network troubleshooting)]
- [My website shows a 500 error]
