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How to read DNS TTL before you change records

You are about to cut over and want to know how long the old answer can stick. Read the TTL on DNS Lookup.

Ben Fidge · · 4 min read

TTL is seconds a resolver may keep the old answer. Lower it before the change.
TTL is seconds a resolver may keep the old answer, so lower it before the change.

What to run

Use DNS Lookup. DNS Lookup is DNS-over-HTTPS from the browser and does not follow CNAMEs.

How to read the result

TTL is in seconds. 300 is five minutes. 86400 is a day.

Resolvers may hold an answer for the TTL they already cached, so lower TTL before the change, not after.

What to open next

Re-query after the change.

Whois Lookup does not show TTL. Whois is RDAP: registrar, statuses, dates, and nameservers.

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