DNS propagation delay

Every domain undergoes this "DNS propagation delay" during the initial stages of it's set up. Continue reading to learn what is DNS propagation and how DNS propagation delay occurs?

What is DNS propagation delay?

About DNS propagation delay

You might have heard this term "DNS propagation delay" from your hosting providers, during the initial set up of your website. Have you ever wondered what is this DNS propagation delay?

Normally you come up with this issue, when you have recently registered your domain name, payed for web hosting account and uploaded your files to the server. You try your domain on your web browser, you can't get your web page. Why? This case is normally discussed as DNS propagation delay. So let learn what is DNS propagation delay?

When you register your domain, the domain registrar (the company which registered your domain) will point your domain name to your web host DNS server. Then when you set up your website with your hosting provider, they create the Master DNS record in their Domain Name Servers for your domain.

The back end procedure while accessing your website.
When you try to access your website from your browser, it first needs to know the DNS authority for the domain. Then you will be redirected to visit your hosting provider's DNS server and finds the IP address for your domain name. Finally you will visit your website. Click here to learn how website work?

If this is the procedure to find your website, why you can't access it?
To speed up the internet, Internet Server Provider (ISP) caches their DNS records. They create their own copy of the master record, and access it locally to search for website, each time someone tries to view it. This procedure speeds up the internet, reduces the traffic and thus help ISP work faster.

Each ISP caches DNS record and update it every few days. Each ISP have there own standard time frame to update the cache DNS record. This delay from your ISP will prevent you from viewing your website. This process is know as DNS propagation delay. The slow updating of the server cache is called propagation. The DNS information for your domain gets propagated across all server's on the web. After this propagation complete's your website will be accessible to all. Normally the DNS propagation time may take 36 to 72 hours to be in effect.