DNS Propagation Checker

Check DNS record propagation across multiple public resolvers worldwide.

What does DNS Propagation Checker do?

DNS Propagation Checker queries multiple public DNS resolvers (Google, Cloudflare, Quad9, OpenDNS, AdGuard, and more) to determine whether DNS changes have fully propagated. It compares results across 10 resolvers and reports the propagation status, agreement level, and individual resolver responses for each domain. Supports A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, and TXT record types.

Use it after changing nameservers, updating A records, configuring MX records for a new email provider, or modifying any DNS configuration to confirm your changes are live across the internet. The clear isPropagated boolean in the output makes it easy to build automated workflows that wait for propagation before proceeding with the next step.

Use cases

• System administrators verifying that DNS records have propagated after migrating to a new hosting provider
• DevOps engineers confirming A or CNAME record updates are live before switching traffic in a blue-green deployment
• Email teams checking MX record propagation after setting up a new email provider
• Domain managers monitoring NS record changes after transferring a domain to a new registrar
• Support engineers diagnosing DNS resolution inconsistencies reported by users in different regions
• Website owners confirming that CDN or hosting provider CNAME records are visible to all major DNS resolvers

Why use DNS Propagation Checker?

• 10 global resolvers — checks Google, Cloudflare, Quad9, OpenDNS, AdGuard, and more in a single run
• Multiple record types — supports A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, and TXT lookups
• Propagation verdict — returns a clear isPropagated boolean based on resolver agreement
• Batch processing — check propagation for many domains at once
• Per-resolver detail — see response time and records from each individual resolver
• Pay-per-event pricing — costs scale with actual usage, just $0.002 per domain checked
• Structured output — JSON results ready for filtering, dashboards, or downstream automation via the API

Input parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
domains	string[]	Yes	—	List of domains to check DNS propagation for.
recordType	string	No	"A"	DNS record type to check. One of: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, TXT.

Example input

{
    "domains": ["google.com", "github.com"],
    "recordType": "A"
}

Output example

Each domain produces one result object with propagation status, resolver agreement counts, the most common records, and per-resolver details including response times. The results array contains one entry per resolver.

{
    "domain": "google.com",
    "recordType": "A",
    "isPropagated": true,
    "resolversChecked": 10,
    "resolversAgreed": 10,
    "resolversFailed": 0,
    "mostCommonRecords": ["142.250.80.46"],
    "results": [
        {
            "resolver": "8.8.8.8",
            "provider": "Google",
            "records": ["142.250.80.46"],
            "responseTimeMs": 12,
            "error": null
        }
    ],
    "error": null,
    "checkedAt": "2026-03-01T12:00:00.000Z"
}

How much does it cost?

DNS Propagation Checker uses Apify's pay-per-event pricing:

Event	Price	Description
Start	$0.035	One-time per run
Domain checked	$0.002	Per domain checked

Examples:

• 1 domain: $0.035 + 1 x $0.002 = $0.037
• 50 domains: $0.035 + 50 x $0.002 = $0.135
• 500 domains: $0.035 + 500 x $0.002 = $1.035

Using the Apify API

The Apify API lets you control DNS Propagation Checker programmatically. Schedule runs, read datasets, manage webhooks, and more. See the Apify API reference for details.

Node.js

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' });
const run = await client.actor('automation-lab/dns-propagation-checker').call({
    domains: ['google.com'],
    recordType: 'A',
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient('<YOUR_API_TOKEN>')
run = client.actor('automation-lab/dns-propagation-checker').call(run_input={
    'domains': ['google.com'],
    'recordType': 'A',
})
items = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items
print(items)

Integrations

Connect DNS Propagation Checker with other apps and services using Apify integrations. You can integrate with Make, Zapier, Slack, Google Sheets, Google Drive, n8n, and many more. Set up a webhook to receive a Slack notification the moment propagation completes, or push results to a Google Sheet to track rollout progress across your domain portfolio.

Tips and best practices

• Check immediately and again later — DNS propagation can take minutes to hours; run the actor right after a change and schedule a follow-up check 30-60 minutes later
• Use the right record type — make sure you select the record type that matches your change (e.g., MX for mail server changes, CNAME for alias updates)
• Look at individual resolver results — if isPropagated is false, check the results array to see which resolvers still return stale data
• Combine with scheduling — set up periodic runs after a DNS change to get a timeline of when propagation completes
• Monitor after TTL expiry — if your old records had a high TTL, propagation may take longer; schedule checks after the old TTL period has elapsed
• Export for reporting — download results as JSON, CSV, or Excel from the dataset tab to document propagation status for change management records

FAQ

How many resolvers are checked? The actor queries 10 well-known public DNS resolvers including Google (8.8.8.8), Cloudflare (1.1.1.1), Quad9 (9.9.9.9), OpenDNS, and AdGuard. This provides a reliable cross-section of global DNS resolution.

What does "isPropagated" mean exactly? The isPropagated field is true when all resolvers that successfully responded return the same set of records. If any resolver returns different records, isPropagated is false.

Can I check propagation for multiple record types at once? Each run checks one record type at a time. To check both A and MX records, run the actor twice with different recordType values.

How long does DNS propagation usually take? Most DNS changes propagate within minutes to a few hours, depending on the TTL (Time to Live) of the previous records. Changes to name servers or records with long TTLs (e.g., 86400 seconds / 24 hours) may take up to 48 hours in rare cases. Running this actor periodically after a change gives you a clear picture of progress.

What does it mean when some resolvers fail? A failed resolver means that particular DNS server did not return a response within the timeout period. The resolversFailed count and the per-resolver error field identify which resolvers had issues. Occasional failures are normal and do not necessarily indicate a propagation problem.

Which DNS resolvers are queried? The actor queries 10 well-known public resolvers: Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4), Cloudflare (1.1.1.1), Quad9 (9.9.9.9), OpenDNS (208.67.222.222), AdGuard (94.140.14.14), and others. This selection provides broad coverage of the most commonly used public DNS infrastructure worldwide.