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GLOSSARY

What is TTL? (Time to Live)

DEFINITION

TTL is a number on a DNS record that says how many seconds other computers may remember the answer before asking again. A TTL of 3600 means up to one hour.

A long TTL makes lookups faster and reduces load, but it also means a change you make can take that long, or longer, to be seen everywhere. This waiting period is what people call propagation. A common technique before a planned move is to lower the TTL a day ahead, make the change, then raise it again afterwards. Why it matters: It explains why a DNS change looks live for you but not for a colleague, and why patience is sometimes the correct fix.

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