Methodology
How DNSRadar checks global DNS propagation.
DNSRadar is designed as an operational comparison tool. It does not claim to represent every network on the Internet. It shows how a selected group of independent public recursive resolvers answer the same DNS question at the time of the check.
Lookup workflow
1. Normalize the query
The submitted name is validated, trimmed and matched with the selected record type. PTR checks can accept IPv4, IPv6 or already reversed in-addr.arpa and ip6.arpa names.
2. Select enabled resolvers
DNSRadar uses the resolver list configured for the service. Each resolver has a provider name, IP address and approximate location so the output can be read as independent observations.
3. Query in parallel
Resolvers are queried independently and concurrently. A slow resolver receives a timeout instead of delaying the entire check.
4. Preserve each answer
The response, status, latency and resolver metadata are kept per resolver. DNSRadar does not collapse different answers into a single synthetic result.
5. Build the summary
The summary compares normalized answers and reports whether the result is consistent, partially propagated, missing or failing across the checked resolver set.
What the locations mean
Resolver locations are provider metadata, not physical probes inside every city. A public resolver may use anycast, forwarding, cache sharing or internal routing. Treat each row as a resolver observation identified by provider, city label and IP address.
How latency is measured
Latency is measured from the DNSRadar server-side request to the resolver response. It is useful for spotting slow or failing resolvers during a check, but it is not a benchmark of the resolver from your own network or from every user location.
Status definitions
OK
The resolver returned at least one record for the requested type.
No answer
The queried name exists from the resolver perspective, but no data of the selected type was returned.
NXDOMAIN
The resolver reports that the queried DNS name does not exist.
SERVFAIL
The resolver could not complete the lookup, often because of delegation, authoritative reachability or DNSSEC validation problems.
Timeout
The resolver did not answer inside the configured limit.
Error
An unexpected resolver or application error occurred and the raw error code is preserved when available.
When to compare authoritative DNS
If many recursive resolvers disagree or return SERVFAIL, query the authoritative nameservers directly. Recursive checks reveal what users may see, while authoritative checks reveal what the source DNS zone is currently serving.
dig example.com NS +short
dig @ns1.example.net example.com SOA +norecurse
dig @ns1.example.net example.com A +norecurse
dig +trace example.com AData stored for shared results
Shared result URLs store the queried name, record type, generated summary and resolver results. DNSRadar does not need account registration for the public checker. Do not submit confidential hostnames if sharing the resulting URL would disclose sensitive infrastructure.
Read the privacy policy