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GlossaryDNS and technical

TTL

TTL (time to live) is the number of seconds a DNS record may be cached by resolvers before they must look it up again, which controls how quickly a change to that record reaches users.

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Also called time to live

TTL, explained

Every DNS record carries a TTL set by whoever hosts the zone. Values commonly range from a few minutes to a day, and one hour, 3600 seconds, is a typical default. A long TTL means fewer lookups and steadier performance; a short one means changes spread sooner. Nameserver changes follow a separate path: the delegation records in the TLD's own zone carry their own TTL, set by the registry, which is one reason a nameserver switch can take hours or a day or two to settle everywhere.

For a domain investor, TTL matters whenever you move names in bulk or hand one to a buyer. Lower the TTL on records you plan to change a day ahead, make the change, then raise it again. When a buyer reports that a domain still shows your old lander after a transfer, cached records are the usual cause, not a failed transfer, so check from several networks or a public DNS lookup tool before escalating.

Example. Setting a record's TTL to 300 seconds lets resolvers cache it for up to five minutes before they must fetch it again.

Education, not financial, legal or tax advice. Domain investing is speculative and most domain names never sell. Read the disclaimer.

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