What is Propagation

Propagation is a term in web development related to the amount of time it takes for service to update throughout the world. The World Wide Web is a connection of servers that run websites throughout the world based on a system called DNS.

DNS stands for Domain Name Settings and is a universal system that routes a website from the user who is looking for it to the server that stores the site files. When DNS is updated, and a domain wants to point to a new website server, that change will take time to update on all the servers across the world and this time is called propagation.

Sometimes propagation takes 30 – 60 minutes and sometimes it can take up to 24 to 48 hours. This has a lot to do with how the domain registrar is sending out the information and updating their records. The best ones will update very regularly and send out information where the worst ones will take a really long time to do so.

You can use a tool called Whats My DNS to see how a website’s DNS is propagated around the world. This tool is really great to check propagation times when you make a change so that you’re not waiting longer than is necessary. It’s also important to check to make sure that the settings are set correctly.

Some of the best registrars that I have found are GoDaddy and NameCheap, because they are updating their DNS regularly and it doesn’t take that long to update. I can make a change at GoDaddy on the DNS and it will be updated within 30 minutes or less on the propagation time. This is really ideal for web design as I don’t have time to wait 24 to 48 hours like it takes with other domain registrars.

Have a question about propagation times and how to make changes on your domain DNS? Looking to have a new website built for your business? I’d love to help out! Drop me a line on my contact page located here and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

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Written by: Jophiel Silvestrone

Jophiel Silvestrone has written 326 posts in the Tech Blog.

Jophiel grew up on a ranch in Paradise Valley, Montana near Chico Hot Springs. Working on the ranch instilled work ethic and self motivation. Filled with this drive, Jophiel started mowing the local school's yards twice a month throughout the summers, at the age of 12. He moved to Billings in 2004, where he has been deeply involved in the local business community ever since. A serial entrepreneur, Jophiel has ran multiple businesses in our local community. The first business, a janitorial and carpet cleaning company, founded in 2005, has employed over 50 locals. Moving on to the media industry, Jophiel and several partners founded Green Directory Montana in the spring of 2007. Green Directory's sustainability ranking software awarded points based on sustainable or "green" actions. These points counted towards a business's total "Green Score," which in turn ranked them against other businesses in their category and throughout the entire site. It also featured a limited edition print version distributed annually. A business acquisition allowed Jophiel to focus on new projects, and a few close business colleagues and Jophiel started Rocky Mountain Mr. & Ms. Magazine, a lifestyle publication for men and women in the Magic City. After a year and a half at the helm of RM3 Magazine, the business was purchased. He now runs a web development company SkyPoint Studios and fathers his son Jaoquin, who plays football, basketball, soccer, and is learning snowboarding from his dad. Recently, has expanded to locations in Havasu, Arizona & Vegas. SkyPoint Studios is a market leader in both Billings & Havasu and Jophiel is working on building that same level of market dominance in Vegas. Specialties: Extensive experience in online and offline business. Especially savvy at WordPress, and operate several sites, one example is the blog: skypointwebdesignbillingsmontana.com/tech-blog. Check out skypointwebdesignbillingsmontana.com for the latest projects from SkyPoint Studios.