What is TTL in DNS & Best TTL Value for DNS

Get detailed on TTL and also in particular for TTL in DNS record. Just check TTL in DNS stand for and meaning, Shorter TTL example followed by best value for DNS settings…

If you are a webmaster or ad ops specialist then you might have set up a lot of DNS records for websites you wanted to configure and launch. TTL stands for Time To Live which is the time limit set for each server to hold the cache information for the particular DNS record.

Now that you know what is TTL in DNS as full form, let us deep dive and learn its definition and meaning. Now, take an example DNS record that set with a longer time of T.T.L then the recursive server holds the cache information i.e, the data saved with the particular record for a longer time.

In contrast, if your TTL record set to a lower time then the recursive server holds the cache information for a lower time.

TTL in DNS
TTL in DNSĀ 

What is TTL in DNS

Understanding what DNS stands for would be simple because it is Time to live but the main aspect to ensuring proper usage of TTL is to have a shorter T.T.L value.

Shorter TTL Example

If you own a website, then you will make some changes to your website. If you have a shorter TTL value maybe in seconds rather than days or weeks. Then, the users who visit your website i.e, receiving data from your website will receive the latest data.

This you made changes to your website because the TTL value is shorter in seconds. Users receive the changes in quick time as well.

What does a TTL do

A TTL stands for Time to Live which means the time limit for a recursive server or server. To change its cache information for the particular DNS record in discussion

Also Check>>> What is DNS and How DNS Port Work

Best TTL Value for DNS Settings for Higher Value TTL or Lower Value TTL

Now that you understand how important and valuable TTL settings for each record is, then you also understand to have a proper TTL value which is quicker on the users end i.e, lower TTL value caches quickly and updates information on your website faster.

  • The best TTL value for DNS settings is either 30sec or 60sec in case of records which changed regularly.
  • Whereas DNS records which changed fewer times i.e, rarely changed such as TXT or MX records. We can have TTL value of 3600 seconds or 86400 seconds as well.
  • The reason behind this is simple because these DNS records updated less frequently, thus cache information can go longer.

Different Types of TTL in DNS Settings

There are few different types of T T L in DNS settings that you should be aware of.

  • SOA TTL
  • Refresh TTL
  • Retry TTL
  • Expiry TTL
  • NX TTL

What is a good TTL for DNS

Good TTL for DNS records which change quickly or frequently as less as possible in range of 30sec to 60sec.

What does TTL 1 hour mean

TTL 1 hour means 3600 seconds Time to Live value for the DNS record.

Does TTL matter in DNS

Yes, TTL matters a lot in DNS because it helps refresh the cache information for DNS records. So that users can receive the latest information on either the website or server they are on.