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How to see Time-To-Live (TTL) for a DNS record

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Time-To-Live (TTL) is a value in DNS records that determines how long a resolver should cache the DNS record before requesting a new one. The lower the TTL value, the more frequently resolvers will query the DNS server for the record, while a higher value will reduce the number of requests.

You can see the Time-To-Live (TTL) for a DNS record by using the nslookup command. Here are the steps to check the TTL for a DNS record:

  1. Open a terminal window and run the following command:
nslookup -query=any domainname

for example

nslookup -query=any google.com

  1. Look for the TTL value in the output. The value will be in seconds and represents the time for which the record will be cached by a resolver.
rnAlternatively, you can use the dig command

dig domainname

for example

dig google.com

and look for the TTL value in the output section called ANSWER SECTION

You can also use the host command with option -t

host -t any domainname

for example

host -t any google.com

The TTL value is the number of seconds that the DNS resolver should cache the record for before requesting a new one. It is an optional field in a DNS record and if it is not set, the resolver will use a default value, usually set by the administrator.