This tool vs. whatsmydns.net
whatsmydns.net shows one worldwide snapshot right now: what a network of resolvers in many countries currently answer for a domain. This tool captures two dated snapshots — before your change and after it — and reports what moved, what did not, and what could not be observed at all.
What each tool is for
whatsmydns.net is a free, no-account web tool built for one question: has a DNS change reached different parts of the world yet? Enter a domain and a record type, and it queries a network of DNS resolvers located in many different countries at once, showing what each currently answers. That single live view is exactly what it is for, and it does it well. It keeps no history between visits — there is nothing to compare a later look against, and nothing you can hand someone as a dated record of what a resolver answered an hour ago.
This tool does the other half. It captures what named resolvers answer for
a domain now, lets you make your change, captures again afterward, and
diffs the two captures into a report that keeps changed,
unchanged, and inconclusive separate — a timeout
or a refused query is never folded into "no change". That report is a file
you keep or hand to a customer, source-linked to the exact resolvers and
timestamps behind it. It runs free in your browser, keeps no account, and
uploads nothing you type; a matching Python CLI lets you name a specific
resolver, such as a customer's internal one, that a browser cannot reach.
| Question | Where to answer it |
|---|---|
| Has this change reached different regions of the world yet? | whatsmydns.net, or a comparable global propagation checker. |
| I need a dated, source-linked record of what changed for a customer or a handover note. | This tool — free, no account. |
| I want a distinct "could not be observed" state, not a timeout silently read as "unchanged". | This tool's inconclusive finding. |
| I just want a quick worldwide look right now, no capture-then-recapture workflow. | whatsmydns.net. |
| I need to query a specific resolver I name myself, such as a customer's internal one. | This tool's command-line version. |
| Why does a change look done from one location and not another? | This tool's own propagation walkthrough. |
| Do I need to create an account or sign up to use the tool? | Neither tool requires one. |
Most DNS cutovers get value from both, at different points in the same change: whatsmydns.net (or a comparable global checker) for a quick sense of how far a change has spread across the world, and this tool for the dated, resolver-by-resolver record that says exactly what a specific set of resolvers answered before and after — the record a customer, a ticket, or an audit actually needs to keep. Neither tool decides whether a difference matters; that judgement stays with whoever is running the change.
This tool needs no account and no sign-in: it is a static page, every capture runs in your own browser over DNS-over-HTTPS, and nothing you type is uploaded anywhere.
Common questions
Should I use this tool or whatsmydns.net?
They answer different questions, and a DNS cutover usually needs both. whatsmydns.net is a free, no-account web tool: enter a domain and a record type, and it queries a network of DNS resolvers located in many different countries at once, showing what each one currently answers right now. It is built for one question — has a change reached different parts of the world yet — and it answers that well as a single live snapshot. It keeps no history between visits and produces nothing you can save as a dated record: refresh the page tomorrow and today's view is gone. This tool does the opposite half of the job. It captures what named resolvers answer now, lets you make your change, captures again afterward, and diffs the two into a report that states changed, unchanged, and inconclusive separately rather than folding a timeout into 'no change'. That report is a file you keep or hand to a customer, not a page you have to remember to screenshot. It runs free in your browser, keeps no account, and uploads nothing you type. A cutover that needs to know how far a change has spread geographically is a job for whatsmydns.net or a comparable global checker; a cutover that needs a dated, source-linked record of what actually moved is a job for this tool.
Does this tool check the same worldwide network of locations as whatsmydns.net?
No, and it is not trying to. The browser surface here queries three named public resolvers — Cloudflare, Google, and Quad9 — over DNS-over-HTTPS, and the command-line version can query any resolver you name yourself, such as a customer's internal one. Neither is a stand-in for a network of resolvers spread across many countries, which is what a global propagation checker like whatsmydns.net is built for. If what you need to know is whether a change has reached many different regions of the world, use a global checker for that view. If what you need is a comparable, dated answer from a specific handful of resolvers — before the change and after it — that is what this tool records.
Is this page affiliated with whatsmydns.net?
No. This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by whatsmydns.net or its operators. whatsmydns.net is named here only to describe what this tool is and is not, and no claim is made about it beyond its well-documented category: a free, no-account, global DNS propagation checker.
Open DNS Change Evidence to capture a before/after record for your own domain.