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AIvikings Glossary

TTL

TTL, or time to live, tells DNS resolvers how long they may cache a DNS answer.

Last updated July 24, 2026

Quick summary

Term
TTL
Plain-English definition
TTL, or time to live, tells DNS resolvers how long they may cache a DNS answer.
Technical definition
TTL, or time to live, tells DNS resolvers how long they may cache a DNS answer.
Commonly confused with
time to live
Related terms
Cache, DNS Propagation, Resolver

Definition

TTL, or time to live, tells DNS resolvers how long they may cache a DNS answer.

Why it matters

Lower TTLs can make planned DNS changes take effect sooner, while higher TTLs can reduce lookup load.

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