Why doesn't my new domain work yet?

When a new domain doesn't load right away — or your old domain stops working after changing DNS — the cause is almost always DNS propagation, not a bug. DNS results are cached by every router, internet provider, and operating system between you and the answer, and those caches expire on their own schedule.

What's happening:
1. DNS isn't one database — it's a distributed lookup chain (your computer → your router → your ISP → upstream resolvers → the authoritative server you set up).
2. Each layer caches the answer for a length of time called TTL (typically 1–24 hours).
3. When you change DNS, the new value reaches the authoritative server immediately, but caches further down the chain keep serving the old answer until their TTL expires.

How long to wait:
• Brand-new registrations: usually live within a few minutes.
• Nameserver changes (moving DNS to a new provider): can take up to 24–48 hours in rare cases, typically under 2 hours.
• Record edits (changing an existing A or CNAME): governed by the record's TTL — Turtini's default is "Auto" (~5 minutes for proxied, longer for DNS-only).

How to check faster than waiting:
• dnschecker.org shows DNS lookup results from servers around the world. If your record shows up in most of them, you're propagated.
• On a Mac/Linux terminal: `dig +short yourdomain.com` and `dig +short @8.8.8.8 yourdomain.com` — first uses your local resolver (may be cached), second hits Google's public DNS (rarely stale).
• Try a different network (your phone on cellular, not WiFi) — your home router may be caching the old answer.

Things people try that don't actually help:
• Restarting your computer (your ISP's cache is what matters, not yours)
• "Flushing DNS" (only flushes your local cache; ISP caches keep serving stale answers)
• Re-saving the DNS record (doesn't reset any caches; just re-confirms what's already there)

If 48 hours have passed and your domain still doesn't work, something is actually wrong — open Builder → Domains, click the zone, and check the DNS records tab to verify your records look correct.