DNS TTL in Runet 2026: Benchmark
Enterno.io measured DNS TTL for 5000 .ru domains (March 2026). A-record median = 3600s (1 hour), but the distribution is bimodal: CDN users keep 300s (fast failover), legacy sites — 86400s (1 day). MX TTL median 14400s (4 h), NS TTL 86400s (1 d, per RFC). 8% of domains have TTL > 2 days — risky on migrations.
Below: key findings, platform breakdown, implications, methodology, FAQ.
Key Findings
| Metric | Pass-rate / Value | Median | p75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-record TTL (median) | 3600s | 3600 | 14400 |
| A-record TTL — Cloudflare/CDN | 300s | — | — |
| A-record TTL — REG.RU default | 14400s | — | — |
| MX TTL | median 14400s | 14400 | 43200 |
| NS TTL | median 86400s | 86400 | 172800 |
| TXT TTL (SPF/DKIM) | median 3600s | 3600 | 14400 |
| TTL > 2 days (risky) | 8% | — | — |
| TTL < 60s (overkill) | 2.3% | — | — |
Breakdown by Platform
| Platform | Share | Pass / Detail | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| REG.RU DNS | 28% market | A: median 14400s | — |
| Cloudflare DNS | 14% | A: median 300s | — |
| Yandex Cloud DNS | 7% | A: median 600s | — |
| Timeweb DNS | 11% | A: median 14400s | — |
| Beget DNS | 9% | A: median 3600s | — |
| Custom (self-hosted BIND/PowerDNS) | 4% | A: median 7200s | — |
Why It Matters
- Before migrating to a new IP — lower TTL to 300s 2-3 days ahead (so resolver caches refresh)
- After migration — return TTL to 3600-14400s (fewer DNS queries → cheaper and faster)
- TTL for stateless APIs: 60-300s (failover beats performance)
- TTL for NS records: high (86400s) — they rarely change, and cache protects resolvers from spam
- TTL < 60 seconds — overkill and hammers Google/Cloudflare resolver infrastructure
Methodology
Top-5000 .ru domains by SimilarWeb. dig +noall +answer example.com A MX NS TXT through 8.8.8.8 and 1.1.1.1. TTL fetched on the authoritative DNS (bypass cache). Platform detected by SOA RNAME.
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How-to
Frequently Asked Questions
What TTL should I set for a new site?
3600s (1 h) — standard for 90% of cases. Balances migration speed and DNS load.
What to do 2-3 days before migrating the server?
Lower A-record TTL to 300s. Wait for the old TTL (for resolvers to refresh). Migrate. Restore TTL to 3600s.
Does Cloudflare DNS always use TTL=1?
No. Default TTL is 300s; "Auto" gives TTL=1 only with proxy:on — Cloudflare overrides for edge performance.
How do I check my site's TTL?
<a href="/en/dns">Enterno DNS</a> → enter domain → per-record TTL. Or: <code>dig example.com</code> → TTL shown in seconds.