Glossary

Nameserver

A nameserver is a server that answers DNS queries for a domain, storing its zone records and telling the internet where the domain points.

A nameserver is a server that stores and answers dns queries for one or more domains. The authoritative nameservers for a domain hold its zone file — every a-record, mx-record, txt-record, and more.

Authoritative vs recursive

Authoritative nameservers are the definitive source for a domain's records.
Recursive resolvers (run by ISPs or services like 1.1.1.1) do the legwork of querying authoritative servers on a client's behalf and caching the results per their ttl.

Why it matters for hosting

Which nameservers a domain uses is set by its delegation at the registrar. Choosing them controls who serves your DNS — your registrar, your host, or a dedicated provider — affecting reliability and resolution speed.

Providers typically supply at least two nameservers on diverse networks for redundancy. Changing them is the key step when moving your dns to a new host, and the change is visible only after the delegation's ttl expires across caches.

See also

DNS (Domain Name System) DNS is the internet phone book that translates human-readable domain names like example.com into the IP addresses computers use to connect. TTL (Time To Live) TTL is the number of seconds a DNS record may be cached before resolvers must fetch a fresh copy, controlling how fast changes propagate. WHOIS WHOIS is a query protocol that returns registration details for a domain or IP, such as the registrar, nameservers, and creation date. DNSSEC DNSSEC adds cryptographic signatures to DNS records so resolvers can verify answers are authentic and have not been forged or tampered with.

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