NS Record
DNSNS Record is a DNS record type that specifies which authoritative name servers are responsible for a domain or DNS zone. It tells resolvers where to ask for definitive answers about other records like A, AAAA, MX, and TXT. NS records are published at the zone apex and are also used at the parent zone to delegate control to a different DNS provider.
How It Works
An NS (Name Server) record lists the hostnames of the authoritative DNS servers for a domain or zone, such as ns1.example.net and ns2.example.net. When a resolver needs an answer for a name under your domain, it follows the DNS hierarchy: root servers point to the TLD (like .com), the TLD points to your domain's authoritative name servers via NS records, and those servers return the requested records (A/AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, etc.).
NS records appear in two important places: at the parent zone (delegation) and inside the zone itself (authoritative data). If the name servers are within the same domain they serve (for example, ns1.yourdomain.com), the parent zone must also publish glue records (A/AAAA) so resolvers can reach those servers without a circular lookup. DNS changes to NS records typically require propagation as caches expire according to TTL values.
Why It Matters for Web Hosting
NS records determine which DNS provider controls your domain's DNS, which directly affects website availability, email delivery, and how quickly changes take effect. When you buy hosting, you often choose between using the host's DNS, a separate DNS service, or a CDN/DNS platform. Understanding NS records helps you evaluate ease of management, redundancy (multiple name servers), DNSSEC support, and how risky or disruptive a nameserver switch could be during migrations.
Common Use Cases
- Pointing a domain to a hosting company or external DNS provider by changing nameservers at the registrar
- Delegating a subdomain (or separate zone) to another DNS service using NS records
- Improving resilience by configuring multiple authoritative name servers in different networks
- Moving DNS management during a site migration while keeping web hosting unchanged
- Using in-domain nameservers with required glue records to make them reachable