Nameservers Explained
Nameservers are the backbone of DNS, directing internet traffic to the right servers. Understanding how they work is essential for managing your domain.
What Are Nameservers?
Nameservers are specialized servers that store DNS records for domains and respond to DNS queries. When someone types your domain into their browser, nameservers tell the internet where to find your website.
Think of nameservers as the phone book of the internet. Your domain name is like a contact name, and the nameserver looks up the "phone number" (IP address) so the caller (browser) knows where to connect.
How Nameservers Work
Here's what happens when someone visits your website:
Browser Makes Request
User types example.com in their browser
DNS Resolver Query
The browser asks a DNS resolver (usually your ISP) for the IP address
Find the Nameservers
The resolver queries the domain registry to find which nameservers are authoritative for example.com
Query the Nameserver
The resolver asks the nameserver for the A record (IP address) of example.com
Return the IP Address
The nameserver responds with 93.184.216.34 and the browser connects to that server
Domain Registrar vs DNS Provider
It's important to understand the difference between where you register your domain and where your DNS is hosted:
Domain Registrar
Where you purchase and renew your domain name (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, etc.). The registrar stores which nameservers your domain uses.
DNS Provider
Where your actual DNS records are stored and served. This could be the same as your registrar, or a separate service like Cloudflare, AWS Route 53, or your web host.
Key Point
You set your nameservers at your registrar, and they point to your DNS provider where all your A, MX, TXT, and other records live.
Common Nameserver Providers
Here are nameservers you'll commonly encounter:
Cloudflare
*.ns.cloudflare.com
Popular free DNS with CDN and security features
AWS Route 53
ns-*.awsdns-*.com/net/org/co.uk
Amazon's scalable DNS service
Google Cloud DNS
ns-cloud-*.googledomains.com
Google's DNS hosting service
GoDaddy
ns*.domaincontrol.com
Default for GoDaddy-registered domains
Namecheap
dns*.registrar-servers.com
Default for Namecheap-registered domains
How to Change Nameservers
To switch your DNS provider, you'll need to update your nameservers at your registrar:
- Get new nameservers from your new DNS provider (e.g., Cloudflare gives you two nameservers when you add a site)
- Log into your registrar where you purchased the domain
- Find DNS or Nameserver settings (usually under Domain Management)
- Replace existing nameservers with the new ones
- Save changes and wait for propagation (can take up to 48 hours, usually faster)
Before You Switch
Make sure you've recreated all your DNS records at the new provider before changing nameservers. Otherwise, your website and email may go offline during the transition.
Why Have Multiple Nameservers?
You'll notice domains always have at least two nameservers. This provides redundancy—if one nameserver is unavailable, the others can still respond to DNS queries, keeping your website online.
Most DNS providers give you 2-4 nameservers distributed across different data centers and networks for maximum reliability.
DNS Propagation
After changing nameservers or DNS records, changes don't take effect instantly worldwide. This is called DNS propagation.
- DNS records are cached by ISPs and resolvers
- Each record has a TTL (Time To Live) that determines how long it's cached
- Nameserver changes can take up to 48 hours to fully propagate
- Most changes propagate within a few hours
Check Your Nameservers
Use DNSLens to instantly see which nameservers are configured for any domain.
Lookup Nameservers