What Is an NS Record?

What Is an NS Record?

An NS (Name Server) record is a DNS record that specifies authoritative name servers for a DNS zone. NS records identify which DNS servers are responsible for providing authoritative DNS responses for a domain. NS records enable DNS zone delegation, allowing different name servers to manage different parts of the DNS hierarchy.

NS records are essential for DNS resolution - they tell DNS resolvers which name servers to query for domain information. NS records are published at both the parent zone (registry) and the domain's own zone.

Check NS records to verify authoritative name servers and DNS zone configuration. Learn more about DNS and DNS lookup.

NS Record Purpose

Authoritative Name Server Identification

NS records identify authoritative name servers responsible for providing DNS responses for a domain.

DNS Zone Delegation

NS records enable DNS zone delegation, allowing parent zones to delegate DNS authority to child zones.

DNS Resolution

NS records direct DNS resolvers to the correct name servers for domain information queries.

Zone Management

NS records specify which name servers manage DNS zones, enabling zone administration and updates.

Redundancy

Multiple NS records provide redundancy, ensuring DNS resolution even if some name servers are unavailable.

Authoritative Name Servers

What Are Authoritative Name Servers?

Authoritative name servers are DNS servers that store and provide authoritative DNS records for a domain. They are the source of truth for domain DNS information.

NS Record Role

NS records specify which name servers are authoritative for a domain, directing DNS queries to the correct servers.

Multiple Name Servers

Domains typically have multiple NS records (2-4 name servers) for redundancy and reliability.

Name Server Types

• Primary name servers (master)
• Secondary name servers (slave)
• DNS hosting providers

Zone Authority

Authoritative name servers have complete authority over DNS records in their zones.

DNS Zone Delegation

What Is Zone Delegation?

DNS zone delegation is the process of transferring DNS authority from parent zones to child zones using NS records.

Delegation Process

Parent zones (e.g., .com) use NS records to delegate authority to child zones (e.g., example.com), specifying which name servers manage the child zone.

NS Record Location

NS records are published at both parent zones (registry) and child zones (domain) to enable proper delegation.

Delegation Benefits

• Distributed DNS management
• Zone administration flexibility
• Scalable DNS hierarchy

Zone Apex

NS records at the zone apex (e.g., example.com) specify authoritative name servers for the entire zone.

Checking NS Records

1. DNS Lookup Tools

Use DNS lookup tools to query NS records and retrieve authoritative name server information for domains.

2. Command Line Tools

Use command-line tools (dig, nslookup) to query NS records: dig NS example.com

3. Domain Health Check

Use our domain health check to verify DNS configuration including NS records.

4. Verification

Verify NS records are published correctly, name server hostnames resolve to IP addresses, and multiple name servers are configured for redundancy.

5. Zone Configuration

Verify NS records match name servers configured at domain registrar and DNS hosting provider.