DNS REFERENCE
What is an NS Record?
The delegation record of the Domain Name System, determining which nameservers hold authority over your domain configuration.
Understanding the Name Server (NS) Record
An NS Record (or "Name Server Record") specifies which DNS servers are authoritative for a domain name. It literally tells the rest of the internet where to go to find the official DNS records of your website.
When a user queries your domain, the root and TLD nameservers read the NS records set at your domain registrar. These NS records point the query toward your active DNS provider's nameservers (like Cloudflare, AWS Route 53, or GoDaddy). The recursive resolver then queries those authoritative servers to locate the A, MX, or TXT records needed to load the site.
Structure and Redundancy
NS records always list hostnames rather than raw IP addresses. For reliability and failover, domains must specify **at least two nameservers**:
| Host/Name | TTL (Time to Live) | Record Type | Points To (Value) |
|---|---|---|---|
| example.com | 86400 (24 Hours) | NS | ns1.dns-provider.com |
| example.com | 86400 (24 Hours) | NS | ns2.dns-provider.com |
Because nameservers are critical infrastructure, DNS queries are balanced across these hosts. If one nameserver goes offline or experiences high latency, resolvers instantly query the secondary or tertiary nameservers listed in the NS set, preventing website outages.
Query an NS Record in Real Time
Lookup the authoritative nameservers responsible for routing any domain's traffic:
KEY FACTS
Primary Use
Delegating DNS authority to a provider's servers
Where Configured
At your domain registrar (Namecheap, GoDaddy, etc.)
Output Value
Nameserver Hostnames (e.g. ns1.example.com)
OTHER DNS EXPLANATIONS