Look up the authoritative nameservers (NS records) for any domain.
An NS (Name Server) Record identifies which DNS servers are authoritative for a specific domain. Essentially, it tells the rest of the internet: “If you want to find the A, MX, or CNAME records for this domain, go ask these specific servers.”
At a minimum, you should have two. This provides redundancy. Many professional DNS providers (like Cloudflare or Route 53) will provide four to ensure maximum uptime.
Technically yes, but it is highly discouraged. This is called “split DNS” and can lead to unpredictable behavior where some users see one version of your site and others see another. Always point all NS records to a single provider’s cluster.
An NS record tells the internet the name of the server (e.g., ns1.provider.com). A Glue record is used when the name server is a subdomain of the domain itself (e.g., ns1.example.com), providing the IP address so the lookup doesn’t get stuck in a loop.
NS record changes are among the slowest to update because they are cached at the Registry level (like Verisign for .com). Propagation typically takes 24 to 48 hours.
FAQ
At a minimum, you should have two. This provides redundancy. Many professional DNS providers (like Cloudflare or Route 53) will provide four to ensure maximum uptime.
Technically yes, but it is highly discouraged. This is called "split DNS" and can lead to unpredictable behavior where some users see one version of your site and others see another. Always point all NS records to a single provider's cluster.
An NS record tells the internet the name of the server (e.g., ns1.provider.com). A Glue record is used when the name server is a subdomain of the domain itself (e.g., ns1.example.com), providing the IP address so the lookup doesn't get stuck in a loop.
NS record changes are among the slowest to update because they are cached at the Registry level (like Verisign for .com). Propagation typically takes 24 to 48 hours.
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