What Are Name Servers?
Name servers are specialized servers that handle DNS queries. They store DNS records for domains and respond to requests from browsers, email clients, and other applications that need to resolve domain names to IP addresses.
Types of Name Servers
- Root Name Servers — The top of the DNS hierarchy. There are 13 root server addresses (labeled A through M), operated by various organizations worldwide.
- TLD Name Servers — Manage information for all domains under a specific TLD (.com, .net, .org, etc.)
- Authoritative Name Servers — The final authority for a domain. These servers hold the actual DNS records you configure.
- Recursive Resolvers — Usually operated by your ISP. They receive queries from your devices and recursively query other servers to find the answer.
How to Change Name Servers
When you purchase hosting, your hosting provider gives you name server addresses (typically two, like ns1.example.com and ns2.example.com). To point your domain to your hosting:
- Log into your domain registrar’s dashboard
- Find the “Name Servers” or “DNS” section
- Replace the default name servers with your hosting provider’s name servers
- Save changes and wait for propagation (24-48 hours)
Popular DNS Providers
- Cloudflare DNS — Free, fast, and includes DDoS protection
- Google Public DNS — 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
- Amazon Route 53 — AWS’s scalable DNS service
- OpenDNS — Cisco’s DNS service with filtering options
Leave a Reply