What is an NS record in simple terms?

An NS (Name Server) record tells the internet which servers are responsible for a domain's DNS information. When someone looks up your domain, NS records direct the query to the right servers that hold your A records, MX records, and all other DNS data.

How many NS records should a domain have?

Most domains have 2-4 NS records. Having at least two is considered best practice for redundancy — if one nameserver goes down, the other can still respond to queries. Major DNS providers like Cloudflare and AWS Route 53 typically assign 2-4 nameservers automatically.

What happens if NS records are wrong?

If your NS records are misconfigured, your entire domain stops working. No website, no email, no subdomains — nothing. DNS resolvers won't know where to find your domain's records, so all queries will fail. This is why NS records are the most critical DNS record type.

How long do NS record changes take to propagate?

NS record changes are among the slowest to propagate because they're cached at multiple levels — root servers, TLD servers, and recursive resolvers. Changes typically take 24-48 hours to fully propagate worldwide, though some resolvers may update faster depending on TTL values.

What is the difference between NS records and A records?

NS records point to the nameservers that hold your DNS information — they say 'ask this server for answers.' A records provide the actual answer — they map a domain name to an IP address. You need NS records so that resolvers can find the server that holds your A records.

What is a DNS NS Record? (Nameserver Records Explained)

What is an NS Record?

An NS record (Name Server record) tells the internet which servers hold the DNS information for a domain. Think of it like a building's front desk — when someone arrives looking for a specific person, the front desk doesn't have the answers themselves, but they know exactly which department to send you to.

Similarly, NS records don't contain your website's IP address or email settings directly. Instead, they point to the nameservers that do — the servers that store your A records, MX records, TXT records, and every other DNS record for your domain.

Here's what NS records look like:

example.com.   NS   ns1.cloudflare.com.
example.com.   NS   ns2.cloudflare.com.

This tells the internet: "For any DNS query about example.com, ask Cloudflare's nameservers — they have all the records."

How NS Records Work

When you type a domain name into your browser, a chain of lookups happens behind the scenes. NS records are what make this chain work. Here's the simplified version:

Step 1: Root servers

Your browser asks a root DNS server: "Where do I find information about example.com?" The root server doesn't know the answer, but it knows who handles .com domains and sends you there.

Step 2: TLD servers

The .com TLD (Top-Level Domain) server checks its records and finds the NS records for example.com. It responds: "The nameservers for this domain are ns1.cloudflare.com and ns2.cloudflare.com."

Step 3: Authoritative nameserver

Your browser now queries ns1.cloudflare.com directly. This server holds all the DNS records for example.com and returns the actual answer — like the A record with the website's IP address.

Step 4: Connection

Your browser now has the IP address and connects to the web server. The page loads. All of this happens in milliseconds.

Key point: Without NS records, the chain breaks at Step 2. The TLD server wouldn't know where to send the query, and your domain would be completely unreachable — no website, no email, nothing.

Primary vs Secondary Nameservers

Most domains have at least two NS records pointing to different nameservers. This isn't optional — it's essential for reliability.

Type	Role	Example
Primary	Holds the master copy of all DNS records. Changes are made here first.	ns1.cloudflare.com
Secondary	Holds an exact copy synced from the primary. Takes over if primary is unavailable.	ns2.cloudflare.com

From a user's perspective, both primary and secondary nameservers are equally authoritative — they hold the same records and can answer queries independently. The distinction between primary and secondary is about how records are managed behind the scenes, not about which server is "better."

Some providers like AWS Route 53 assign four nameservers for even greater redundancy. The more nameservers you have, the less likely a DNS outage.

When Do You Need to Change NS Records?

Most people never touch their NS records after initial setup. But there are a few common scenarios where you'd need to update them:

Moving to a new DNS provider

If you switch from your registrar's default DNS to Cloudflare, AWS Route 53, or another provider, you need to update your NS records at your registrar to point to the new provider's nameservers. This is the most common reason to change NS records.

Changing web hosting providers

Some hosting providers (like managed WordPress hosts) require you to use their nameservers. When you switch hosts, they may ask you to update your NS records to point to their servers.

Delegating subdomains

You can create NS records for subdomains to delegate them to different nameservers. For example, blog.example.com could use a different DNS provider than example.com — useful for large organizations where different teams manage different subdomains.

Setting up DNSSEC

When enabling DNSSEC (DNS Security Extensions), you may need to coordinate your NS records with the new DS (Delegation Signer) records at your registrar to ensure the security chain is properly established.

Important: NS record changes are made at your domain registrar (where you bought the domain), not in your DNS provider's dashboard. This is a common point of confusion. Your registrar controls which nameservers the TLD servers point to for your domain.

How to Check NS Records

You can check any domain's NS records using DNSFly's DNS Checker:

Step 1: Go to DNSFly DNS Checker (NS)

Step 2: Enter the domain you want to check (e.g. google.com)

Step 3: Select NS as the record type

Step 4: Click Lookup — you'll see the nameservers reported by 21 DNS servers worldwide

If all 21 servers return the same nameservers, your NS records are properly propagated. If some servers return different nameservers, you may have recently changed them and propagation is still in progress.

You can also check NS records from the command line:

# Windows
nslookup -type=ns google.com

# Mac / Linux
dig google.com NS

Common NS Record Mistakes

Mismatched NS records

The NS records at your registrar must match the NS records in your DNS zone. If your registrar points to Cloudflare's nameservers but your zone file lists GoDaddy's nameservers, you'll get inconsistent behavior and potential outages.

Pointing NS records to a CNAME

NS records must point to an actual hostname with an A record, never to a CNAME. This is a strict DNS rule — an NS record pointing to a CNAME will fail.

Only one nameserver

Using a single NS record means you have no redundancy. If that one nameserver goes down, your entire domain is unreachable. Always use at least two nameservers, ideally on different networks.

Forgetting to set up DNS before changing NS records

If you change your NS records to a new provider before setting up your DNS records there, your domain will go down. Always configure all your DNS records at the new provider first, then change the NS records at your registrar.

Check Your NS Records

Verify your nameserver records are propagated correctly across 21 global DNS servers. See if all servers agree on which nameservers are authoritative for your domain.

Check NS Records