{"id":28963,"date":"2022-07-28T21:46:45","date_gmt":"2022-07-28T21:46:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/easydmarc.com\/blog\/?p=28963"},"modified":"2026-03-18T04:51:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T04:51:08","slug":"what-are-ns-records-and-why-are-they-important-to-dns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/easydmarc.com\/blog\/what-are-ns-records-and-why-are-they-important-to-dns\/","title":{"rendered":"What are NS Records and Why Are They Important to DNS?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Domain Name System (DNS)<\/a> records are crucial instructions that help servers handle requests from web clients. There are different<\/span> types of DNS records<\/span><\/a>; many of which we\u2019ve discussed in our previous blog posts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, we\u2019ll introduce you to DNS NS records or Name Server records and why they\u2019re essential to DNS and the functioning of your website or web application. So, <\/span>what is an NS record?<\/b><\/p>\n

What is a DNS NS record?<\/b><\/h2>\n

The<\/span> DNS NS record<\/b><\/a> stands for Domain Name System Name Server record. It holds information that determines which server is authoritative to a particular domain or DNS zone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When you enter a website address into your browser, a DNS query is launched to locate the IP address and take you to that website. The name server record tells your server where to find the IP address associated with that domain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If your NS records are misconfigured, no one can find and load your website domain.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can configure multiple NS records for your domain to serve as a redundancy or load balancing\u2014known as primary and secondary name servers. When the primary server is unavailable, the secondary server can step in to respond to requests.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The best way to create DNS service redundancy is to configure the primary and secondary NS records on different network segments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>NS record <\/b>points to the nameserver<\/span> holding all the DNS files and records belonging to a domain. The nameserver also contains other records like the <\/span>A record<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>DNS MX record<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>TXT record<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>SOA record<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, DNS NS records are restricted as they only provide the name of a domain\u2019s nameserver and not the domain\u2019s IP address. As such, a DNS A or AAAA record must exist in the DNS zone for each DNS server to ensure a successful DNS resolution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another important aspect of an NS record is that you can use it to delegate subdomains of your primary domain to other DNS servers. For instance, you can delegate \u201cblog.mywebsite.com\u201d by creating a Name Server record for \u201cblog.mywebsite.com\u201d inside the \u201cmywebsite.com\u201d zone.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a Nameserver?<\/b><\/h2>\n

This type of Domain Name Server contains all DNS records for a specific domain, including <\/span>AAAA records<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>DNS PTR records<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>CNAME records<\/span><\/a>. Nameservers play a vital routing web traffic on the internet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When you enter a website like EasyDMARC on your web browser, the browser performs a DNS lookup and directs your request to the appropriate server.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The nameserver is part of the process, providing the names of the servers to be contacted.\u00a0 Computers can\u2019t understand domain names like EasyDMARC.com entered into your browser. Nameservers translate domain names into their corresponding IP addresses for easy routing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most domains have multiple nameservers to enhance reliability. If one nameserver is down, DNS queries are directed to another one.<\/span><\/p>\n

When to Update or Change your NS Records?<\/b><\/h2>\n

You may need to change or update your NS records for various reasons. First, changing your domain\u2019s nameservers requires updating your NS records. Domain administrators should also update their NS records if they want to use different nameservers for their domain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For instance, you should update the NS record if you wish to route blog.mywebsite.com through ns2.mywebsite.com instead of ns1.mywebsite.com.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Note that it might take several for your NS record updates to propagate throughout the DNS.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Create a DNS NS Record?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Creating a DNS NS record is simple. Log onto your DNS provider\u2019s service portal and follow this, step-by-step guide on <\/span>how to add an NS record in DNS<\/b>:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n