Nameserver (NS Record)
A server that answers DNS queries for a domain; its NS records name the authoritative servers.
Published on June 22, 2026By Namefi Team
- glossary
A nameserver is a server that answers DNS queries for a domain, and the NS records at a domain's registry declare which nameservers are authoritative for it. When you point a domain at a DNS host (Cloudflare, Route 53, your registrar's own DNS), you are setting its nameservers; those servers then publish the record types — A, MX, TXT, and the rest — that route traffic and mail.
Related keywords
- nameserver
- NS record
- authoritative server
- DNS delegation
- DNS hosting