NS Record lookup

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About this tool

NS Lookup is a simple & powerful tool for querying the DNS Nameserver Records for a domain.

Nameserver records contain information about the nameservers use for that domain. The nameservers identify which DNS servers are responsible for managing all the DNS queries for that domain.

The tool resolves the nameservers of the given domain address. The results include the Domain name, Nameservers, and their TTL (time to live).

Please enter a domain name for the NS records lookup.

DNS (Domain Name System) is the most prominent digital database on the internet. That contains the information about each website on the internet, its domain name, and IP.

When the user enters the URL in its browser bar, the request is sent by the requesting server, supplying the hostname to the DNS servers to resolve that query and provide an IP address against the hostname.

The DNS server contains the DNS records, which are the mapping files, including important information about the domain. They resolve the DNS query and provides the IP for that domain.

The requesting server then contacts the hosting device, having that IP, for the required results.

The NS record or the Nameserver record is the type of DNS record set up through the hosting provider.

What is a nameserver for a domain, and how they work?


Nameserver is the DNS server responsible for managing the DNS queries related to a specific domain by converting the domain address into the IP address to help the user to get to a particular website.

For example, you requested the URL www.example.com. First, the request is sent to the example.com nameservers, which will return the IP address for that domain.

Primary & Secondary Nameservers

Each domain must have at least two nameservers in its domain registrar account. For example, in the case of domain example.com, its nameservers could be

  • ns1.nameserver.com
  • ns2.nameserver.com

The first nameserver is the primary one, and the second is the secondary one.

The second or secondary nameserver is used as a backup, especially when the first or primary nameserver fails to respond.

Let's dive into the complete process with the URL www.example.com.

  • Suppose you requested the URL www.example.com in your browser bar.
  • The browser sends the request to the DNS server, supplying the URL, to solve the query and get the nameservers of example.com.
  • Suppose, in return, you receive two nameservers.
    • ns1.nameserver.com
    • ns2.nameserver.com
  • The request will be sent to the nameservers mentioned-above, to get the A record against the domain. First, the request is sent to the primary nameserver. If it fails to respond, it will be sent to the secondary nameserver to resolve it.
  • Your nameserver will respond with the IP address xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx of example.com.
  • On receiving the IP, your browser then sends the request to that specific IP address hosting that domain.
  • Moreover, the web-hosting server of example.com sends your web browser the requesting page in return.

Example NS Record

An example NS record for the domain example.com look like the following:

Type Domain Name NS TTL
NS example.com ns1.nameserver.com 3600
NS example.com ns2.nameserver.com 3600

Here,

  • NS is the record type.
  • example.com is the domain of the record.
  • ns1.nameserver.com & ns2.nameserver.com are the values of the record. NS records cannot point to CNAME records.
  • 3600 is the TTL (time to live) of the record in seconds. TTL is the time that tells the DNS resolver how long cache the DNS query before requesting a new one.

How to find the Nameservers of the domain or perform the Nameserver Lookup or NS Lookup?


To find the Namerservs of domain orperform the Nameserver Lookup or NS Lookup. Do the following steps.

  • Open the NS Lookup tool.
  • Enter the domain name in the space mentioned for that purpose.
  • Click on the "CHECK NOW" button to get the nameservers of the entered domain name.
  • The tool will perform the Nameserver lookup and provides you the results.
  • The result will include the type of record, domain name, NS (Nameservers), and TTL (time to live).
  • You can also get each nameserver's IP address by entering each nameserver name in the DNS Lookup tool.

How many name servers can a domain have?


At least, you must have two DNS servers (primary & secondary) for your domain. The three is maximum unless you have multiple DNS farms where you would like to divide the DNS lookup load.

It's an excellent concept to have at least one of your DNS servers at a different location.

That can be helpful in the event if one of your locations unable to respond.

You can make DNS record changes and allow your users to access a server at a different location but using the same fully distinguished server name without having to contact everyone with a new IP address.

Note: If the website is using a web security service like Cloudflare. Then you will get the nameservers of that service provider.