How does nameservers work

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Try your day free trial of Atatus. In this article, we are going to put simply the following: What is a Nameserver? How Does Nameserver Work? DNS Records vs. How to Setup a Nameserver for Your Domain? Why Nameservers are Important for Your Website? What is a Nameserver? Here's an example of how they appear: DigitalOcean NameServers ns1. Nameserver DNS records and name servers work together, but they are not the same thing: DNS records keep track of which IP addresses correspond to which domains.

It is the catalog. This is the rule that points a domain such as test. This rule is frequently used to link a www subdomain to the primary domain. MX Records — It's used to link a domain to email service. If you want mail from test. TXT Records — Any arbitrary text can be associated with a domain using this method. TXT records are most typically used to associate SPF records with a domain in order to improve email deliverability and prevent spammers from misusing the domain name while sending spam.

Let's take a closer look at what happens when you visit a website now that you know what to expect: You type "atatus. By Using Whois Using a publicly accessible Whois website, you can easily verify your nameservers. Using Your Own Computer Alternatively, you can use your own computer to execute a basic test. You can test your nameservers on Mac by typing the following command: host -t NS domain.

There are several benefits to registering your own nameserver: Collects Customer Confidence Your clients will have an easier time remembering your nameserver. Instead of your web hosting company's nameservers, custom nameservers are associated with your own domain. The use of the same domain for your website and nameserver might also provide your clients a sense of confidence. Simpler Host Switching If you have a custom nameserver, switching hosting providers is a lot easier, especially if you're utilizing a reseller account.

Customers will no longer need to update their own nameservers as a result of this. Avoids Third-party Vendors Registering your own nameserver allows you to avoid disclosing third-party information to your clients.

In a nutshell, your query goes back and forth between multiple servers until it has located all the information it needs to get you to that website. Before it locates the IP address, your computer will check if the information is already cached.

If you have trouble accessing a website or application, you can clear your DNS cache to remove outdated information. It can also be necessary to clear dns cache data for security and privacy reasons. Learning how DNS works is one part of the puzzle. You also need to understand the multiple DNS types that name servers store.

The most common DNS types are:. Understanding how DNS works is a fundamental skill you should learn when you set up and host your website. When you find a better hosting deal , you might want to move your website to that platform. Any server that has DNS software can be considered a nameserver.

DNS is frequently referred to as the phone book of the internet. DNS is composed of nameservers that connect IP addresses to domain names, which saves us from memorizing strings of numbers when we want to visit our favorite website. In the milliseconds it takes to load a webpage, DNS is working behind the scenes. When you type in a URL, like example. Multiple DNS records serve different purposes on your website. When you create a website, you want people to be able to find it on the internet — and nameservers facilitate that process.

A nameserver is the location of your website. Just like a brick and mortar store owner should know their address, you should know your nameserver. DNS is an overarching term for the system that connects computers and services across the internet. Name servers play a role in this system, holding the DNS records that connect a domain name to an IP address.

Yes, you can own your own name servers. Private name servers are best for resellers who may want to mask their hosting partner or switch to a different web host without forcing a name server update across their client pool. The primary name server does the heavy lifting most of the time, while the secondary is there in case the primary one fails.

Jacob Roach is a writer and technology enthusiast. He specializes in computing and small business software, lending his experience to sites like Digital Trends, Business Insider, and Cloudwards. You can follow him on Twitter ManowarElves.

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What Is a Name Server?