How nameservers connect a domain to your site
What Is a Nameserver? The Phone Book of the Internet
A detailed explanation of nameservers — their role in the DNS system, how to change nameservers, DNS propagation, root servers and best practices for managing NS records.
What is a nameserver (NS)?
A nameserver (NS) is an authoritative DNS server that stores DNS records for a domain (A, CNAME, MX, TXT) and answers DNS queries. When someone enters a domain, the DNS hierarchy works: root servers → TLD servers → authoritative NS returns the IP. Every domain must have at least 2 nameservers (ns1, ns2) for redundancy. Changing the NS triggers DNS propagation of up to 48h. BeoHosting NS: ns1.beohosting.com and ns2.beohosting.com.
- NS = authoritative DNS server for a domain
- At least 2 nameservers per domain
- BeoHosting: ns1/ns2.beohosting.com
- Propagation up to 48h
- Custom/vanity NS for resellers
Tým BeoHosting
10+ let zkušeností — Specialisté na webhosting a infrastrukturu
- Nameservers
- DNS hierarchy
- Authoritative NS
- DNSSEC
- Anycast DNS
- Glue records
- Vanity NS
- DNS propagation
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What is a nameserver and how does it work?
A nameserver (NS) is a specialized server in the DNS (Domain Name System) infrastructure that stores DNS records for domains and answers queries about them. Nameservers are the key link that connects a human-readable domain (e.g. beohosting.com) to the IP address of the server where the site lives.
Think of a nameserver as a phone book. When you want to call someone, you look up the name in the book and get a phone number. In the same way, when a browser wants to open your site, it asks the nameserver for the "number" (IP address) of your domain and gets an answer.
When you register a domain, you must assign nameservers to it that will hold the DNS configuration. BeoHosting nameservers automatically set up all the required DNS records. For details on the DNS system, see what is DNS, and for practical instructions the guide to changing nameservers.
How does a nameserver work?
Here is what happens when a user types your domain into a browser — a journey through the DNS hierarchy:
The user types the domain
The user types "beohosting.com" into the browser. The browser first checks the local DNS cache. If there is no cached answer, it sends a query to the recursive DNS resolver of your internet provider (ISP).
Root and TLD nameservers
The ISP resolver contacts a root nameserver (there are 13 clusters globally) which directs it to the TLD nameserver for ".com". The TLD nameserver knows which nameservers are responsible for "beohosting.com" and returns that information.
Authoritative nameserver
The resolver now contacts the authoritative nameserver (e.g. ns1.beohosting.com), which holds the DNS records for that domain. The nameserver returns the site IP address (the A record), e.g. 185.x.x.x.
Connecting to the server
The resolver returns the IP address to the browser and caches the result (usually 300-3600 seconds, per the TTL value). The browser connects to the hosting server at that IP address and displays the site. Next time, the answer comes from the cache.
The role and functions of nameservers
Nameservers perform several critical functions for the operation of your site and email.
Translating domains into IP addresses
Nameservers are the phone book of the internet. They translate human-readable domains (beohosting.com) into IP addresses (185.x.x.x) that computers use to communicate with each other.
Managing DNS records
Nameservers store all the DNS records for your domain: A records (site), MX records (email), CNAME records (aliases), TXT records (verifications) and NS records (delegation).
Redundancy and reliability
Having multiple nameservers for each domain means your site stays available even if one nameserver goes down. Geographically distributed nameservers ensure a fast response from anywhere in the world.
Control over the domain
Changing nameservers gives you control over the DNS configuration. You can point the domain to another host, set up the Cloudflare CDN or configure custom DNS records.
Fast site loading
Faster nameservers (such as Cloudflare DNS) reduce DNS lookup time. Instead of 100-200ms for DNS resolution, Cloudflare answers in 11ms on average, which speeds up site loading.
Security features
Modern nameservers support DNSSEC (DNS Security Extensions), which protects against DNS spoofing attacks. DNSSEC digitally signs DNS records and prevents redirection to fake sites.
DNS records a nameserver stores
A nameserver stores different types of DNS records, each with a specific role:
A record (Address)
Links the domain to the IPv4 address of the server. Example: beohosting.com → 185.x.x.x. This is the basic record that says where your site lives. The AAAA record does the same for IPv6.
MX record (Mail Exchange)
Defines which server receives email for your domain. Example: mail for @beohosting.com goes to mail.beohosting.com. The priority (10, 20, 30) determines the order of delivery attempts.
CNAME record (Canonical Name)
Creates an alias for another domain. Example: www.beohosting.com → beohosting.com. Useful for subdomains and service integrations such as Cloudflare or email verifications.
TXT record (Text)
Stores text information. Used for SPF (email authentication), DKIM (email signature), DMARC (email policy) and verifying domain ownership for Google, Facebook and other services.
Related pages and guides
Mohlo by vás také zajímat
Register a domain
Register a domain with NS setup
Change nameservers
A guide to changing NS records
What is DNS?
The DNS system explained
DNS Checker
Check DNS propagation
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