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Nameserver (NS) Lookup

Which nameservers answer for a domain, and whether they agree.

How it works

Which nameservers answer for a domain, and do they agree?

Nameservers decide where every other DNS record lives, so a wrong or mismatched set breaks the whole domain. This lookup pulls the NS records the registry has on file (via RDAP) and the NS records the zone itself publishes, compares the two lists, resolves each server to its IP addresses and identifies the DNS provider behind them. Mismatches, single-server setups and servers with no address are flagged with the fix.

Results appear here after you click Look up nameservers.

How this works

1
Registry vs zone
We read the delegation from the registry via RDAP and the NS records from the zone itself, then compare.
2
Resolve each server
Every nameserver is looked up for A and AAAA records so we can tell if it is reachable.
3
Identify the provider
Hostname patterns reveal Cloudflare, Route 53, GoDaddy, Namecheap and other common DNS hosts.

Frequently asked questions

What is a nameserver?: A nameserver is the server that holds a domain's DNS zone and answers questions about it. The registry points to your nameservers, and they in turn hold your A, MX, TXT and other records. Changing nameservers moves all of those records to a new provider.
Why should registry and zone nameservers match?: Resolvers learn the nameservers from the registry first and then may trust the zone's own NS set. If the lists differ, some resolvers end up asking a server that no longer has the zone, producing intermittent failures that are very hard to debug.
How many nameservers do I need?: At least two on different networks, which every mainstream DNS provider gives you automatically. Large providers use anycast so each hostname is served from many locations, which is why two Cloudflare or Route 53 servers are plenty.
Should I change nameservers or just add records?: If your current DNS host works, add records instead; it is faster and lower risk. Change nameservers only when you want to move the whole zone to a new provider such as Cloudflare for its features, or when your registrar forces it.
How long does a nameserver change take?: Usually a few hours, up to 48 in the worst case, because the parent zone (.com, .ng, .co.uk) publishes NS records with long TTLs. During that window some users see the old zone and some the new, so keep both zones identical until it settles.

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