🌐 Nameserver Checker
Check the nameservers configured for any domain and verify DNS server settings.
What the NS records tell you
Enter a domain and the tool looks up its NS records and lists the nameservers that come back. Those are the machines with the final say over every other record on the domain - the A record for the website, the MX records for the mail, the TXT record your SSL provider asked for. A resolver finds them by walking down from the root:
. (root) -> .com -> example.com
"ask ns1.dnshost.net and ns2.dnshost.net"Whoever runs the servers in that answer controls where the domain points, whatever any control panel elsewhere shows you. If the list here names a provider you stopped paying two years ago, that provider is still answering for your domain.
What to check in the list
- Two at minimum, and not on one machine. Registries require at least two for a reason: if the only nameserver is unreachable, the domain does not resolve at all, and nothing about the website being fine will help.
- They should match what your DNS host published. A half-finished migration - new host configured, delegation never changed - leaves the old zone in charge, and edits at the new one appear to do nothing.
- Nameservers inside the domain they serve need glue.
If
example.comis served byns1.example.com, the registry has to hold that server's IP address separately, or the lookup has no way to start.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change the nameservers for a domain?
At the registrar you bought it from, not at the web host - it is the registrar that publishes the delegation to the TLD. Recreate every existing record at the new DNS provider first, then paste the new nameserver names into the registrar's control panel. Expect up to 48 hours before the change is universal, since TLD servers hand out NS records with long lifetimes.
How many nameservers should a domain have?
Two is the floor and four is common. What matters more than the count is that they are not all in one place: separate networks, ideally separate providers, so a single outage cannot take the domain off the internet. Large sites often run two independent DNS companies side by side for exactly this reason.
Is my nameserver the same thing as my registrar?
No, though one company often does both. The registrar is where the domain is registered and where the delegation is set. The nameserver is what actually answers DNS queries, and it can belong to your host, your CDN or a dedicated DNS provider. You can move one without touching the other.