What is a Nameserver?
A nameserver is a specialized DNS server that stores DNS records for a domain and responds to queries about where to find that domain's website, email, and other services. Every domain must have at least two nameservers for redundancy.
How Does Nameserver Work?
Nameservers are the authoritative source of truth for a domain's DNS records. When you register a domain, you point it to nameservers (typically ns1.provider.com and ns2.provider.com) that hold your A records, MX records, CNAME records, and other DNS configuration. Your hosting provider or DNS service manages these nameservers.
Changing nameservers is how you move a domain to a new hosting provider or DNS service. When you update nameservers at your registrar, it triggers DNS propagation across the internet. Having at least two nameservers ensures that if one goes down, the other can still respond to DNS queries, preventing your domain from becoming unreachable.