NS Lookup
NS Lookup lists the authoritative name servers for a domain, showing exactly which servers answer for its zone and are trusted with its DNS.
About NS Lookup
NS (name server) records declare which servers hold the authoritative DNS zone for a domain. Every domain is delegated by its parent - the TLD registry - to a set of name servers, normally two or more. This tool returns a domain's NS records with their TTLs, queried from an independent European resolver.
Checking the NS set is the first step whenever DNS behaves unexpectedly. It tells you who actually controls a domain's DNS, which is essential after a registrar transfer or a move to a new DNS host. The name servers listed in the zone should match the delegation your registrar publishes at the parent level; when they diverge - a condition known as lame delegation - resolution can fail intermittently and be hard to diagnose.
The lookup runs server-side from our EU infrastructure and reports the delegated name servers with their caching lifetimes. To go further and confirm that every name server serves the same records, or to inspect glue records and other delegation details, use the Authoritative DNS Lookup and the Domain DNS Validation report.
How to use it
- 1Enter the registered domain as a bare name (example.eu), since NS records live at the zone apex rather than on a subdomain.
- 2Run the lookup to list the name servers currently delegated to answer for the domain, each with its TTL.
- 3Compare the returned set against the name servers your DNS host or registrar expects to see.
- 4If you recently changed providers, confirm that no stale name servers from the old host remain.
Common use cases
- -Confirm a domain is delegated to the correct DNS provider after a migration or registrar transfer.
- -Check that a domain has at least two name servers for redundancy.
- -Identify who controls a domain's DNS when troubleshooting resolution problems.
- -Verify that vanity or provider-branded name servers resolve as intended.
Frequently asked questions
- What is an NS record?
- An NS (name server) record identifies an authoritative name server for a domain - a server trusted to answer DNS queries for that zone. A domain's NS records list every server delegated to serve its DNS.
- How many name servers should a domain have?
- At least two, ideally on separate networks or providers, so DNS keeps resolving if one server is unreachable. Many registries require a minimum of two for delegation.
- What is the difference between NS records and a registrar's name servers?
- The NS records live inside the zone, while the registrar publishes matching delegation records at the parent TLD level. The two sets should agree; a mismatch, called a lame delegation, can cause intermittent resolution failures.
- How do I find the name servers for a domain?
- Enter the bare domain and run the NS lookup; the tool returns the authoritative name servers with their TTLs. For per-server consistency and glue-record checks, use the Authoritative DNS Lookup.
- How long do name server changes take to propagate?
- Delegation changes are governed by the TTL at the parent zone and can take from a few minutes to 48 hours to be seen everywhere. Use the DNS Propagation Checker to watch a change roll out across resolvers.