NS Lookup: Nameserver Checker
Inspect authoritative Name Server (NS) DNS records and identify DNS hosting providers.
Examples
Cloudflare Authoritative NS
Domain: cloudflare.comNS: ns3.cloudflare.com
NS: ns4.cloudflare.com
Provider: Cloudflare DNSShows nameservers responsible for DNS answers.
About this tool
An NS record declares which servers hold the authoritative DNS data for a domain — every A, MX or TXT answer comes from the machines the delegation names. Enter a domain; the tool fetches its NS records over DNS-over-HTTPS through Cloudflare, Google or Quad9, lists the nameservers, and recognizes the operator behind them — Cloudflare, Route 53, GoDaddy, Vercel and others.
After a registrar or DNS host change, the NS set is what actually moves. Resolvers keep the previous delegation cached until its TTL expires — often hours, up to two days — so an immediate check can still report the former host. Re-run the lookup as delegation settles; a companion propagation checker shows the change from multiple vantage points.
Publish at least two nameservers on separate networks: with one server, a single outage takes the whole domain — website and email — offline. A lame delegation is worse: an NS record points at a server that no longer answers for the zone, producing intermittent timeouts. If records here differ from your registrar panel, trust this query — it reads the parent-zone delegation. The command-line equivalent is dig NS example.com.
How to use this tool
Enter the domain
Type the domain to inspect.
Pick a resolver
Choose Cloudflare, Google or Quad9 as the encrypted DoH endpoint.
Run the lookup
Press lookup or Enter to fetch the authoritative NS records.
Review the results
Check the nameserver list and provider badge; copy the records.
Use cases
DNS delegation check
Verify that domain registrar nameservers match your active DNS hosting provider.
DNS propagation monitoring
Confirm that nameservers updated during domain migrations.
Common mistakes
Mistake:Mismatched nameservers at registrar.
Fix:Ensure all nameserver records configured at your registrar match your DNS host's assigned nameservers.
Frequently asked questions
How long do nameserver changes take to propagate?
Old NS records stay cached until their TTL expires — anywhere from minutes to roughly 48 hours. Registrars often lower the TTL before a planned switch, so most moves settle within a day.
How many nameservers should a domain have?
At least two, on separate networks. Redundancy is built into DNS delegation, registrars require a minimum of two, and every server listed must serve identical, current data.
What is a lame delegation?
An NS record that names a server no longer answering authoritatively for the domain — typical after a DNS host change leaves an old server listed. Queries reaching it time out, causing intermittent resolution failures until the delegation is corrected.
Why do the NS records differ at the registrar?
The delegation lives both in the registry's parent zone and in your registrar panel, and the two can fall out of sync during a host change. Resolvers follow the parent-zone copy — what this lookup reads — so align the panel to it.
Related guides
References & standards
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