Free tool
Find the authoritative nameservers that control a domain's DNS.
Enter a domain to look up its NS records.
Nameservers (NS records) are the authoritative servers that answer DNS queries for a domain. They hold the master copy of your zone, so whoever controls the nameservers controls the domain's DNS.
Checking NS records confirms which provider a domain's DNS is delegated to, which is essential when migrating DNS or diagnosing propagation issues. This tool lists the nameservers published for the domain.
A domain normally lists two or more nameservers, one record each:
example.com. 86400 IN NS ns1.example.net.
example.com. 86400 IN NS ns2.example.net.
NS records name the servers that hold the authoritative copy of a zone. They are kept in two places. The registry for the domain ending, such as .com or .uk, holds a copy called the delegation, which you set at your registrar. Your DNS host publishes the same list inside the zone itself. The two lists should match.
When a nameserver sits inside the domain it serves, such as ns1.example.com for example.com, the registry also needs its IP address so resolvers can find it. These glue records are set at the registrar too.
NS records usually carry long TTLs; the .com registry publishes its delegations with a two-day TTL. That is one reason a nameserver change takes longer to settle than an ordinary record edit. The DNS propagation checker compares the NS answer from public resolvers with your domain's own nameservers, so you can watch a move spread.
Each nameserver is listed on its own row, with the record count and query time above. The answer comes live from Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8), with Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) as the fallback, asked from the PulseStack™ server in the UK, so it shows the NS set public resolvers return right now. Nothing is stored.
The names usually reveal the DNS host. Cloudflare nameservers end in ns.cloudflare.com, Amazon Route 53 uses names containing awsdns, and many registrars use their own brand name.
No NS records found is normal for a subdomain that has not been delegated. For a registered domain, an empty result can mean it is not delegated at all, or that the registration has lapsed: the domain expiry checker shows its expiry date.
Lame delegation. One of the listed servers no longer serves the zone, often an old provider's server left in the list after a move. Resolvers that try it get errors or no reply and have to retry elsewhere, which slows lookups and can cause failures.
Registrar and zone disagree. The delegation points at one provider while the zone's own NS records list another. Make the NS records at your DNS host match the delegation, or the other way round. The SOA lookup shows which server the zone names as its primary.
No real redundancy. The DNS rules require at least two nameservers for every zone, and RFC 2182 recommends placing them on separate networks, so that one outage cannot take them all down and the domain with them.
Editing at the wrong provider. If the nameservers point to Cloudflare, records changed in your registrar's DNS panel have no effect. Always edit records where the nameservers point.
An expired domain. When a registration lapses, the registrar or registry can remove or change the delegation and the domain stops resolving, taking the website and email with it. Domain expiration monitoring warns you before the date arrives.
On macOS or Linux, run dig NS example.com +short. On Windows, use nslookup -type=NS example.com, or in PowerShell Resolve-DnsName -Name example.com -Type NS.
To see the delegation held by the registry rather than the zone's own list, trace the lookup from the root with dig +trace NS example.com. The referral from the .com servers shows the delegation, and the last step shows the domain's own answer, so you can compare the two.
Nameserver changes are rare and deliberate, so an unexpected one deserves attention: it can mean a compromised registrar account. A PulseStack™ DNS record monitor on a paid plan can watch the NS record and alert you when it no longer contains the nameserver you expect. The DNS monitoring best practices guide explains what else is worth watching.
At least two, on separate infrastructure, for redundancy. Most providers give you two to four. If one nameserver is unreachable, resolvers try the others, so multiple nameservers keep your domain resolvable.
Changing nameservers delegates DNS to a new provider. Propagation can take up to 48 hours as resolvers and the registry update. During that window, some users may still hit the old provider's records.
Not necessarily. Your registrar is where you bought the domain; the nameservers are where DNS is hosted. They are often the same company, but you can host DNS anywhere regardless of the registrar.
A subdomain such as www.example.com is normally part of its parent's zone, so it has no NS records of its own and the lookup returns none. Only a subdomain that has been delegated to separate nameservers shows NS records. Look up the registered domain instead.
Every one runs a real check, live, with nothing to install.
PulseStack™ DNS record monitors check NS, A, AAAA, MX, CNAME and TXT records as often as every five minutes and alert you when the value you expect disappears. Included from the Starter plan at £9 a month, with a 14-day trial and no card.