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What Is a Name Server?

A name server, abbreviated as NS, is a server application that provides name resolution services and answers queries about names or directory information. It typically translates human-readable names (such as domain names) into numeric identifiers, such as IP addresses, that computer systems use for routing and addressing.

On the Internet, the most common type of name server is the Domain Name System (DNS) server. The core function of a DNS server is to resolve easy-to-remember domain names and hostnames into their corresponding numeric Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, which are used to identify and locate computer systems and other resources on the Internet.

What Is the Purpose of Name Server Lookup?

In the domain name system, all name servers together form a distributed database used to store domain names and their corresponding IP address information. Through DNS records, name servers can resolve familiar domain names into numeric IP addresses. This allows users to simply enter a URL, while the name server tells the browser which server to contact and which page to load, without requiring users to remember complex IP addresses.

By looking up name servers or related DNS records, you can:

Confirm which IP address a domain name currently resolves to;
See which name servers (NS records) a domain uses;
Troubleshoot access issues caused by incorrect DNS configuration;
Understand domain hosting, DNS providers, routing, and other DNS configuration details.

How Can I Query a Website's Name Servers?

You can query a website's name servers (NS records) by using command-line tools such as nslookup, or by using the online lookup service on this page.

For example, on Windows:

Open Command Prompt (type cmd in the Start menu or search box and press Enter).
In the Command Prompt window, type: nslookup -type=NS example.com
Press Enter to view the list of name servers currently used by that domain.

On this page, you can simply enter a domain name or IP address and submit the query. We will perform DNS lookups (including NS and other related records) through our name servers and return the corresponding resolution results and name server information.

Wikipedia : Name server(en)

A name server refers to the server component of the Domain Name System (DNS), one of the two principal namespaces of the Internet. The most important function of DNS servers is the translation (resolution) of human-memorable domain names (example.com) and hostnames into the corresponding numeric Internet Protocol (IP) addresses (93.184.216.34), the second principal name space of the Internet which is used to identify and locate computer systems and resources on the Internet.

Although it is typically used in reference to DNS, the term name server may also be used for any computer application that implements a network service for providing responses to queries against a directory service which translates an often humanly meaningful, text-based identifier to a system-internal, often numeric identification or addressing component. This service is performed by the server in response to a service protocol request.

Domain Name Server

The Internet maintains two principal namespaces: the domain name hierarchy and the IP address system. The Domain Name System maintains the domain namespace and provides translation services