What Is a Name Server? How to Change Name Servers for a Domain

If you have ever tried to point your domain to a web hosting service, you have almost certainly met the term nameserver at least once. So what is a nameserver? How do you change the nameserver for a domain? Read on to find out everything about What is a nameserver today.

What is a nameserver?

NameServer is also known as a Domain Name Server or DNS Server. Its main role is to connect a URL to the an IP address server in the way that is friendliest and most convenient for users. Thanks to nameservers, a website's domain name is translated into an IP address. Nameservers also help coordinate how a website's domain works as efficiently as possible.

Key features of a nameserver

A nameserver has 3 key features:

• A nameserver stores domain names and their matching IP addresses: A nameserver works like a huge directory. It can store a large number of domain names, each matched to a different IP address. All these IP addresses are gathered at a registry. That is why, to visit a website, users only need to type the domain name into the browser bar and that is it.
• Converting domain names into IP addresses: Once the nameserver finds the matching IP address, the domain name can be resolved to a string of IP numbers. This is essential for finding the website you want.
• Up to 8 hours for information to propagate: After registration, for extensions such as .com and .net, nameservers keep updating information with each other for up to 8 hours. For other extensions (sub -domain) propagation takes longer, up to 48 hours.

Why you may need to change the nameserver for a domain

One of the main reasons to change the nameserver for a domain is when the website's domain is managed and held by one company, but the user wants to find and rent a better web hosting service. Before switching hosting providers, the user can choose one of 3 options:

• Transfer the domain to a new provider: Transferring a domain this way usually costs extra, because the domain is renewed when it is moved or changed.
• Change the DNS A record: Many experts do not recommend this, because it depends on the a static IP. If the hosting IP changes, you need to point the A record again. If you do not, the website will stop working.
• Change the domain's nameserver: By updating the nameserver, you can quickly hand over DNS control of the domain to another provider.

Of these 3 options, changing the nameserver is still the most common and widely used. Its advantages are that it is simple, costs nothing and does not require much technical skill. The main purpose of changing a domain's nameserver is to move DNS control of the domain to another provider, so that DNS settings can be managed more efficiently.

Step-by-step guide to changing a domain's nameserver

When learning what a nameserver is, one of the things people care about most is how to change the nameserver for a domain. Below are the detailed steps to change a domain's nameserver that we want to share with you:

Log in to the domain management page and buy a suitable domain

To change a domain's nameserver, you first need to log in to the domain management page and buy a domain from that hosting provider. One important note is to use the correct link. Depending on its operations and field of business, each company decides which domain to buy.

Get the nameserver information

Once you have bought a suitable domain, you need to get the nameserver information. There are 2 common ways to do this:

• Method 1: Get the nameserver information through the email address the user registered the domain with. To get the nameserver information quickly and accurately, you can also contact the provider directly.
• Method 2: Get the nameserver information from your hosting account. To do this, first log in to your account, then follow this process:

Log in to the account => Select domain management => Select the domain you want to change => Click Manage, and finally select NameServer. The advantage of this method is that users can easily see the nameserver information in the system of the domain provider. However, note that how you get nameserver information from your hosting account differs from one domain provider to another. So one of the fastest approaches is to contact the provider directly.

Change the nameserver

How to change a domain's nameserver differs by hosting provider, but the basic process is broadly similar. The specific steps are as follows: as in step 1, first log in to the domain management page. Then go to Domain => All Domain and finally click Set NameServer. The main screen then shows a form for changing the information. Providers name things differently, with 2 main options:

• NameServer #1 / primary NameServer
• NameServer #2/Secondary NameServer

Some services even have Web Hosting Nameserver #3, #4 and so on. The names differ somewhat, but the arrangement is much the same, and they are all filled in the same order. Next, enter the information about the hosting company you got in step 2 into the form in this order:

• The first NameServer corresponds to ns1
• The second NameServer corresponds to ns2

Keep going like this until you run out of name servers. Usually each domain has at least 2 nameservers linked to it.

Finish changing the domain's nameserver

With a few simple steps, you have changed the domain's nameserver. But the process does not end there. You need to wait for the change to be confirmed. On average, confirmation takes from 2 hours to 2 days. After that, if the confirmation succeeds, you can start working with your new domain setup. In this article, we have shared everything about What is a nameserver? We hope this helps you understand the term nameserver better and know how to change the nameserver for a domain.