What are nameservers and DNS records?
DNS is like a phone book for the internet. It turns a website name into a number that computers understand. A nameserver is the computer that holds your page of that phone book. DNS records are the lines on that page. Each line has a job.
| Record | What it does |
|---|---|
| A | Points a name to an IP address |
| CNAME | Points one name to another name |
| MX | Says where email should go |
| TXT | Holds notes, often for email safety |
| NS | Lists the nameservers |
Why check them?
- You changed nameservers and want to see if it worked.
- Your site or email stopped working.
- You moved to a new host.
Method 1: an online checker
- Open a free DNS lookup website in your browser. Many exist. Pick one you trust.
- Type your domain name, like
yourdomain.com. - Choose the record type, such as NS or A.
- Click the lookup button.
- Read the results.
Method 2: on your own computer
On Windows, open Command Prompt. On Mac or Linux, open Terminal. Then type:
nslookup -type=ns yourdomain.comThis shows the nameservers for your domain.
nslookup -type=mx yourdomain.comThis shows where your email goes.
On Mac or Linux you can also use dig.
dig yourdomain.com NS +shortThis prints only the nameserver names.
How to read the result
Compare the nameservers with the ones you expect. If they are different, your change has not spread yet, or it was not saved. Changes can take up to 48 hours to reach everyone. This waiting time is called propagation.
Tip: To change nameservers for a domain you registered with Hostvento, log in to the client area and open Domains.
Quick recap
- DNS is the internet's phone book.
- Nameservers hold your DNS records.
- Use an online lookup tool, or
nslookupanddig. - If results look old, wait and check again.
- Ask support if the records still look wrong.