You may have come across the word “nameserver” if you operate your own website. You may, however, have no true idea of what Nameservers is or how it works. Knowing a little about this concept, it turns out, can help you manage your website.
In simple words, nameservers help browsers establish links between URLs and websites. They’re essential since we’d have to memorize IP addresses to visit websites if we didn’t have them. You’ll be able to set up a new nameserver if the necessity arises once you’ve grasped the fundamentals of nameservers.
If you bought your domain from one registrar and hosted it with another, make sure your nameservers are set up correctly. Other domain names may need to be pointed to your website, your mail server may need to be updated, and you may need to set up a private nameserver for your website.
We’ll go through what nameservers are, what they do, and why nameservers are important for your website in this article.
What is a Nameserver?
A nameserver, often known as a “name server,” is a server that is responsible for converting domain names into IP addresses. It handles client inquiries regarding the location of a domain name and associated services on DNS servers, such as from a computer or tablet.
A nameserver is any server that has DNS software installed. However, the term is usually used to refer to a hosting provider’s web server, which handles and maintains its customers’ domain names.
How do Nameservers work?
As you’re probably aware, every device connected to the internet can be identified using a unique IP address. Nameservers are part of the Domain Name System (DNS), a vast database that acts as a directory for devices and the IP addresses associated with them.
Nameservers use this information to convert domain names into numerical IP addresses, which our computers can understand. This procedure is so fast that it is almost unnoticeable. Simply put in a URL in your browser, and the nameserver informs your browser of the website’s location, allowing the desired page to load.
We’d have to type long IP addresses into our browsers whenever we needed to visit a website if we didn’t have this method. As a result, the service given by nameservers is priceless.
Why Nameservers are Important For Your Website
you might be thinking, “What does a nameserver have to do with my website?”
When you set up a site, you want people to be able to discover it on the internet, and nameservers help you do that.
A nameserver determines the location of your website. You should know your nameserver just like a barbershop owner should know their address.
You’ll need to know your nameserver in a lot of situations. If you purchased a domain name from a different registrar than your web hosting platform, for example, you’ll need to point it to the correct location.
However, if you decide to switch web hosting providers, you can point your domain name to the nameservers of your new provider. Your traffic will not be affected, and you will not have to start from scratch with a new domain name.
Default Nameserver and Custom Nameserver
A set of name servers, also known as default name servers, is assigned to each new domain name when registered. These name servers are the registrar’s or hosting company’s default name servers, and they are used to keep the domain name active from the start.
For example, the nameserver for Namecheap Hosting are:
- dns1.namecheaphosting.com
- dns2.namecheaphosting.com
You can run your own name server to respond to DNS requests for your domains using a custom nameserver. If you want to hide the fact that public name servers handle your domain’s DNS requests, you may set up custom name servers for branding purposes.
Conclusion
Nameservers are mandatory. We would have to memorize IP addresses if we didn’t have them to access websites. Nameservers operate so swiftly that you and your visitors are unlikely to notice them, and you won’t need to change them in most cases.
I hope you’ve now understood the purpose of Nameservers. If Yes! Then please share this helpful content with your colleagues. Also, if you’ve any questions related to Nameservers, you can ask them in the comment section below. We will reply to it at the earliest.