Nameservers are servers that are responsible for translating human-friendly domain names into IP addresses that computers can understand. Whenever you enter a website’s domain name (e.g. example.com) into your web browser, your computer sends a request to a nameserver to obtain the corresponding IP address. The nameserver then returns the IP address to your computer, which uses it to connect to the website’s server and load the website.
For instance, let’s say you own the domain name “example.com,” and you host your website with a hosting provider. You would need to set the nameservers for your domain to point to the hosting provider’s nameservers. This allows visitors to access your website by entering “example.com” into their web browser, and the nameservers ensure that their request is routed to the correct server where your website is hosted.
Nameservers play a critical role in ensuring that websites and other online services are available to users, they are the backbone of the internet’s DNS system, allowing users to access websites using human-readable domain names instead of complicated IP addresses.
How to change the nameservers of a domain,
To change the nameservers of a domain you will need to follow the steps below:
Note that changing the nameservers of a domain can affect the website and email services associated with the domain, so it’s important to ensure that you have updated all relevant settings accordingly.
- Log in to your domain registrar’s account. This is where you registered your domain name navigate to the domain management section of your account.
- Look for an option to manage the nameservers for your domain, domain management or DNS management section. This may be labeled as “Nameservers,” “DNS Settings,” or something similar.
- Select the option to “Edit” or “Change” the nameservers for your domain.
- Enter the new nameserver information provided by your hosting provider. You’ll typically need to enter at least two nameservers, and they’ll look something like this: ns1.yourhostingprovider.com and ns2.yourhostingprovider.com, and you can obtain them from your hosting provider or domain name system (DNS) service.
- Save the changes to your nameservers and exit the domain management section.
It’s important to note that it may take up to 48 hours for the new nameserver information to propagate across the internet. During this time, your website and email may be unavailable, so plan accordingly.