What Are Nameservers and How Do They Work?

When you set up a website, you will be asked to “point your nameservers” — and it is one of those steps that sounds far more technical than it is. In short, nameservers are the servers that hold your domain’s DNS records and tell the internet where to find your website and email.

How nameservers fit in

Your domain needs to know where its DNS records live. Nameservers are that home. When you point your domain to a set of nameservers, you are saying “look here for all the details about where my site and email should go.” From there, the DNS system takes over.

VernalWeb nameservers usually look something like ns1.vernalweb.com and ns2.vernalweb.com.

Pointing your domain to nameservers

To connect a domain to your hosting, you set its nameservers at your registrar (the company you bought the domain from):

1. Log in to wherever your domain is registered.
2. Find the nameserver settings for your domain.
3. Replace the existing nameservers with your hosting provider’s.
4. Save, and wait for the change to spread.

Our step-by-step guide on updating nameservers of a domain shows exactly how.

Custom (private) nameservers

Resellers and agencies sometimes prefer branded nameservers like ns1.yourbrand.com. You can set these up too — see registering private nameservers.

Frequently asked questions

How long do nameserver changes take?

Usually a few hours, sometimes up to 24–48 while the change propagates. See DNS propagation.

Nameservers vs DNS records — what’s the difference?

Nameservers are where your DNS records are stored. DNS records are the individual instructions (like A and MX records) kept there.

Do I change nameservers at my registrar or my host?

You set them at your registrar (where the domain is registered), pointing them to your host. Then you manage the DNS records at your host.