Knowledge Base :: Direct DNS :: DNS Records

How is a nameserver different from DNS records?

When you enter a domain name, the internet needs to know where to find your website and email. It starts by checking the Name Servers, which are like the directory for your domain. The Name Servers tell the domain where to find the DNS Records, which are the instructions for where to find your website, email, and other services. There are typically two or four Name Servers in which the second, third, fourth, etc. are used for redundancy in case the first one fails. If you use Directnic’s default Name Servers (like ns0.directnic.com), your domain will use the DNS records stored in the DNS Manager of your Directnic account. But if you switch to a different Name Server, like one provided by your hosting provider, your domain will use the DNS records stored with them instead. If the Name Servers are set to the Directnic Hosting Name Servers (ns1.dnchosting.com, etc.), the domain will ignore the DNS records in the Directnic account's DNS Manager and instead use the DNS records in the Zone Editor under the "Domains" header in your Hosting Console. Thus, changing the Name Servers away from the Directnic Defaults effectively "turns off" the DNS records in the Directnic account's DNS Manager.

For example, when someone visits example.com, the Name Servers direct the request to the DNS records, which then point to the specific server that hosts your website. The flowchart for this process is:

Domain Name → Name Servers → DNS Records → Host Server.

DNS records include:
A Record: Points to the IP address (For example, 123.45.67.8) where your website is hosted.
MX Record: Directs email to your email server.
CNAME Record: Used for subdomains, pointing them to another DNS record.
TXT Record: Used for verification and other special purposes.

Another way to put it is that the Name Servers can be compared to a phonebook that stores DNS records instead of phone numbers, where it is easier to look up the phone number (DNS record) associated with it instead of remembering everyone's phone number. When you change the nameservers for your domain name, you are effectively replcaing the phone book with a different phone book, updating every DNS record you have associated with your domain name at once.