{"id":861,"date":"2012-12-19T14:41:15","date_gmt":"2012-12-19T19:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/2012\/12\/19\/what-is-a-name-server\/"},"modified":"2023-12-01T12:08:01","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T17:08:01","slug":"what-is-a-name-server","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Name Server?"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/whatisanameserver-1024x538.png\" alt=\"what is a name server title image\" class=\"wp-image-82069\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/whatisanameserver-1024x538.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/whatisanameserver-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/whatisanameserver-768x403.png 768w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/whatisanameserver.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1360px) 876px, (min-width: 960px) calc(61.58vw + 51px), calc(100vw - 80px)\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article we\u2019ll explain what a <strong>name server<\/strong> is, and how name servers are used to direct the traffic of your website to a specific web server at a web host. We\u2019ll also go over InMotion Hosting\u2019s public name servers, vanity name servers, and custom name servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"alert alert-info\">The terms <strong>name server<\/strong> and <strong>nameserver<\/strong> are interchangeable and refer to the exact same thing. We wanted to point this out explicitly to avoid any confusion, as you\u2019ll see it displayed both ways across the Internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#what\">What Is a Name Server?<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#requests\">What Do DNS Requests to Name Servers Look Like?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#vanity\">Vanity Name Servers<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#custom\">Custom Name Servers<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#current\">What Name Servers Am I Using?<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#check\">Check from the Windows Command Prompt<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#imh\">What Are InMotion Hosting\u2019s Name Servers?<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#required\">Do I Have to Use These?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#update\">How Do I Update My Name Servers?<\/a><a name=\"explain-name-servers\"><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what\">What Is a Name Server?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A name server is a specialized server on the Internet that handles queries or questions from your local computer about the location of a domain name\u2019s various services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A simple way to think about name servers is using a phone book analogy. If you were trying to call InMotion Hosting you might have remembered our phone number, but more than likely you\u2019d want to look it up before just guessing at numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This same is also true for the Internet and domain names. As an example, you\u2019re reading this article right now on our <strong>InMotionHosting.com<\/strong> domain name.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"408\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/InMotion-Hosting-Infographic-What-Are-Nameservers-408x1024.png\" alt=\"What are Nameservers? InMotion Hosting Infographic covering the types of Nameservers and their purpose. \" class=\"wp-image-106951\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/InMotion-Hosting-Infographic-What-Are-Nameservers-408x1024.png 408w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/InMotion-Hosting-Infographic-What-Are-Nameservers-119x300.png 119w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/InMotion-Hosting-Infographic-What-Are-Nameservers-768x1930.png 768w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/InMotion-Hosting-Infographic-What-Are-Nameservers.png 796w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1360px) 876px, (min-width: 960px) calc(61.58vw + 51px), calc(100vw - 80px)\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"requests\">What Do DNS Requests to Name Servers Look Like?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>How exactly did your computer know what webpage to display for you, or what server to pull it from?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Your web-browser knows you typed\u00a0<strong>InMotionHosting.com<\/strong>\u00a0into the address bar.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your computer then uses DNS to retrieve the current name servers for\u00a0<strong>InMotionHosting.com<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our public name servers;\u00a0<strong>ns1.inmotionhosting.com<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>ns2.inmotionhosting.com<\/strong>\u00a0are retrieved.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your computer asks our name servers for the\u00a0<strong>A (address)<\/strong>\u00a0record for\u00a0<strong>InMotionHosting.com<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our public name servers respond back with the IP address\u00a0<strong>199.250.205.41<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your computer sends a request to that IP address along with the page you\u2019re requesting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our web server hosting\u00a0<strong>InMotionHosting.com<\/strong>\u00a0then sends your web-browser the requested page.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Now if you wanted to, you could bookmark or copy down <strong>http:\/\/<strong>199.250.205.41<\/strong><\/strong> for anytime you\u2019d like to come back to our website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More than likely though, <strong>InMotionHosting.com<\/strong> is going to be much easier for you to remember. This is why name servers exist on the Internet.<a name=\"vanity-name-server\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"vanity\">Vanity Name Servers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/vanity-nameservers-what-are-they-and-how-do-i-set-them-up\/\">vanity name server<\/a> is a name server that is branded to a domain of your choice, instead of our public name servers. This can make your site appear more professional, by masking the fact you\u2019re using our name servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With vanity name servers you are just hiding or masking the hostname of our public name servers, but the IP addresses and the physical servers handling your website\u2019s DNS requests would still be our public name servers.<a name=\"custom-name-server\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"custom\">Custom Name Servers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/using-custom-name-servers\/\">custom name server<\/a> allows you to run your own name server to respond to DNS requests for your domains. Like vanity name servers, the nameserver\u2019s name will have your personal branding. This branding won\u2019t just direct back to a provider\u2019s name server, though, but to one you\u2019ve set up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This gives you a great deal of control, but may not be the best choice for you depending on your sites, server, and traffic. Make sure you\u2019re comfortable managing and optimizing your server resources before you take responsibility for the name server resources as well.<a name=\"what-am-i-using\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"current\">What Name Servers Am I Using?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To check and see the name servers your domain name is currently set to use, you can either use our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/tools\/visual-domain-routing\/\">domain routing tool<\/a> to view this DNS information, or by using the Windows command prompt following the steps below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"check\">Check from the Windows Command Prompt<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"article_list wp-block-list\">\n<li>In Windows click on <strong>Start<\/strong>, in the <strong>Search programs and files<\/strong> field type in <code>cmd<\/code>, then hit <strong>Enter<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With the command prompt opened, type in the following command and hit <strong>Enter<\/strong> <code>nslookup<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You should now be at the <strong>nslookup<\/strong> prompt <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Specify you\u2019d just like to see NS (Name Server) records of the domain by typing in the following: <br><code>set q=NS<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hit <strong style=\"font-size: inherit;\">Enter<\/strong><span style=\"font-size: inherit;\"> to be dropped to the next line, and here is where you\u2019ll type in your domain name<\/span>. For this example we used <strong style=\"font-size: inherit;\">InMotionHosting.com<\/strong><span style=\"font-size: inherit;\"> and we get back our public name servers:<\/span> <br><code>ns1.inmotionhosting.com internet address = 74.124.210.242<br>ns2.inmotionhosting.com internet address = 70.39.150.2<\/code> <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"imh\">What Are InMotion Hosting\u2019s Name Servers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you register your domain name through us, by default you\u2019ll be using our public name servers automatically. If you registered your domain name somewhere else and would like to have the domain hosted with us, you\u2019ll want to update your domain\u2019s name server records to point to our public name servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are InMotion Hosting\u2019s public name servers and IP addresses:<code>ns1.inmotionhosting.com (74.124.210.242)<br>and ns2.inmotionhosting.com (70.39.150.2)<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anytime you\u2019re making DNS changes, especially relating to changing your name servers, it can take between 24-48 hours for those new settings to fully propagate out over the Internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"required\">Do I Have to Use These?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Setting your domain\u2019s name servers are basically just letting your domain Registrar know where to send DNS requests for your domain to. So technically it is <strong>not<\/strong> required that you use our public name servers in order to have your domain name hosted with us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you already have access to directly modify your DNS records for your domain, you can simply modify your DNS records so they directly point to the IP address of the server you\u2019re using with us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So in our case from the earlier example with <strong>InMotionHosting.com<\/strong> we saw the IP address we were getting back from our public name servers was <strong><strong>199.250.205.41<\/strong><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we update the <strong>NS (Name Server)<\/strong> records for <strong>InMotionHosting.com<\/strong> to use <strong>ns1\/2.MyCustomDomain.com<\/strong> instead of our public name servers. As long as we still have an <strong>A (Address)<\/strong> DNS record pointing to <strong><strong>199.250.205.41<\/strong><\/strong> on those name servers as well, the website would still be pulled from the same physical web server.<a name=\"update-name-servers\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"update\">How Do I Update My Name Servers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In order to update your domain name\u2019s name servers, you need to visit your domain registrar and point the domain to the name servers you want to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can read our guide on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/changing-your-domains-nameservers\/\">updating your domain\u2019s name servers<\/a> for more in-depth information on this process. It covers how you can update domain name servers registered through us from our AMP interface. It also contains links to other popular domain registrars and the steps you\u2019d take with them to update your name servers.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"jumbotron\"><p>Add value to your web design business by becoming a reseller. Offer web hosting, email, and domain registration to your services with our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/reseller-hosting\">Reseller Hosting plans<\/a>!<\/p>\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/design.inmotionhosting.com\/assets\/icons\/standard\/check-blue.svg\" alt=\"check mark\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" \/>Fast NVMe SSD Storage    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/design.inmotionhosting.com\/assets\/icons\/standard\/check-blue.svg\" alt=\"check mark\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" \/>Security Suite, Free SSL and Dedicated IPs    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/design.inmotionhosting.com\/assets\/icons\/standard\/check-blue.svg\" alt=\"check mark\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" \/>Unlimited Bandwidth<\/p>\r\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-primary btn-lg\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/reseller-hosting\">Reseller Hosting<\/a><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this article we&#8217;ll explain what a name server is, and how name servers are used to direct the traffic of your website to a specific web server at a web host. We&#8217;ll also go over InMotion Hosting&#8217;s public name servers, vanity name servers, and custom name servers. The terms name server and nameserver are<a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/\"> Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57014,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4348],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dns-nameserver-changes"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Easy Guide to Name Servers | InMotion Hosting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In this article we&#039;ll explain what a name server is, and how name servers are used to direct the traffic of your website to a specific web server at a web host.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Easy Guide to Name Servers | InMotion Hosting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In this article we&#039;ll explain what a name server is, and how name servers are used to direct the traffic of your website to a specific web server at a web host.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"InMotion Hosting Support Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/inmotionhosting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-12-19T19:41:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-01T17:08:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/whatisanameserver.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"InMotion Hosting Contributor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/InMotionHosting\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@InMotionHosting\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"InMotion Hosting Contributor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"InMotion Hosting Contributor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#\/schema\/person\/f9a4fc454cd1df128ee8e898d30d4644\"},\"headline\":\"What Is a Name Server?\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-12-19T19:41:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-01T17:08:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/\"},\"wordCount\":1127,\"commentCount\":34,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/whatisanameserver-1024x538.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"DNS and Nameserver Changes\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/\",\"name\":\"Easy Guide to Name Servers | InMotion Hosting\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/whatisanameserver-1024x538.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-12-19T19:41:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-01T17:08:01+00:00\",\"description\":\"In this article we'll explain what a name server is, and how name servers are used to direct the traffic of your website to a specific web server at a web host.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/whatisanameserver.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/whatisanameserver.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What Is a Name Server?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/\",\"name\":\"InMotion Hosting Support Center\",\"description\":\"Web Hosting Support &amp; Tutorials\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#organization\",\"name\":\"InMotion Hosting\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/inmotion-hosting-logo-yoast.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/inmotion-hosting-logo-yoast.jpg\",\"width\":696,\"height\":696,\"caption\":\"InMotion Hosting\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/inmotionhosting\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/InMotionHosting\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#\/schema\/person\/f9a4fc454cd1df128ee8e898d30d4644\",\"name\":\"InMotion Hosting Contributor\",\"description\":\"InMotion Hosting contributors are highly knowledgeable individuals who create relevant content on new trends and troubleshooting techniques to help you achieve your online goals!\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/inmotion-hosting\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/InMotionHosting\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/author\/inmotion-hosting-contributor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Easy Guide to Name Servers | InMotion Hosting","description":"In this article we'll explain what a name server is, and how name servers are used to direct the traffic of your website to a specific web server at a web host.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Easy Guide to Name Servers | InMotion Hosting","og_description":"In this article we'll explain what a name server is, and how name servers are used to direct the traffic of your website to a specific web server at a web host.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/","og_site_name":"InMotion Hosting Support Center","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/inmotionhosting\/","article_published_time":"2012-12-19T19:41:15+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-12-01T17:08:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/whatisanameserver.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"InMotion Hosting Contributor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/InMotionHosting","twitter_site":"@InMotionHosting","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"InMotion Hosting Contributor","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/"},"author":{"name":"InMotion Hosting Contributor","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#\/schema\/person\/f9a4fc454cd1df128ee8e898d30d4644"},"headline":"What Is a Name Server?","datePublished":"2012-12-19T19:41:15+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-01T17:08:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/"},"wordCount":1127,"commentCount":34,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/whatisanameserver-1024x538.png","articleSection":["DNS and Nameserver Changes"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/","url":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/","name":"Easy Guide to Name Servers | InMotion Hosting","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/whatisanameserver-1024x538.png","datePublished":"2012-12-19T19:41:15+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-01T17:08:01+00:00","description":"In this article we'll explain what a name server is, and how name servers are used to direct the traffic of your website to a specific web server at a web host.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/whatisanameserver.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/whatisanameserver.png","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/what-is-a-name-server\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What Is a Name Server?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/","name":"InMotion Hosting Support Center","description":"Web Hosting Support &amp; Tutorials","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#organization","name":"InMotion Hosting","url":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/inmotion-hosting-logo-yoast.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/inmotion-hosting-logo-yoast.jpg","width":696,"height":696,"caption":"InMotion Hosting"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/inmotionhosting\/","https:\/\/x.com\/InMotionHosting"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#\/schema\/person\/f9a4fc454cd1df128ee8e898d30d4644","name":"InMotion Hosting Contributor","description":"InMotion Hosting contributors are highly knowledgeable individuals who create relevant content on new trends and troubleshooting techniques to help you achieve your online goals!","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/inmotion-hosting\/","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/InMotionHosting"],"url":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/author\/inmotion-hosting-contributor\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"primary_category":{"id":4348,"name":"DNS and Nameserver Changes","slug":"dns-nameserver-changes","link":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/domain-names\/dns-nameserver-changes\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57014"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=861"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108152,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861\/revisions\/108152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}