What are Nameservers: How They Work With your Domain in India

You just bought a domain, signed up for hosting, and are hoping everything will work.

But when you type your domain into a browser, nothing happens. Just an error message.

The problem? Your nameservers aren’t configured.

Most Indian domain owners skip this step. They assume domains and hosting connect automatically. They don’t.

Nameservers are the bridge. Without them, your domain is useless. Your website stays invisible. Your emails don’t work.

But here’s the good news.

Understanding nameservers isn’t complicated. Once you get it, you’ll never be confused again.

In this guide, I’ll break down exactly what nameservers are, how they work, and when you need to change them.

What Nameservers Are

Think of your domain as a phone number for your website.

But here’s the thing!

Computers don’t understand domain names like “yourstore.co.in.” They need IP addresses. Long strings of numbers like “203.192.45.78.”

And, nameservers translate your domain into these IP addresses that computers understand.

They’re like a directory service. When someone types your domain, nameservers tell browsers where to find your website.

So, technically, nameservers are specialized servers that store DNS (Domain Name System) records for your domain.

These records contain instructions such as where your website lives, where your emails go, and which services connect to your domain.

And usually, every domain needs at least two nameservers. You’ll see them listed like this:

• ns1.hosting-company.com
• ns2.hosting-company.com

The “ns” stands for nameserver. The numbers indicate primary and backup servers.

But who provides nameservers?

Your hosting provider typically provides nameservers.

For instance, when you buy hosting from Truehost, we give you the nameserver details.

Likewise, your registrar (where you bought the domain) also has default nameservers. But these usually just park your domain. They don’t connect it to your website.

But here’s what confuses people. You can buy your domain from one company and hosting from another.

That’s completely normal. Indians often register domains with one registrar for better prices, then host elsewhere.

However, that’s too much work, while you can get everything, including domain and hosting, from Truehost, at a pocket-friendly cost. 

How Nameservers Work

Let me walk you through what happens when someone visits your website.

It’s a process that takes milliseconds. But understanding it helps you troubleshoot issues.

Step 1: You Type the Domain

Someone types “yourstore.co.in” into their browser.

The browser doesn’t know where to find this website. So it asks for directions.

Step 2: DNS Query Begins

The browser contacts a DNS resolver. Usually provided by the visitor’s internet service provider, such as Jio, Airtel, BSNL, etc.

The resolver’s job is to find the IP address for yourstore.co.in.

Step 3: Finding the Nameservers

The resolver contacts the domain registry. For .co.in domains, that’s the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI).

The registry says: “yourstore.co.in uses these nameservers: ns1.truehost.in and ns2.truehost.in.”

So, the resolver now knows where to ask for more information.

Step 4: Querying Your Nameservers

The resolver contacts ns1.truehost.in.

It asks: “What’s the IP address for yourstore.co.in?”

The nameserver responds: “203.192.45.78.”

Step 5: Browser Connects

The browser now has the IP address.

It connects directly to your web server. Your website loads. And the visitor sees the content of your website.

All of this happens in under a second.

When and Why You Need to Change Your Nameservers

Most people change nameservers in these situations:

• Moving to a new hosting provider: Switching from one host to another? Your old host used their nameservers, while your new host provides different ones. So, you need to update your domain to point to the new hosting.
• Using a website builder: You signed up for Ollit, Wix, Shopify, Squarespace, or another platform? These services often require you to point your domain to their nameservers, so it’s easy to manage all your DNS records. 
• Adding a CDN or security service: Services like Cloudflare offer speed and security benefits. Hence, they require you to change the nameservers to their servers when you need to filter traffic, block attacks, and cache your content globally.
• Consolidating management: You have domains with multiple registrars? It’s a mess to manage. But by pointing all domains to one provider’s nameservers, you simplify DNS management.

Those are just a few cases where you will need to change nameservers. However, some cases may seem like you should change nameservers, but not that way.

For instance, when you’re adding a subdomain. That’s just a DNS record, so no nameserver changes are needed.

Also, when pointing your domain to hosting via A records, some hosts let you do this instead of changing nameservers.

Finally, if you’re renewing your domain, then that doesn’t affect nameservers.

Best Practices for Managing Nameservers for Indian Domain Owners

Nameservers are critical infrastructure. One wrong mistake can lead to your website going offline and even losing important data. 

So, you should manage them carefully, and here are tips that help.

1) Always Keep Backups of Your DNS Records

Before changing nameservers, screenshot all your existing DNS records.

A records. MX records. CNAME records. Everything.

That’s because changing nameservers can erase custom configurations.

And if you had specific email settings, they’re gone. If you had a subdomain pointing somewhere, it breaks.

So, your backup lets you recreate these records at the new nameserver.

2) Use Your Hosting Provider’s Nameservers

Unless you have a specific reason, like Cloudflare, use your hosting provider’s nameservers.

They’re optimized for their infrastructure. Setup is simpler. And if it’s a reliable provider like Truehost, support can help you faster.

Otherwise, mixing nameservers from different providers creates confusion and potential conflicts.

3) Verify Before You Save

One wrong character in a nameserver address breaks everything. So, double-check before saving changes.

Also, to reduce the chances of making errors, copy-paste the nameserver details instead of typing them manually. 

4) Don’t Change Nameservers Frequently

Every change triggers propagation, and your site might be unreachable during this time.

So, plan your infrastructure properly, choose reliable hosting, and stick with it to avoid frequently changing the nameservers.

Otherwise, frequent changes hurt your SEO because search engines don’t like inconsistent DNS configurations.

5) Test After Propagation

Once propagation completes, test everything.

Visit your website. Send test emails. Check subdomains.

You can also use tools like DNS Checker or WhatsMyDNS.net to verify nameserver changes globally.

These tools show you what different parts of the world see for your domain.

6) Monitor Nameserver Status

Set up monitoring to alert you if nameservers go down.

That said, you can use services like UptimeRobot or Pingdom to check if your nameservers are responding.

This helps you detect issues with nameservers even before they grow big enough to the point of breaking your site. 

7) Keep Contact Information Updated

Your registrar needs to reach you about domain and nameserver issues.

So, make sure your email and phone number are current.

That way, security alerts about unauthorized nameserver changes can reach you immediately for quick action.

8) Document Your Setup

Maintain a simple document listing:

• Your domain registrar
• Current nameservers
• Hosting provider
• Last nameserver change date
• Contact information for support

This helps when troubleshooting or training team members.

At Truehost, we provide clear documentation with every hosting account. Nameserver details. Set up instructions. Everything you need in one place.

But regardless of your provider, keep your own records too.

Conclusion

Nameservers aren’t mysterious.

They’re simply the connection between your domain and your hosting. In short, it’s the bridge that makes your website accessible.

Therefore, understanding them gives you control. You can switch hosts confidently, troubleshoot issues faster, and make informed decisions.

What’s important is to always back up your DNS records before making changes. Also, use your hosting provider’s nameservers unless you have specific reasons not to.

Thankfully, if you’re setting up a new website or switching hosting, we’ve made the process simple at Truehost. 

We offer clear nameserver details, step-by-step guidance, and support is available when you need it.

Ready to configure your nameservers? Transfer your website to Truehost and enjoy a seamless process that keeps your site online always.