DNS Explained
What Is a Nameserver and How Does It Point Your Domain?
A nameserver is the address book entry that tells the internet which server actually holds your domain's DNS records — get it wrong and nothing resolves at all.
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In short
What is a nameserver? A nameserver is a server that stores and answers queries for a domain's authoritative DNS records — the entries that map your domain to an IP address, mail server and other services. When you register a domain, you assign it to a set of nameservers, usually your host's, and every DNS lookup for that domain gets routed there first.
Pointing a domain at Hosting Cheap means updating its nameservers at your registrar to the ones your hosting account provides, after which DNS records, SSL and free managed migration can all be set up on the new side.
Every domain lookup starts with a question — which server actually knows where this domain's website, mail and other services live? — and a nameserver is the answer. Nameservers are specialized DNS servers that hold the authoritative records for a domain: the A record pointing to a web server's IP address, the MX records routing email, and any other DNS entries a domain needs. Your domain registrar stores which nameservers are assigned to your domain, and every device trying to reach it consults those nameservers first.
Changing where a domain is hosted usually means changing its nameservers, not just uploading files to a new server. Hosting Cheap provides nameservers as part of every hosting account, and free managed migration includes getting DNS set up correctly on the new side, so switching a domain over doesn't mean untangling records by hand.
What Is a Nameserver in the DNS Chain?
The domain name system works as a layered lookup: a browser asks a root server which servers handle a domain's extension (.com, .net, and so on), that registry points to the nameservers assigned to the specific domain, and those nameservers finally answer with the actual records — the IP address a browser should connect to, the mail servers for that domain's email, and anything else defined in its DNS zone.
A nameserver, in that chain, is the last stop before an actual answer — it's the server that holds the authoritative copy of a domain's DNS zone file and responds to queries about it directly, rather than pointing further down the chain.
How a Nameserver Connects Your Domain to Its Host
When you register a domain, it's assigned a pair (usually at least two, for redundancy) of nameservers at your registrar's control panel. Those nameservers don't have to belong to the company you bought the domain from — they're commonly set to whichever host is actually serving the website, which is why moving hosts often starts with a nameserver change rather than a file transfer.
Once a domain's nameservers point to Hosting Cheap, the DNS zone on that side controls where the domain resolves — the A record for the website, MX records for email, and any subdomains or additional records the site needs, all managed from one place rather than split across two providers.
What Actually Changes When You Update Nameservers
Updating a domain's nameservers effectively hands off DNS management to a new provider, which means every record — website, email, subdomains — needs to exist correctly on the new side before or shortly after the switch, or those services can briefly stop resolving. Free managed migration is built around avoiding that gap, setting up DNS on the new nameservers to match the existing setup before the switch takes effect.
Nameserver changes also take time to propagate globally — anywhere from a few minutes to about 24-48 hours, as different DNS resolvers around the internet update their cached records at their own pace. That propagation window is normal, and it's why a nameserver change is usually planned rather than made without warning.
Nameservers vs DNS Records: Don't Confuse the Two
A nameserver and a DNS record are related but different things. The nameserver is the server that holds and answers for a domain's DNS zone; a DNS record is one individual entry inside that zone — an A record, an MX record, a CNAME, and so on. Changing a single DNS record, like updating where a subdomain points, doesn't require changing nameservers at all.
Nameservers only need to change when you're moving DNS management itself to a new provider — typically when switching web hosts. Adjusting individual records, by contrast, happens far more often and is a much smaller change, handled inside whichever nameservers are already assigned to the domain.
DNS Handled Correctly When You Switch Hosts
Moving a domain to a new host means more than uploading a website — the domain's nameservers need to point to the new provider, and every DNS record that mattered on the old setup needs to exist correctly on the new one.
Free managed migration on Hosting Cheap plans includes getting that DNS setup right, so a nameserver change doesn't mean an email outage or a broken subdomain in the gap.
- Nameservers hold the authoritative DNS records for your domain
- Switching hosts usually means updating your domain's nameservers
- Propagation can take minutes to about 24-48 hours globally
- Free migration sets up matching DNS before the switch takes effect
Why Hosting Cheap
What you get
Nameservers included
Every Hosting Cheap plan comes with nameservers ready to point your domain at, no separate DNS provider needed.
Free managed migration
DNS records get set up on the new side correctly before your nameserver change takes effect.
24/7 human support
Real people to help if a DNS record or nameserver change needs troubleshooting.
Free auto-renewing SSL
Once your domain resolves to the new nameservers, SSL is issued and renewed automatically.
Daily backups
Your site and its DNS-dependent configuration are protected once hosted here.
30-day money-back guarantee
Confirm your domain resolves correctly and every service still works before you're fully committed.
How It Works
Get set up in a few steps
Get your new nameservers
Sign up for a Hosting Cheap plan and receive the nameservers your account uses.
Update them at your registrar
Log into wherever your domain is registered and change its nameservers to the new ones.
Let migration and propagation finish
Free managed migration sets up matching DNS while nameserver changes propagate, typically within 24-48 hours.
Included
Everything you need, on every plan
- Know which nameservers your domain currently uses
- Confirm DNS records (A, MX, CNAME) are set up on the new side
- Update nameservers at your domain registrar, not your old host
- Allow up to 24-48 hours for global propagation
- Use free managed migration to avoid an email or site gap
- Verify SSL reissues correctly once DNS points to the new host
- Check email routing (MX records) specifically after the switch
- Keep the 30-day money-back guarantee in mind while you test
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is a nameserver?
A nameserver is a server that stores and answers queries for a domain's authoritative DNS records, including where its website and email should resolve to.
Do I need to change nameservers to switch web hosts?
Usually, yes. Nameservers control where a domain's DNS records live, and moving hosting typically means pointing your domain at the new host's nameservers so its records take effect.
How long does a nameserver change take to work?
Propagation across the internet's DNS resolvers typically takes anywhere from a few minutes up to about 24-48 hours, as different resolvers update their cached records at their own pace.
Will changing nameservers break my email?
It can, briefly, if MX records aren't set up correctly on the new nameservers before the switch. Free managed migration is built to set that up in advance to avoid a gap.
What's the difference between a nameserver and a DNS record?
A nameserver hosts and answers for a domain's entire DNS zone. A DNS record is one entry inside that zone, like an A record or MX record. Changing one record doesn't require changing nameservers.
Can Hosting Cheap handle my nameserver and DNS setup during migration?
Yes, free managed migration includes setting up DNS records on the new nameservers to match your existing configuration before the switch takes effect.
Related hosting
Domains
Register or transfer a domain and manage its nameservers from one account.
Web Hosting
NVMe hosting from $2.09/mo, with nameservers included and free migration.
Email Hosting
MX records pointed correctly so professional email keeps working through a nameserver switch.
SSL Certificates
Free auto-renewing SSL issues once your domain resolves to its new nameservers.
Point Your Domain at Hosting That Handles DNS Correctly
Move your domain and site over free, with DNS set up before the nameserver switch takes effect.
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