Using Authoritative Nameservers for your web server
Introduction
Use this article to understand how a domain name relies on an “authoritative namserver” to connect web site viewers and email users to your web server. This article is intended for Comstat clients so this guidance is aimed at cPanel users who have moved up from entry level retail services.
Click on the headers below to find out about how to decide where to locate your authoritative nameserver. Click on inmages to view at full-sized resolution.
What is an Authoritative Nameserver?
An authoritative nameserver holds the definitive records for a domain name. It answers queries about domain names with the most accurate and up-to-date information about your web site, email server, and more. For instance, if you want to send an email, your computer has to find your authoritative nameserver to find out how to send your outgoing email and verify that the email legitimate.
To do this, an authoritative nameserver translates domain names (like comstat.uk) into IP addresses (like 192.0.2.1). To read this article, your computer had to find where the web server was that hosts the page you are reading.This way, you can operate email from one server, and email from another.
Using a domain name supplier's Authoritative Nameserver
When you buy a domain name your domain name supplier will provide a standard authotitative nameserver which points to your domain name’s “zone record” – a phone book – which describes where your web site is, and where your email server is. Also, it provides room for you to define records to help prove that your email is legitimate and many more things. It is important that it is safe from malicious hijack.
Pros:
- Reliability – good security, robust global availability
Cons:
- Limited control – limited customization options
- Dependency – you rely on the registrar for DNS management
- Manual entries – records have to be transcribed from cPanel (e.g. webmail.domainname.com)
- Complexity – different suppliers adopt differing methodologies for scripting records
- Resolution – some suppliers take up to 72 hours to resolve DNS
Using your web server as an Authoritative Nameserver
When you use your web server as your Authoritative nameserver, you modify records at your domain name supplier so that your web server becomes the Authoritative nameserver. This is easy to do. It is a simple matter of overwriting the default nameservers with your web server’s nameservers. For instance, we use nameservers like ns1.namesfirst.net and ns2.namesfirst.net. Once the nameservers are modified, all records dealing with your web site, email, webdisk, etc., are handled via cPanel.
Pros:
- Control – you can make changes instantly
- Integration – seamless integration with your email, web site, etc.
- Customization – you can tailor DNS to specialized needs
- SSL – cPanel can automatically align SSL certificates with your web server
Cons:
- Security – greater onus on web server owner to protect against intrusion
Summary - which one?
Entry level web hosting services do not do much more that provide a web site, and email is usually bought as a separate service. As businesses outgrow entry level web hosting, the realities that larger business face become more evident.
If you operate a web site via cPanel which includes email, and you intend to use services like Webdisk and automated SSL, it is probably less effort to use your web server as an authoritative web server.
If you want to provide extra security against a malicious person hacking your authoritative nameserver, consider managing things at your domain name supplier. This will mean copying records from cPanel however, and may limit how your SSL certificate works.
In some case, we manage authoritative nameservers for clients at Cloudflare and Microsoft 365. Both provide Enterprise grade suecurity and resiliency.
Without a working authoritative namserver, web sites, email, and more cease to work. So, at some point businesses have to develop in-house skill or outsource help to manage this critical Internet technology.
