A domain was moved to a new DNS provider and you need to confirm which nameservers are actually delegated.
Delegation / Authoritative NS Check
Verify domain delegation and inspect the active authoritative nameserver set.
Use this DNS tool to confirm which nameservers are actually authoritative for a public zone, compare the active authority against the provider you expected, and catch delegation mismatches before chasing record-level issues.
Verify delegation before changing records, checking propagation, or troubleshooting DNS failures.
Lookup result
example.com
NOERROR
Type Value TTL
No delegation records were returned for this domain by the resolver.
What this tool does
Delegation / Authoritative NS Check queries the public NS and SOA responses for a root domain so you can compare the active authority against the DNS provider and zone you expected to be live.
Use it to confirm whether the domain is delegated to the correct nameserver set and to catch cases where records were edited in a non-authoritative DNS account.
It does not directly query every authoritative server itself. This is still a resolver-based public check, so results can vary by resolver or during propagation.
When to use this tool
Records were updated, but nothing changed publicly because edits may have been made in a non-authoritative DNS zone.
You suspect the registrar nameserver set does not match the DNS provider hosting the zone.
Different lookup tools show conflicting answers and you need a delegation-focused next step.
A website, email setup, or certificate change is failing because the wrong nameservers are active.
You want a quick authority check before moving to propagation, SOA, DNSSEC, or record-level troubleshooting.
How to use Delegation / Authoritative NS Check
- Enter the root domain you want to verify.
- Run the lookup to request the live NS and SOA responses from a public recursive resolver.
- Review the returned nameserver set and SOA data.
- Compare that result with your registrar settings and the DNS provider you expected to be authoritative.
- If the authority looks wrong, fix delegation first before editing records or chasing propagation.
How to interpret delegation results
Delegation returned
Likely meaning: The resolver returned one or more NS records for the domain.
Common causes: This usually means the domain has an active delegated authoritative nameserver set visible from the resolver used by the page.
Next action: Compare the returned nameservers with the registrar settings and the DNS provider you expected to be authoritative.
Nameservers unexpected
Likely meaning: Delegation exists, but the returned nameservers are not the set you expected.
Common causes: This often happens after DNS migrations, registrar changes, or editing records in the wrong provider account.
Next action: Fix delegation at the registrar first, then re-check the active nameserver set and the zone data.
SOA looks different than expected
Likely meaning: The SOA record suggests a different primary authority or serial than you expected.
Common causes: The active zone may be hosted in a different provider, the wrong zone may be live, or one provider may still be serving stale data.
Next action: Compare the SOA result with the zone you intended to publish and verify which provider is authoritative.
No NS records returned
Likely meaning: The lookup did not return a visible delegated nameserver set.
Common causes: The domain may be wrong, the zone may not exist, or there may be delegation issues higher in the DNS chain.
Next action: Confirm the exact root domain, then compare with NS Lookup and registrar configuration.
NXDOMAIN
Likely meaning: The queried domain does not exist in DNS.
Common causes: Typos, expired domains, or querying the wrong name are common causes.
Next action: Verify the exact domain and whether the zone exists before troubleshooting delegation further.
SERVFAIL
Likely meaning: The recursive resolver could not complete the delegation check successfully.
Common causes: Broken delegation, DNSSEC failure, or authoritative nameserver issues are common causes.
Next action: Run DNSSEC Check, verify nameserver health, and compare results with another resolver.
Common DNS issues this tool helps uncover
Registrar nameservers point to the wrong DNS provider
Zone edits were made in a provider that is not authoritative
Partial migration where old and new DNS providers were both involved
SOA data does not match the zone you expected to be active
Delegation changed recently and some resolvers still show older data
DNSSEC breaks resolution even though the domain appears delegated
Authoritative nameservers are inconsistent or stale
Next steps after Delegation / Authoritative NS Check
Run NS Lookup
Use the simpler NS view when you only want the active nameserver set for the domain.
Check DNS Lookup
After delegation looks right, verify the actual records being served for the domain.
Check DNS propagation
Use this after registrar or nameserver changes when some resolvers may still show older delegation.
Validate DNSSEC
If delegation looks right but resolution still fails, DNSSEC may be breaking validation.
Related tools
NS Lookup
Check authoritative name servers and delegation for a domain.
DNS Lookup
Query A, AAAA, CNAME, TXT, and other DNS records for a domain.
DNS Propagation Check
Verify whether recent DNS changes are visible across resolvers.
DNSSEC Check
Validate whether a domain has DNSSEC configured correctly.
MX Lookup
Inspect mail exchange records and delivery destinations for a domain.
HTTP Check
Review HTTP response status, headers, and redirect behavior.
Delegation / Authoritative NS Check FAQ
What does Delegation / Authoritative NS Check do?
It checks the delegated NS records for a domain and also looks at SOA data so you can compare the active authority against the DNS provider and zone you expected to be live.
What input should I enter?
Enter the root domain such as example.com. Delegation checks are most useful at the zone level, not for full URLs or deep hostnames.
Why do the returned nameservers matter?
They show which provider is actually authoritative for the public zone. If records are edited somewhere else, those changes will not affect live DNS.
What should I check after this page?
Usually DNS Lookup, propagation, SOA consistency, and DNSSEC if the domain still resolves incorrectly.
How is this different from NS Lookup?
NS Lookup focuses on the returned NS records. Delegation / Authoritative NS Check adds a stronger authority-focused workflow and surfaces SOA context as part of the result.