What are glue records?

Do you use your own nameservers named within the domain itself, for example ns1.example.com for the domain example.com? That creates a chicken-and-egg problem. To find ns1.example.com, the world first has to ask the nameserver of example.com, which is ns1.example.com itself.

A glue record solves this. Besides the nameserver's name, the registry also stores its IP address, so the nameserver can be found directly.

When do you need a glue record?

• When the nameserver falls within the domain it serves, such as ns1.example.com for example.com.
• For .com and other international extensions, also when you use such a nameserver for other domains with the same extension.

Using Knippin's nameservers, or nameservers named outside your domain, such as Cloudflare's? Then you do not need glue records.

Requesting glue records

Create a ticket with:

• the nameserver names, for example ns1.example.com and ns2.example.com;
• the IPv4 address and, if available, the IPv6 address of each nameserver.

We register the glue records with the registry. You can then set the nameservers via Changing nameservers.

Also add A and AAAA records for ns1 and ns2 in the zone itself, with the same IP addresses as in the glue records.