What is the difference between authoritative and recursive DNS servers?

1 Answers
Answered by suresh

What is the difference between authoritative and recursive DNS servers?

Authoritative DNS servers are responsible for providing the official answers to DNS queries for a particular domain. They have the necessary information to directly respond to queries about the IP addresses and other DNS records associated with the domain they are authoritative for.

On the other hand, recursive DNS servers do not have the specific information about domain names and their corresponding IP addresses. Instead, they work by recursively querying multiple authoritative DNS servers to find the requested information. Recursive DNS servers act as intermediaries between the client making the DNS request and the authoritative DNS servers that hold the required information.

In summary, authoritative DNS servers have the actual data and information for a domain, while recursive DNS servers help in finding and delivering that information by querying authoritative DNS servers.

Understanding the difference between authoritative and recursive DNS servers is crucial for effectively managing and troubleshooting DNS-related issues.

Answer for Question: What is the difference between authoritative and recursive DNS servers?