Difference between authoritative DNS and recursive DNS servers

Authoritative DNS servers are responsible for providing DNS responses for a specific domain or zone. They hold the official information and records for a domain and are authoritative sources for that information.

On the other hand, recursive DNS servers are responsible for resolving DNS queries by recursively querying other DNS servers until they obtain the final answer. These servers do not hold the official records for any domain, but they assist in resolving DNS queries for end users.

In summary, authoritative DNS servers provide the official information for a domain, while recursive DNS servers help in resolving DNS queries by recursively querying other servers.