---
title: "Glue records"
description: "Glue records are DNS entries that tie a nameserver to its IP in the parent zone. Learn the circular dependency problem and custom nameserver setup."
url: "https://nodea.io/en/glossary/glue-records"
lang: "en"
updated: "2026-07-13"
---

# Glue records

> Glue records are DNS entries that provide the IP address of a nameserver located within the very domain it serves, resolving the circular dependency that would otherwise make the domain unresolvable.

**Glue records** are special entries in the [DNS](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/dns) stored in the parent domain's zone that supply the IP address of a nameserver located inside the domain that nameserver serves. Their job is to break a circular dependency that would otherwise make such a domain impossible to resolve.

## The problem glue records solve

Imagine the domain *mycompany.com*, whose nameserver is *ns1.mycompany.com*. To learn that server's IP address, a resolver would have to query the DNS of *mycompany.com* — but to do that, it needs the very address *ns1.mycompany.com*. A chicken-and-egg loop forms.

The solution is to place an extra [A](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/a-record) or AAAA record alongside the [NS](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ns-record) record in the parent zone (for many TLDs, at the registry operator). This record "glues" the nameserver's name to its IP address, so the resolver immediately receives the complete information and can continue the lookup.

## Practical application

Glue records are configured mainly when a domain owner runs their own nameservers within the same domain. This applies to hosting providers and companies that prefer not to rely on external DNS services and instead maintain branded nameservers such as *ns1.brand.com* and *ns2.brand.com*.

The entries are created in the registrar's panel, in the section for registering nameservers (sometimes called "host records" or "child nameservers"). Keep in mind that changing glue records is subject to normal [DNS propagation](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/dns-propagation) and can take up to 48 hours for the new values to spread across the internet. Misconfigured glue records make the entire domain unreachable, so their setup deserves especially careful verification.

### When are glue records needed?

Glue records are required when a domain's nameserver lives inside the same domain it serves (for example ns1.mycompany.com for the domain mycompany.com). Without them a circular dependency would form and the domain could not be resolved. They are usually configured in the registrar's panel.

## Related

- [DNS](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/dns)
- [DNS Server](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/dns-server)
- [NS record](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ns-record)
- [A record](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/a-record)
- [DNS propagation](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/dns-propagation)

---

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