Glue records are IP addresses for nameservers when the nameserver is in the same domain it serves.
When You Need Them
Required when your nameservers are subdomains of your domain:
Domain: example.com Nameservers: ns1.example.com, ns2.example.com
Without glue records, this creates a circular dependency - can't resolve the domain without the nameserver, can't find the nameserver without the domain.
Example
example.com NS ns1.example.com example.com NS ns2.example.com # Glue records: ns1.example.com A 192.0.2.1 ns2.example.com A 192.0.2.2
Setting Glue Records
Glue records are set at your domain registrar, not in DNS Manager:
- Log into your domain registrar account
- Find nameserver management
- Register custom nameservers
- Enter nameserver hostname and IP
Common Setups
Using ArkHost nameservers (no glue needed):
ns1.arkhost.com ns2.arkhost.com
Custom nameservers (glue required):
ns1.yourdomain.com - 192.0.2.1 ns2.yourdomain.com - 192.0.2.2
Important Notes
- Only needed when nameserver is subdomain of the domain it serves
- Set at registrar, not hosting provider
- Both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses can be used
- Changes can take 24-48 hours to propagate
Checking Glue Records
dig +trace yourdomain.com whois yourdomain.com | grep "Name Server"
Common Issues
- Missing glue: Domain won't resolve at all
- Wrong IP in glue: Domain resolves to wrong server
- Outdated glue: Still pointing to old server after IP change
