---
type: concept
title: Authoritative Nameserver
tags: [dns, networking]
related: [dnssec, local-dns-resolver]
created: 2026-07-01
updated: 2026-07-01
sources: ["output/rz_uni_greifswald_de_support_dokumentation_anleitungen_dnssec.md"]
---

# Authoritative Nameserver

An **Authoritative Nameserver** is the server that holds the actual, definitive DNS records for a specific zone (e.g., `uni-greifswald.de`). It is the final authority on the IP address or other records associated with a domain.

## Limitation regarding DNSSEC
While an authoritative nameserver provides the signed records, it does not perform the *validation* for the client. A client querying an authoritative nameserver directly will not receive a "DNSSEC-validated" response. To achieve validation, the client must use a [[local-dns-resolver]] to verify the signatures provided by the authoritative server.