Nameserver

An essential cog of the Domain Name System. Nameservers are used to coordinate domain names with specific server IP addresses. This allows for web users to simply type the domain name of a website they wish to access into their browser instead of the full server IP address, which would be much harder to remember.

Nameservers are usually subdomains using naming conventions such as ns1.serveraddress.com and ns2.serveraddress.com. Every domain name requires at least two nameservers (primary nameserver and a secondary for backup purposes) to be setup with the domain registrar used to purchase the domain. The nameservers of a domain can be identified by making use of a WHOIS lookup website, e.g., Whois.sc.

Private Nameservers

Private nameservers are custom nameservers that use your own domain, such as ns1.mydomain.com. Web hosts who use a reseller account to provide hosting services often use private nameservers for a variety of reasons, including:

• Makes it less noticeable the host is a reseller selling services of another provider.
• Easier to update DNS when needed. When customers are using your own private nameservers you can simply update the IP addresses of your nameservers, instead of having customers update DNS at their domain registrar for every website you host.
• To be more professional. It appears very amateurish and sends the wrong message to your customers if you're selling hosting services and using the nameservers of another hosting provider.