---
id: "primary-and-secondary-server"
kind: "glossary-term"
title: "primary and secondary servers"
language: "en"
category: "DNS and technical foundations"
updated: "2026-10-04T14:01:23Z"
canonical: "https://tldlog.com/glossary/primary-and-secondary-server/"
translations:
  es: "https://tldlog.com/es/glosario/servidor-primario-servidor-secundario/"
  de: "https://tldlog.com/de/glossar/primaerer-sekundaerer-nameserver/"
  fr: "https://tldlog.com/fr/glossaire/serveur-primaire-serveurs-secondaires/"
  it: "https://tldlog.com/it/glossario/server-primario-server-secondari/"
  pt-BR: "https://tldlog.com/pt/glossario/servidor-primario-servidores-secundarios/"
  ru: "https://tldlog.com/ru/glossariy/pervichnyy-vtorichnyy-servery/"
  zh-Hans: "https://tldlog.com/zh/cihui/zhu-fuwuqi-fuzhu-fuwuqi/"
---

# primary and secondary servers

The two roles of authoritative name servers for a zone. The primary holds the copy where changes are made. Secondaries fetch copies from it and answer queries in the same way. Users cannot tell them apart. Spreading secondaries across networks keeps a domain reachable if one fails.

## related terms

- [authoritative server](https://tldlog.com/glossary/authoritative-server/)
- [zone transfer](https://tldlog.com/glossary/zone-transfer/)
- [name server](https://tldlog.com/glossary/name-server/)
- [SOA record](https://tldlog.com/glossary/soa-record/)
- [TSIG](https://tldlog.com/glossary/tsig/)