Root Servers

The authoritative name servers that serve the DNS root zone, commonly known as the “root servers”, are a network of hundreds of servers in many countries around the world. They are configured in the DNS root zone as 13 named authorities, as follows.

List of Root Servers

Hostname IP Addresses Operator
a.root-servers.net 198.41.0.4, 2001:503:ba3e::2:30 Verisign, Inc.
b.root-servers.net 170.247.170.2, 2801:1b8:10::b University of Southern California,
Information Sciences Institute
c.root-servers.net 192.33.4.12, 2001:500:2::c Cogent Communications
d.root-servers.net 199.7.91.13, 2001:500:2d::d University of Maryland
e.root-servers.net 192.203.230.10, 2001:500:a8::e NASA (Ames Research Center)
f.root-servers.net 192.5.5.241, 2001:500:2f::f Internet Systems Consortium, Inc.
g.root-servers.net 192.112.36.4, 2001:500:12::d0d US Department of Defense (NIC)
h.root-servers.net 198.97.190.53, 2001:500:1::53 US Army (Research Lab)
i.root-servers.net 192.36.148.17, 2001:7fe::53 Netnod
j.root-servers.net 192.58.128.30, 2001:503:c27::2:30 Verisign, Inc.
k.root-servers.net 193.0.14.129, 2001:7fd::1 RIPE NCC
l.root-servers.net 199.7.83.42, 2001:500:9f::42 ICANN
m.root-servers.net 202.12.27.33, 2001:dc3::35 WIDE Project

Configuring the Root Servers

Operators who manage a DNS recursive resolver typically need to configure a “root hints file”. This file contains the names and IP addresses of the root servers, so the software can bootstrap the DNS resolution process. For many pieces of software, this list comes built into the software.

For more information, visit information on root zone and root hints access.

More information

The organisations that operate root servers map the locations of the many root server instances, and also provide other useful material such as statistics on root server utilization.

Root Server Website