A Recursive DNS (Domain Name System) server is a server that is used to collect the IP address of the hostname that requested it. It performs a recursive DNS query and traverses the DNS hierarchy starting from the authoritative name server of the parent domain until it reaches a server that can respond with the answer to the query. The recursive DNS server caches the response as it steps up the hierarchy of the DNS tree, which speeds up the process for subsequent requests for the same hostname. Check out a full explanation of how Recursive DNS servers work!