Akamai Edge DNS OpenWrt

Migrate DNS from Akamai to OpenWrt.

5 record types move as they are. 3 things work differently at OpenWrt, and the preview shows exactly which of your records they affect.

Free preview. Read-only. Nothing changes until you apply.

What works differently

Generated from the same provider capability data the migration engine uses.

Moves as-is

A
AAAA
CNAME
MX
SRV

Alias records are converted

Akamai alias records become CNAMEs below the apex. At the apex they need static addresses, and the preview shows which ones.

TXT, NS, CAA, PTR, DS, HTTPS, SVCB, TLSA, SSHFP, NAPTR, LOC, CERT, RP, AKAMAICDN, AKAMAITLC aren't available

OpenWrt can't store TXT, NS, CAA, PTR, DS, HTTPS, SVCB, TLSA, SSHFP, NAPTR, LOC, CERT, RP, AKAMAICDN, AKAMAITLC records through its API. They're marked Unsupported with the reason, never dropped silently.

TTLs below 300s are raised

OpenWrt's minimum TTL is 300 seconds. Shorter TTLs are raised to 300s and shown as translated.

A typical Akamai zone at OpenWrt

Example records for example.com. Open any flagged row to read why it changed.

Akamai OpenWrt

ExactA@
192.0.2.70
ExactAAAA@
2001:db8::70
TranslatedMX@
10 mx1.mail.example.net. +1
TTL 3600s is outside the allowed range. Set to 300s.
UnsupportedTXT@
Not migrated
OpenWrt doesn't support TXT records through its API.
UnsupportedCAA@
Not migrated
OpenWrt doesn't support CAA records through its API.
UnsupportedTXT_dmarc
Not migrated
OpenWrt doesn't support TXT records through its API.
TranslatedSRV_sip._tls
100 1 443 sip.example.net.
TTL 3600s is outside the allowed range. Set to 300s.
TranslatedCNAMEwww
example.com.
TTL 3600s is outside the allowed range. Set to 300s.

How each record at Akamai Edge DNS translates to OpenWrt
Status	Type	Name	At OpenWrt	TTL
Exact	A	@	192.0.2.70	5m
Exact	AAAA	@	2001:db8::70	5m
Translated	MX	@	10 mx1.mail.example.net. 20 mx2.mail.example.net.	5m
Unsupported	TXT	@	Not migrated	—
Unsupported	CAA	@	Not migrated	—
Unsupported	TXT	_dmarc	Not migrated	—
Translated	SRV	_sip._tls	100 1 443 sip.example.net.	5m
Translated	CNAME	www	example.com.	5m

How the move works

1
Connect Akamai
Connect Akamai with read-only access (EdgeGrid API client (host, client token, client secret, access token)).
2
Connect OpenWrt
Connect OpenWrt (LuCI URL + username + password (LuCI JSON-RPC, luci-mod-rpc)). Write access is only used when you apply.
3
Review the preview
Check every record marked Review or Unsupported. Each one explains what changes and why.
4
Apply to OpenWrt
We snapshot the OpenWrt zone, write in batches, and leave Akamai untouched.
5
Verify
We query OpenWrt's own nameservers for every record and compare the answers before you switch.
6
Switch nameservers
Lower TTLs a day or two ahead, remove any DS record if DNSSEC is on, then point the domain at the new nameservers at your registrar.

Good to know about Akamai

AKAMAICDN and non-DUAL AKAMAITLC records point at Akamai edge hostnames. Other providers have no equivalent, so recreate them as CNAME or ALIAS records by hand.
Apex ALIAS records are stored as AKAMAITLC records with the DUAL answer type. ALIAS records below the apex become CNAMEs.
TXT values can't contain double quotes or backslashes.

Access we need: DNS—Zone Record Management API: READ-ONLY for the preview, READ-WRITE to apply.

Good to know about OpenWrt

Routers usually sit on a private network; we refuse private and internal addresses by design, so LuCI must be exposed publicly over HTTPS with a trusted certificate (ideally allow-listed to our egress IPs).
dnsmasq local records have no per-record TTL, so every record is reported and written with a fixed TTL of 300 seconds.
Records live in one flat list on the router, so a zone is simply the set of names under that domain; wildcard CNAMEs, null MX and null-target SRV records are not supported.

Access we need: LuCI logins are not scoped: the account can read and change the whole router configuration. We only touch dnsmasq host, CNAME, MX and SRV entries in /etc/config/dhcp.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from Akamai to OpenWrt?

Not if both providers serve the same answers during the switch. The records are copied to OpenWrt and verified before you change nameservers, so resolvers get the same answer from either side while caches expire.

Do I have to delete anything at Akamai?

No. We never write to Akamai. Keep the old zone for a week after cutover so you can switch back instantly if anything looks wrong.

What about DNSSEC?

If DNSSEC is on, remove the DS record at your registrar and wait for it to expire before switching nameservers. Then enable DNSSEC at OpenWrt and publish its new DS record. The cutover plan walks you through each step.

Ready to see your own zone?

Start a free preview