Cloudflare DNS Selectel DNS Hosting

Migrate DNS from Cloudflare to Selectel.

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

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

Cloudflare to Selectel DNS migration differences

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

Moves as-is

A
AAAA
CNAME
MX
TXT
NS
SRV
CAA
HTTPS
SVCB
SSHFP

Proxied records lose the CDN

Selectel has no equivalent of Cloudflare's proxy. Proxied records move as plain records pointing at your origin, which exposes the origin IP. Put a CDN in front before cutting over if that matters.

Apex CNAMEs need a different shape

Selectel doesn't allow a CNAME at the zone apex, but its ALIAS record does the same job. We convert them automatically.

CF_REDIRECT, CF_TEMP_REDIRECT, CF_SINGLE_REDIRECT, CF_WORKER_ROUTE, PTR, DS, TLSA, NAPTR, LOC, CERT, URI aren't available

Selectel can't store CF_REDIRECT, CF_TEMP_REDIRECT, CF_SINGLE_REDIRECT, CF_WORKER_ROUTE, PTR, DS, TLSA, NAPTR, LOC, CERT, URI records through its API. They're marked Unsupported with the reason, never dropped silently.

"Auto" TTLs get a real value

Cloudflare's automatic TTL has no equivalent, so those records get Selectel's default of 3600s.

Domains registered at Cloudflare must transfer out

Cloudflare Registrar only allows Cloudflare's nameservers. If the domain is registered there, transfer it to another registrar before switching.

A typical Cloudflare zone at Selectel

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

Cloudflare Selectel

TranslatedALIAS@
app.example-host.net.
Apex CNAME stored as a Selectel ALIAS record.
ExactMX@
10 mx1.mail.example.net. +1
ExactTXT@
"v=spf1 include:_spf.example.net -all"
ExactCAA@
0 issue "letsencrypt.org"
ExactTXT_dmarc
"v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:dmarc@example.com"
ExactSRV_sip._tls
100 1 443 sip.example.net.
ExactAmail
203.0.113.25
ReviewAshop
203.0.113.10
TTL was "auto". Set to 3600s.
ExactCNAMEwww
example.com.

How each record at Cloudflare DNS translates to Selectel DNS Hosting
Status	Type	Name	At Selectel	TTL
Translated	CNAME ALIAS	@	app.example-host.net.	1h
Exact	MX	@	10 mx1.mail.example.net. 20 mx2.mail.example.net.	1h
Exact	TXT	@	"v=spf1 include:_spf.example.net -all"	1h
Exact	CAA	@	0 issue "letsencrypt.org"	1h
Exact	TXT	_dmarc	"v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:dmarc@example.com"	1h
Exact	SRV	_sip._tls	100 1 443 sip.example.net.	1h
Exact	A	mail	203.0.113.25	5m
Review	A	shop	203.0.113.10	1h
Exact	CNAME	www	example.com.	1h

Set up the connections

Use the provider-specific credential guides before you preview, then keep the migration checklist beside the cutover plan.

How the move works

1
Connect Cloudflare
Connect Cloudflare with read-only access (Scoped API token).
2
Connect Selectel
Connect Selectel (Service user (username + password) with a project-scoped IAM token). 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 Selectel
We snapshot the Selectel zone, write in batches, and leave Cloudflare untouched.
5
Verify
We query Selectel'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 Cloudflare

Proxied (orange-cloud) records hide the origin IP. Moving them to another provider sends traffic straight to the origin.
Apex CNAMEs are flattened by Cloudflare. Other providers need an ALIAS record or static A/AAAA records instead.
Cloudflare Registrar only allows Cloudflare nameservers, so domains registered there must be transferred out first.

Access we need: Zone → DNS → Read for the preview, Zone → DNS → Edit to apply. Redirect and Worker route records also need Zone → Single Redirect → Edit and Zone → Workers Routes → Edit.

Good to know about Selectel

Only DNS Hosting (actual) zones are supported. Zones still on DNS Hosting (legacy, API v1) must be moved to the actual version in the control panel first.
Zones belong to a project; this connection only sees the project it signs in to.
Apex NS and SOA records are created and managed by Selectel and can't be changed.
A CNAME can't be placed at the zone apex; use ALIAS instead.
Each record set can hold at most 100 values.
Records you disabled in Selectel are left untouched and aren't imported.
Selectel doesn't publish API rate limits; requests are retried with backoff when throttled.

Access we need: Create a service user with the member role scoped to only the project that holds your zones. The reader role on that project is enough for read-only exports.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from Cloudflare to Selectel?

Not if both providers serve the same answers during the switch. The records are copied to Selectel 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 Cloudflare?

No. We never write to Cloudflare. 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 Selectel and publish its new DS record. The cutover plan walks you through each step.

What happens to Cloudflare proxied records?

They move as ordinary records pointing at your origin server, because Selectel can't proxy traffic. The preview lists every proxied record and the IP it would expose.

Ready to see your own zone?

Start a free preview