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dnsmigrator

ClouDNS Cloudflare DNS

Migrate DNS from ClouDNS to Cloudflare.

13 record types move as they are. 3 things work differently at Cloudflare, 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
  • TXT
  • NS
  • SRV
  • CAA
  • PTR
  • TLSA
  • SSHFP
  • DS
  • NAPTR

Alias records are converted

ClouDNS alias records become CNAMEs at Cloudflare. At the apex, Cloudflare flattens them automatically.

Routing policies are flattened

Cloudflare has no routing policies. Weighted, geo and latency sets collapse into one set of answers, and failover keeps only the primary. Each one is flagged for review.

A typical ClouDNS zone at Cloudflare

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

ClouDNS Cloudflare

  • ExactA@

    192.0.2.70

  • ExactAAAA@

    2001:db8::70

  • 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.

  • ExactCNAMEwww

    example.com.

How the move works

  1. 1

    Connect ClouDNS

    Connect ClouDNS with read-only access (API user auth ID (or sub-user ID/name) + password).

  2. 2

    Connect Cloudflare

    Connect Cloudflare (Scoped API token). Write access is only used when you apply.

  3. 3

    Review the preview

    Check every record marked Review or Unsupported. Each one explains what changes and why.

  4. 4

    Apply to Cloudflare

    We snapshot the Cloudflare zone, write in batches, and leave ClouDNS untouched.

  5. 5

    Verify

    We query Cloudflare's own nameservers for every record and compare the answers before you switch.

  6. 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 ClouDNS

  • TTLs must be one of ClouDNS's fixed values (60, 300, 900, 1800, 3600, 21600 … 2592000); other TTLs are rounded up.
  • Web redirects (CLOUDNS_WR) are ClouDNS-only and are written as plain 301 redirects without frame options.
  • The API is rate limited to about 20 requests per second per IP, so large zones apply record by record and take a while.

Access we need: A read-only API sub-user with the zones delegated is enough for the preview; applying needs a read-and-write sub-user or a main API user.

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.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from ClouDNS to Cloudflare?

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

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

Related migrations

Ready to see your own zone?

Start a free preview