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dnsmigrator

DigitalOcean DNS Namecheap BasicDNS

Migrate DNS from DigitalOcean to Namecheap.

7 record types move as they are. 4 things work differently at Namecheap, 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
  • CAA

TTLs below 60s are raised

Namecheap's minimum TTL is 60 seconds. Shorter TTLs are raised to 60s and shown as translated.

Namecheap rewrites the whole host list

Every write to Namecheap's API replaces all records. We read, merge and write once, so records outside the migration survive.

Namecheap needs BasicDNS turned on

Namecheap only accepts records while the domain uses its BasicDNS nameservers, so records are written at cutover time rather than staged in advance.

A typical DigitalOcean zone at Namecheap

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

DigitalOcean Namecheap

  • 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"

  • UnsupportedSRV_sip._tls

    Not migrated

    Namecheap doesn't support SRV records through its API.

  • ExactCNAMEwww

    example.com.

How the move works

  1. 1

    Connect DigitalOcean

    Connect DigitalOcean with read-only access (Personal access token (custom scopes)).

  2. 2

    Connect Namecheap

    Connect Namecheap (API user + API key, with our egress IP allow-listed). 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 Namecheap

    We snapshot the Namecheap zone, write in batches, and leave DigitalOcean untouched.

  5. 5

    Verify

    We query Namecheap'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 DigitalOcean

  • DigitalOcean nameservers don't support DNSSEC, so turn DNSSEC off at the registrar before switching to them.
  • TXT records are limited to roughly 500 characters in total and can't contain backslashes.
  • CAA records can't use a bare ";" value or CA parameters such as "letsencrypt.org; accounturi=…".

Access we need: domain:read for the preview; domain:read, domain:create, domain:update and domain:delete to apply.

Good to know about Namecheap

  • Namecheap's API replaces the whole host list on every write, so we always read, merge and then write.
  • SRV records can't be managed through the API.
  • URL redirect records are Namecheap-specific and aren't real DNS records.

Access we need: API access enabled under Profile → Tools, with our static IP added to the allow-list.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from DigitalOcean to Namecheap?

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

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

Related migrations

Ready to see your own zone?

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