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dnsmigrator

FortiGate DNS Namecheap BasicDNS

Migrate DNS from FortiGate to Namecheap.

4 record types move as they are. 3 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

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 FortiGate zone at Namecheap

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

FortiGate 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 FortiGate

    Connect FortiGate with read-only access (Management URL + REST API admin token (Bearer) + VDOM).

  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 FortiGate 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 FortiGate

  • FortiGates usually sit on private networks: we only connect if the admin HTTPS interface is exposed on a public address with a valid certificate, because private and internal addresses are refused by design.
  • Only A, AAAA and CNAME records plus MX at the zone apex are supported; wildcards, TXT, SRV and CAA are not, and disabled entries are left untouched.
  • Every change rewrites the zone's whole dns-entry table; we read and merge first so records outside the plan survive, but concurrent edits in the GUI can be overwritten.

Access we need: Admin profile with System → Configuration read for the preview, read/write to apply; restrict the REST API admin with trusted hosts.

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 FortiGate 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 FortiGate?

No. We never write to FortiGate. 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

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