Skip to content
dnsmigrator

Google Cloud DNS PowerDNS Authoritative

Migrate DNS from Cloud DNS to PowerDNS.

16 record types move as they are. 2 things work differently at PowerDNS, 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
  • DS
  • HTTPS
  • SVCB
  • TLSA
  • SSHFP
  • NAPTR
  • SPF

Routing policies are flattened

PowerDNS 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.

TTLs below 1s are raised

PowerDNS's minimum TTL is 1 seconds. Shorter TTLs are raised to 1s and shown as translated.

A typical Cloud DNS zone at PowerDNS

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

Cloud DNS PowerDNS

  • ExactA@

    192.0.2.40

  • 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.

  • ReviewAeu

    192.0.2.41 +1

    Geo routing isn't available at the destination. All 2 answers are served together as simple round-robin.

  • ExactCNAMEwww

    example.com.

How the move works

  1. 1

    Connect Cloud DNS

    Connect Cloud DNS with read-only access (Service account key (JSON)).

  2. 2

    Connect PowerDNS

    Connect PowerDNS (API URL + API key (X-API-Key) + server ID). 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 PowerDNS

    We snapshot the PowerDNS zone, write in batches, and leave Cloud DNS untouched.

  5. 5

    Verify

    We query PowerDNS'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 Cloud DNS

  • Routing policies (weighted round robin, geolocation, failover) don't carry over to most providers.
  • Apex CNAMEs are not allowed.

Access we need: roles/dns.reader for the preview, roles/dns.admin to apply.

Good to know about PowerDNS

  • We only connect to public HTTPS addresses: expose the PowerDNS webserver through a reverse proxy with TLS and allow-list our egress IPs; private or internal addresses are refused.
  • ALIAS records only resolve if expand-alias and a resolver are configured on the server, and DNAME needs dname-processing.
  • Disabled records are not imported, and an RRset we update is replaced as a whole, so disabled entries inside it are dropped.

Access we need: The PowerDNS API key grants full read/write access to every zone on the server; there is no read-only key. Restrict it with webserver-allow-from.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from Cloud DNS to PowerDNS?

Not if both providers serve the same answers during the switch. The records are copied to PowerDNS 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 Cloud DNS?

No. We never write to Cloud DNS. 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 PowerDNS 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