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dnsmigrator

Google Cloud DNS Realtime Register

Migrate DNS from Cloud DNS to Realtime Register.

12 record types move as they are. 4 things work differently at Realtime Register, 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
  • DS
  • TLSA
  • SSHFP
  • NAPTR

Routing policies are flattened

Realtime Register 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 60s are raised

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

Realtime Register rewrites the whole host list

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

A typical Cloud DNS zone at Realtime Register

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

Cloud DNS Realtime Register

  • 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 Realtime Register

    Connect Realtime Register (API key (Authorization: ApiKey)). 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 Realtime Register

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

  5. 5

    Verify

    We query Realtime Register'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 Realtime Register

  • Every change rewrites the zone's full custom record list in one request; records we don't manage (such as MBOXFW and HINFO) are sent back unchanged.
  • Basic and Premium DNS are separate services with separate zones; the connection works with one of them at a time.
  • Zones linked to a DNS template also receive the template's records, which are managed on the template, not per zone.

Access we need: An API user with VIEW_DNS_ZONE for the preview; CREATE_DNS_ZONE and UPDATE_DNS_ZONE to apply.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from Cloud DNS to Realtime Register?

Not if both providers serve the same answers during the switch. The records are copied to Realtime Register 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 Realtime Register and publish its new DS record. The cutover plan walks you through each step.

Related migrations

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