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dnsmigrator

Hurricane Electric DNS ClouDNS

Migrate DNS from Hurricane Electric to ClouDNS.

Preview every record before anything is written, then apply, verify and cut over with a way back at each step.

Free preview. Read-only. Nothing changes until you apply.

What works differently

Generated from the same provider capability data the migration engine uses.

We're still verifying Hurricane Electric.

Record-type support and limits for Hurricane Electric haven't been confirmed against the official API yet, so this page doesn't list differences we can't stand behind. Run the free check on your domain to see how your records compare.

A typical Hurricane Electric zone at ClouDNS

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

Hurricane Electric ClouDNS

  • 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 Hurricane Electric

    Connect Hurricane Electric with read-only access (Account username + password (+ TOTP)).

  2. 2

    Connect ClouDNS

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

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

  5. 5

    Verify

    We query ClouDNS'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 Hurricane Electric

  • Hurricane Electric has no official DNS API. Tools such as DNSControl drive the dns.he.net web interface with the account password, which DNSMigrator does not do yet.
  • Dynamic DNS records keep their own update keys, which can't be read back and must be set again after a move.

Access we need: Hurricane Electric has no API keys or scoped roles; access means full control of the whole account.

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.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from Hurricane Electric to ClouDNS?

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

No. We never write to Hurricane Electric. 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 ClouDNS 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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