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Hurricane Electric DNS Hetzner DNS

Migrate DNS from Hurricane Electric to Hetzner.

12 record types move as they are. 2 things work differently at Hetzner, and the preview shows exactly which of your records they affect.

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

Hurricane Electric to Hetzner DNS migration differences

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

Moves as-is

  • A
  • AAAA
  • CNAME
  • MX
  • TXT
  • NS
  • SRV
  • CAA
  • PTR
  • HTTPS
  • SVCB
  • RP

Alias records are converted

Hurricane Electric alias records become CNAMEs below the apex. At the apex they need static addresses, and the preview shows which ones.

A typical Hurricane Electric zone at Hetzner

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

Hurricane Electric Hetzner

  • 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.

Set up the connections

Use the provider-specific credential guides before you preview, then keep the migration checklist beside the cutover plan.

How the move works

  1. 1

    Connect Hurricane Electric

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

  2. 2

    Connect Hetzner

    Connect Hetzner (Hetzner Cloud API token (per project)). 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 Hetzner

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

  5. 5

    Verify

    We query Hetzner'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

  • 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 Hetzner

  • Uses the Hetzner Console (Cloud API) DNS. The old DNS Console at dns.hetzner.com and its API were shut down in May 2026.
  • The Cloud API has no DNSSEC signing, so turn DNSSEC off at the registrar before switching nameservers.
  • Only registrable domains can be zones. Subdomains such as dev.example.com can't be their own zone.

Access we need: A Read token for the preview; a Read & Write token to apply.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from Hurricane Electric to Hetzner?

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

Ready to see your own zone?