Namecheap BasicDNS AdGuard Home

Migrate DNS from Namecheap to AdGuard Home.

4 record types move as they are. 2 things work differently at AdGuard Home, 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
ALIAS

MX, TXT, NS, CAA, URL, URL301, FRAME, MXE aren't available

AdGuard Home can't store MX, TXT, NS, CAA, URL, URL301, FRAME, MXE records through its API. They're marked Unsupported with the reason, never dropped silently.

TTLs below 300s are raised

AdGuard Home's minimum TTL is 300 seconds. Shorter TTLs are raised to 300s and shown as translated.

A typical Namecheap zone at AdGuard Home

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

Namecheap AdGuard Home

TranslatedALIAS@
app.example-host.net.
Stored as a AdGuard Home ALIAS record to app.example-host.net.
UnsupportedMX@
Not migrated
AdGuard Home doesn't support MX records through its API.
UnsupportedTXT@
Not migrated
AdGuard Home doesn't support TXT records through its API.
UnsupportedCAA@
Not migrated
AdGuard Home doesn't support CAA records through its API.
UnsupportedTXT_dmarc
Not migrated
AdGuard Home doesn't support TXT records through its API.
TranslatedCNAMEblog
example.github.io.
TTL 1800s is outside the allowed range. Set to 300s.
UnsupportedURL301go
Not migrated
URL301 is a Namecheap redirect feature, not a DNS record. Recreate it as a redirect rule at AdGuard Home.
TranslatedCNAMEwww
example.com.
TTL 3600s is outside the allowed range. Set to 300s.

How each record at Namecheap BasicDNS translates to AdGuard Home
Status	Type	Name	At AdGuard Home	TTL
Translated	ALIAS	@	app.example-host.net.	5m
Unsupported	MX	@	Not migrated	—
Unsupported	TXT	@	Not migrated	—
Unsupported	CAA	@	Not migrated	—
Unsupported	TXT	_dmarc	Not migrated	—
Translated	CNAME	blog	example.github.io.	5m
Unsupported	URL301	go	Not migrated	—
Translated	CNAME	www	example.com.	5m

How the move works

1
Connect Namecheap
Connect Namecheap with read-only access (API user + API key, with our egress IP allow-listed).
2
Connect AdGuard Home
Connect AdGuard Home (Server URL + web interface username + password (HTTP Basic)). Write access is only used when you apply.
3
Review the preview
Check every record marked Review or Unsupported. Each one explains what changes and why.
4
Apply to AdGuard Home
We snapshot the AdGuard Home zone, write in batches, and leave Namecheap untouched.
5
Verify
We query AdGuard Home's own nameservers for every record and compare the answers before you switch.
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 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.

Good to know about AdGuard Home

AdGuard Home usually runs on a private network; we refuse private addresses by design, so it is only reachable if you expose its web interface publicly over HTTPS.
Only DNS rewrites are managed: A, AAAA, CNAME (ALIAS at the apex) and the A/AAAA passthrough rules. Rewrites have no per-record TTL (the server uses one global TTL), so we report 300 seconds as DNSControl does.
AdGuard Home has no zones. We group rewrites by the domains you list, or by the last two labels of each name.

Access we need: AdGuard Home has a single admin role, so the account can read and change all settings; there is no read-only login.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from Namecheap to AdGuard Home?

Not if both providers serve the same answers during the switch. The records are copied to AdGuard Home 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 Namecheap?

No. We never write to Namecheap. 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 AdGuard Home and publish its new DS record. The cutover plan walks you through each step.

Ready to see your own zone?

Start a free preview