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dnsmigrator

Namecheap BasicDNS Alibaba Cloud DNS

Migrate DNS from Namecheap to Alibaba Cloud.

7 record types move as they are. 3 things work differently at Alibaba Cloud, 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
  • CAA

Alias records are converted

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

TTLs below 600s are raised

Alibaba Cloud's minimum TTL is 600 seconds. Shorter TTLs are raised to 600s and shown as translated.

A typical Namecheap zone at Alibaba Cloud

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

Namecheap Alibaba Cloud

  • UnsupportedALIAS@

    Not migrated

    @ is an alias to app.example-host.net at the zone apex. Alibaba Cloud doesn't support apex aliases or CNAMEs.

  • 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"

  • ExactCNAMEblog

    example.github.io.

  • UnsupportedURL301go

    Not migrated

    URL301 is a Namecheap redirect feature, not a DNS record. Recreate it as a redirect rule at Alibaba Cloud.

  • ExactCNAMEwww

    example.com.

How the move works

  1. 1

    Connect Namecheap

    Connect Namecheap with read-only access (API user + API key, with our egress IP allow-listed).

  2. 2

    Connect Alibaba Cloud

    Connect Alibaba Cloud (RAM user AccessKey). 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 Alibaba Cloud

    We snapshot the Alibaba Cloud zone, write in batches, and leave Namecheap untouched.

  5. 5

    Verify

    We query Alibaba Cloud'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 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 Alibaba Cloud

  • Free and Personal editions have a minimum TTL of 600 seconds; only Enterprise Ultimate allows TTLs down to 1 second.
  • TXT values are limited to 512 characters and MX priorities must be 50 or lower.
  • ALIAS records and DNSSEC are only available on paid editions.

Access we need: AliyunDNSReadOnlyAccess for the preview, AliyunDNSFullAccess (or a custom alidns:* write policy) to apply.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from Namecheap to Alibaba Cloud?

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

Related migrations

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