Skip to content
dnsmigrator

Netlify DNS BIND zone file

Export Netlify DNS to a zone file.

9 record types move as they are. 1 things work differently at Zone file, 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
  • SPF

Alias records are converted

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

A typical Netlify zone at Zone file

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

Netlify Zone file

  • 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 Netlify

    Connect Netlify with read-only access (Personal access token).

  2. 2

    Connect Zone file

    Choose zone file as the destination. Nothing is written anywhere.

  3. 3

    Review the preview

    Check every record marked Review or Unsupported. Each one explains what changes and why.

  4. 4

    Download the zone file

    Download a normalized RFC 1035 zone file ready to import anywhere.

Good to know about Netlify

  • NETLIFY and NETLIFYv6 site records are read as an ALIAS (apex) or CNAME to the site's netlify.app hostname, and we never change or delete them on Netlify.
  • Netlify DNS doesn't support DNSSEC, so turn it off at the registrar before switching nameservers.
  • Netlify has no record update endpoint, so each change is a delete followed by a create.

Access we need: A personal access token has full access to your teams. Netlify tokens can't be read-only.

Good to know about Zone file

  • Zone files can't express provider features like proxying, alias records or routing policies.

Access we need: No credentials. Everything stays in your browser until you choose to save it.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from Netlify to Zone file?

Not if both providers serve the same answers during the switch. The records are copied to Zone file 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 Netlify?

No. We never write to Netlify. 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 Zone file and publish its new DS record. The cutover plan walks you through each step.

Related migrations

Ready to see your own zone?

Start a free preview