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dnsmigrator

OpenWrt ClouDNS

Migrate DNS from OpenWrt to ClouDNS.

5 record types move as they are. Nothing else needs special handling.

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
  • SRV

A straightforward move.

Every record type OpenWrt supports has a direct equivalent at ClouDNS.

A typical OpenWrt zone at ClouDNS

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

OpenWrt 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 OpenWrt

    Connect OpenWrt with read-only access (LuCI URL + username + password (LuCI JSON-RPC, luci-mod-rpc)).

  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 OpenWrt 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 OpenWrt

  • Routers usually sit on a private network; we refuse private and internal addresses by design, so LuCI must be exposed publicly over HTTPS with a trusted certificate (ideally allow-listed to our egress IPs).
  • dnsmasq local records have no per-record TTL, so every record is reported and written with a fixed TTL of 300 seconds.
  • Records live in one flat list on the router, so a zone is simply the set of names under that domain; wildcard CNAMEs, null MX and null-target SRV records are not supported.

Access we need: LuCI logins are not scoped: the account can read and change the whole router configuration. We only touch dnsmasq host, CNAME, MX and SRV entries in /etc/config/dhcp.

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 OpenWrt 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 OpenWrt?

No. We never write to OpenWrt. 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?

Start a free preview