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dnsmigrator

PowerDNS Authoritative Name.com

Migrate DNS from PowerDNS to Name.com.

8 record types move as they are. 2 things work differently at Name.com, 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
  • ALIAS

TTLs below 300s are raised

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

A typical PowerDNS zone at Name.com

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

PowerDNS Name.com

  • ExactA@

    192.0.2.70

  • ExactAAAA@

    2001:db8::70

  • ExactMX@

    10 mx1.mail.example.net. +1

  • ExactTXT@

    "v=spf1 include:_spf.example.net -all"

  • UnsupportedCAA@

    Not migrated

    Name.com doesn't support CAA records through its API.

  • 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 PowerDNS

    Connect PowerDNS with read-only access (API URL + API key (X-API-Key) + server ID).

  2. 2

    Connect Name.com

    Connect Name.com (Username + API token (Core API, HTTP Basic)). 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 Name.com

    We snapshot the Name.com zone, write in batches, and leave PowerDNS untouched.

  5. 5

    Verify

    We query Name.com'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 PowerDNS

  • We only connect to public HTTPS addresses: expose the PowerDNS webserver through a reverse proxy with TLS and allow-list our egress IPs; private or internal addresses are refused.
  • ALIAS records only resolve if expand-alias and a resolver are configured on the server, and DNAME needs dname-processing.
  • Disabled records are not imported, and an RRset we update is replaced as a whole, so disabled entries inside it are dropped.

Access we need: The PowerDNS API key grants full read/write access to every zone on the server; there is no read-only key. Restrict it with webserver-allow-from.

Good to know about Name.com

  • Only A, AAAA, ANAME, CNAME, MX, NS, SRV and TXT records are supported (no CAA or PTR).
  • The minimum TTL is 300 seconds and TXT values are limited to about 512 characters.
  • Only domains registered at Name.com can be managed, and apex NS records follow the domain's nameservers.

Access we need: Name.com API tokens are account-wide with no read-only scope; the same token is used for preview and apply.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from PowerDNS to Name.com?

Not if both providers serve the same answers during the switch. The records are copied to Name.com 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 PowerDNS?

No. We never write to PowerDNS. 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 Name.com and publish its new DS record. The cutover plan walks you through each step.

Related migrations

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