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dnsmigrator

PowerDNS Authoritative OVHcloud DNS

Migrate DNS from PowerDNS to OVHcloud.

16 record types move as they are. 3 things work differently at OVHcloud, 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
  • PTR
  • HTTPS
  • SVCB
  • TLSA
  • SSHFP
  • NAPTR
  • DNAME
  • RP

Alias records are converted

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

TTLs below 60s are raised

OVHcloud's minimum TTL is 60 seconds. Shorter TTLs are raised to 60s and shown as translated.

A typical PowerDNS zone at OVHcloud

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

PowerDNS OVHcloud

  • 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 PowerDNS

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

  2. 2

    Connect OVHcloud

    Connect OVHcloud (Application key + application secret + consumer key (EU, CA or US API)). 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 OVHcloud

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

  5. 5

    Verify

    We query OVHcloud'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 OVHcloud

  • OVHcloud reads each record with a separate API call, so large zones take a while to load.
  • Changes are published when the zone is refreshed, which we trigger after applying; it can take a few minutes.
  • TXT values can't contain double quotes or backslashes, and ALIAS records aren't supported.

Access we need: GET /domain/zone and GET /domain/zone/* for the preview; POST, PUT and DELETE on /domain/zone/* to apply.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from PowerDNS to OVHcloud?

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

Related migrations

Ready to see your own zone?

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