PowerDNS Authoritative Vercel DNS
Migrate DNS from PowerDNS to Vercel.
10 record types move as they are. 2 things work differently at Vercel, 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
- HTTPS
- ALIAS
PTR, DS, SVCB, TLSA, SSHFP, NAPTR, CERT, URI, DHCID, DNAME, OPENPGPKEY, SMIMEA, RP, LUA aren't available
TTLs below 60s are raised
A typical PowerDNS zone at Vercel
Example records for example.com. Open any flagged row to read why it changed.
PowerDNS Vercel
- 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.
| Status | Type | Name | At Vercel | TTL | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exact | A | @ |
| 5m | |
| Exact | AAAA | @ |
| 5m | |
| Exact | MX | @ |
| 1h | |
| Exact | TXT | @ |
| 1h | |
| Exact | CAA | @ |
| 1h | |
| Exact | TXT | _dmarc |
| 1h | |
| Exact | SRV | _sip._tls |
| 1h | |
| Exact | CNAME | www |
| 1h |
How the move works
- 1
Connect PowerDNS
Connect PowerDNS with read-only access (API URL + API key (X-API-Key) + server ID).
- 2
Connect Vercel
Connect Vercel (Access token (+ team ID)). Write access is only used when you apply.
- 3
Review the preview
Check every record marked Review or Unsupported. Each one explains what changes and why.
- 4
Apply to Vercel
We snapshot the Vercel zone, write in batches, and leave PowerDNS untouched.
- 5
Verify
We query Vercel's own nameservers for every record and compare the answers before you switch.
- 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 Vercel
- Records Vercel adds for project domains (such as the apex ALIAS and CAA) are read with a comment and never changed by us. Edit them in the project's domain settings.
- Domains must already be added to the Vercel account or team. We can't create them.
- Vercel DNS doesn't support DNSSEC, and the minimum TTL is 60 seconds.
Access we need: An access token scoped to the team that owns the domains. Vercel tokens can't be read-only.
Questions
Will there be downtime moving from PowerDNS to Vercel?
Not if both providers serve the same answers during the switch. The records are copied to Vercel 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 Vercel and publish its new DS record. The cutover plan walks you through each step.
Ready to see your own zone?
Start a free preview