Rackspace Cloud DNS Amazon Route 53
Migrate DNS from Rackspace to Route 53.
7 record types move as they are. Nothing else needs special handling.
Free preview. Read-only. Nothing changes until you apply.
Rackspace to Route 53 DNS migration differences
Generated from the same provider capability data the migration engine uses.
Moves as-is
- A
- AAAA
- CNAME
- MX
- NS
- SRV
- TXT
A straightforward move.
A typical Rackspace zone at Route 53
Example records for example.com. Open any flagged row to read why it changed.
Rackspace Route 53
- 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 Route 53 | 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 |
Set up the connections
Use the provider-specific credential guides before you preview, then keep the migration checklist beside the cutover plan.
How the move works
- 1
Connect Rackspace
Connect Rackspace with read-only access (Cloud account username and API key).
- 2
Connect Route 53
Connect Route 53 (Cross-account IAM role with an external 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 Route 53
We snapshot the Route 53 zone, write in batches, and leave Rackspace untouched.
- 5
Verify
We query Route 53'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 Rackspace
- Apex NS and SOA records are managed by Rackspace and can't be changed.
- PTR records are only managed through Rackspace's reverse-DNS API for its own cloud devices, so they aren't migrated.
- TTLs below 300 seconds are raised to 300.
- Rackspace removes quote and backslash characters from TXT data.
- Changes run as asynchronous Rackspace jobs; we wait for each job to finish, so large plans take longer.
- New domains use the connection's SOA contact email, or hostmaster@<domain> when none is set.
- Subdomains that Rackspace hosts as separate domains are listed as their own zones.
Access we need: Use a dedicated account user with the DNS Admin product role (dnsaas:admin). DNS Creator can't delete records, and DNS Observer is read-only, which is enough for a source connection.
Good to know about Route 53
- Alias records can only target AWS resources or records in the same hosted zone.
- Weighted, latency, geolocation and failover routing are Route 53 features. Most other providers can't reproduce them.
- Apex CNAMEs are not allowed. Use an alias record instead.
Access we need: route53:ListHostedZones, GetHostedZone, ListResourceRecordSets for the preview; ChangeResourceRecordSets and CreateHostedZone to apply.
Questions
Will there be downtime moving from Rackspace to Route 53?
Not if both providers serve the same answers during the switch. The records are copied to Route 53 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 Rackspace?
No. We never write to Rackspace. 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 Route 53 and publish its new DS record. The cutover plan walks you through each step.
Ready to see your own zone?