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dnsmigrator

Amazon Route 53 Hurricane Electric DNS

Migrate DNS from Route 53 to Hurricane Electric.

Preview every record before anything is written, then apply, verify and cut over with a way back at each step.

Free preview. Read-only. Nothing changes until you apply.

What works differently

Generated from the same provider capability data the migration engine uses.

We're still verifying Hurricane Electric.

Record-type support and limits for Hurricane Electric haven't been confirmed against the official API yet, so this page doesn't list differences we can't stand behind. Run the free check on your domain to see how your records compare.

How the move works

  1. 1

    Connect Route 53

    Connect Route 53 with read-only access (Cross-account IAM role with an external ID).

  2. 2

    Connect Hurricane Electric

    Connect Hurricane Electric (Account username + password (+ TOTP)). 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 Hurricane Electric

    We snapshot the Hurricane Electric zone, write in batches, and leave Route 53 untouched.

  5. 5

    Verify

    We query Hurricane Electric'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 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.

Good to know about Hurricane Electric

  • Hurricane Electric has no official DNS API. Tools such as DNSControl drive the dns.he.net web interface with the account password, which DNSMigrator does not do yet.
  • Dynamic DNS records keep their own update keys, which can't be read back and must be set again after a move.

Access we need: Hurricane Electric has no API keys or scoped roles; access means full control of the whole account.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from Route 53 to Hurricane Electric?

Not if both providers serve the same answers during the switch. The records are copied to Hurricane Electric 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 Route 53?

No. We never write to Route 53. 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 Hurricane Electric 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