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dnsmigrator

Amazon Route 53 NetBird

Migrate DNS from Route 53 to NetBird.

3 record types move as they are. 3 things work differently at NetBird, 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

Alias records are converted

Route 53 alias records become CNAMEs below the apex. At the apex they need static addresses, and the preview shows which ones.

Routing policies are flattened

NetBird has no routing policies. Weighted, geo and latency sets collapse into one set of answers, and failover keeps only the primary. Each one is flagged for review.

A typical Route 53 zone at NetBird

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

Route 53 NetBird

  • UnsupportedA@

    Not migrated

    @ is an alias to d1a2b3.cloudfront.net at the zone apex. NetBird doesn't support apex aliases or CNAMEs.

  • UnsupportedMX@

    Not migrated

    NetBird doesn't support MX records through its API.

  • UnsupportedTXT@

    Not migrated

    NetBird doesn't support TXT records through its API.

  • UnsupportedCAA@

    Not migrated

    NetBird doesn't support CAA records through its API.

  • UnsupportedTXT_dmarc

    Not migrated

    NetBird doesn't support TXT records through its API.

  • UnsupportedSRV_sip._tls

    Not migrated

    NetBird doesn't support SRV records through its API.

  • ReviewAapi

    192.0.2.10 +1

    Weighted routing isn't available at the destination. All 2 answers are served together as simple round-robin.

  • UnsupportedSPFlegacy

    Not migrated

    SPF record type is obsolete. Stored as TXT, which is what mail servers read.

  • ExactCNAMEwww

    example.com.

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 NetBird

    Connect NetBird (Personal access token (Authorization: Token) + optional self-hosted management URL). 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 NetBird

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

  5. 5

    Verify

    We query NetBird'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 NetBird

  • NetBird custom zones are private DNS served only to peers in the zone's distribution groups; creating a zone needs at least one distribution group ID.
  • Only A, AAAA and CNAME records are supported.
  • Self-hosted management servers are often on private networks: we only connect if the API is exposed publicly over HTTPS, because private and internal addresses are refused by design.

Access we need: A service user whose role has DNS read permission for the preview and DNS create/update/delete to apply (Admin or Owner).

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from Route 53 to NetBird?

Not if both providers serve the same answers during the switch. The records are copied to NetBird 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 NetBird 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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