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dnsmigrator

Amazon Route 53 NexDNS

Migrate DNS from Route 53 to NexDNS.

11 record types move as they are. 2 things work differently at NexDNS, 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
  • DS
  • TLSA

Routing policies are flattened

NexDNS 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 NexDNS

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

Route 53 NexDNS

  • TranslatedALIAS@

    d1a2b3.cloudfront.net.

    Stored as a NexDNS ALIAS record to d1a2b3.cloudfront.net.

  • 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.

  • ReviewAapi

    192.0.2.10 +1

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

  • TranslatedTXTlegacy

    "v=spf1 -all"

    SPF record type is obsolete.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 NexDNS

    Connect NexDNS (API key (Bearer, nxd_ prefix)). 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 NexDNS

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

  5. 5

    Verify

    We query NexDNS'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 NexDNS

  • The SOA record and the apex NS records are managed by NexDNS and can't be changed, so dual-hosting a zone with a second provider isn't possible.
  • Records are written one value per request against a per-account rate limit, so large zones take a while to apply.
  • Only A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, SRV, CAA, PTR, ALIAS, DNAME, DS and TLSA are supported; ALIAS is the way to point the apex at a hostname.

Access we need: zones.read and records.read for the preview; add records.write to apply and zones.write to create zones or switch DNSSEC. API access needs a Pro plan or higher.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from Route 53 to NexDNS?

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