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dnsmigrator

Amazon Route 53 NextDNS rewrites

Migrate DNS from Route 53 to NextDNS.

3 record types move as they are. 4 things work differently at NextDNS, 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 at NextDNS. At the apex, NextDNS flattens them automatically.

Routing policies are flattened

NextDNS 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.

TTLs below 300s are raised

NextDNS's minimum TTL is 300 seconds. Shorter TTLs are raised to 300s and shown as translated.

A typical Route 53 zone at NextDNS

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

Route 53 NextDNS

  • TranslatedCNAME@

    d1a2b3.cloudfront.net.

    Stored as an apex CNAME to d1a2b3.cloudfront.net. NextDNS flattens it automatically.

  • UnsupportedMX@

    Not migrated

    NextDNS doesn't support MX records through its API.

  • UnsupportedTXT@

    Not migrated

    NextDNS doesn't support TXT records through its API.

  • UnsupportedCAA@

    Not migrated

    NextDNS doesn't support CAA records through its API.

  • UnsupportedTXT_dmarc

    Not migrated

    NextDNS doesn't support TXT records through its API.

  • UnsupportedSRV_sip._tls

    Not migrated

    NextDNS 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    SPF record type is obsolete.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.

  • TranslatedCNAMEwww

    example.com.

    TTL 3600s is outside the allowed range. Set to 300s.

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 NextDNS

    Connect NextDNS (API key + profile ID). 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 NextDNS

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

  5. 5

    Verify

    We query NextDNS'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 NextDNS

  • NextDNS is a filtering resolver, not an authoritative DNS host: only the profile's rewrites are managed, and they answer only for devices that use that profile.
  • Rewrites map a name to an IP address (A/AAAA) or another name (CNAME); MX, TXT, SRV, CAA and all other types cannot be migrated, and rewrites have no TTL setting.
  • Zones are grouped from rewrite names (a rewrite for example.com also covers www.example.com rewrites); there are no nameservers to delegate to.

Access we need: The account API key (X-Api-Key). NextDNS keys cannot be scoped or made read-only, so the same key is used for preview and apply.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from Route 53 to NextDNS?

Not if both providers serve the same answers during the switch. The records are copied to NextDNS 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 NextDNS and publish its new DS record. The cutover plan walks you through each step.

Related migrations

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