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dnsmigrator

Amazon Route 53 Packetframe

Migrate DNS from Route 53 to Packetframe.

8 record types move as they are. 4 things work differently at Packetframe, 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
  • PTR

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

Packetframe 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

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

A typical Route 53 zone at Packetframe

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

Route 53 Packetframe

  • UnsupportedA@

    Not migrated

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

  • ExactMX@

    10 mx1.mail.example.net. +1

  • ExactTXT@

    "v=spf1 include:_spf.example.net -all"

  • UnsupportedCAA@

    Not migrated

    Packetframe doesn't support CAA records through its API.

  • 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    SPF record type is obsolete.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 Packetframe

    Connect Packetframe (Account session token (Authorization: Token)). 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 Packetframe

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

  5. 5

    Verify

    We query Packetframe'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 Packetframe

  • Packetframe has no official API keys; the adapter uses the account session token, which grants full account access.
  • Only A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV, NS and PTR records exist, with a minimum TTL of 300 seconds; apex NS records are fixed to Packetframe.
  • SCRIPT records and CDN-proxied records are Packetframe features that other providers cannot reproduce.

Access we need: The account's session token from the packetframe.com login cookie. It cannot be scoped or made read-only and is rotated only when the password changes.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from Route 53 to Packetframe?

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