Selectel DNS Hosting Cloudflare DNS
Migrate DNS from Selectel to Cloudflare.
11 record types move as they are. 2 things work differently at Cloudflare, and the preview shows exactly which of your records they affect.
Free preview. Read-only. Nothing changes until you apply.
Selectel to Cloudflare DNS migration differences
Generated from the same provider capability data the migration engine uses.
Moves as-is
- A
- AAAA
- CNAME
- MX
- TXT
- NS
- SRV
- CAA
- HTTPS
- SVCB
- SSHFP
Alias records are converted
DNAME isn't available
A typical Selectel zone at Cloudflare
Example records for example.com. Open any flagged row to read why it changed.
Selectel Cloudflare
- ExactA@
192.0.2.70
- ExactAAAA@
2001:db8::70
- 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.
- ExactCNAMEwww
example.com.
| Status | Type | Name | At Cloudflare | TTL | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exact | A | @ |
| 5m | |
| Exact | AAAA | @ |
| 5m | |
| Exact | MX | @ |
| 1h | |
| Exact | TXT | @ |
| 1h | |
| Exact | CAA | @ |
| 1h | |
| Exact | TXT | _dmarc |
| 1h | |
| Exact | SRV | _sip._tls |
| 1h | |
| Exact | CNAME | www |
| 1h |
Set up the connections
Use the provider-specific credential guides before you preview, then keep the migration checklist beside the cutover plan.
How the move works
- 1
Connect Selectel
Connect Selectel with read-only access (Service user (username + password) with a project-scoped IAM token).
- 2
Connect Cloudflare
Connect Cloudflare (Scoped API token). Write access is only used when you apply.
- 3
Review the preview
Check every record marked Review or Unsupported. Each one explains what changes and why.
- 4
Apply to Cloudflare
We snapshot the Cloudflare zone, write in batches, and leave Selectel untouched.
- 5
Verify
We query Cloudflare's own nameservers for every record and compare the answers before you switch.
- 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 Selectel
- Only DNS Hosting (actual) zones are supported. Zones still on DNS Hosting (legacy, API v1) must be moved to the actual version in the control panel first.
- Zones belong to a project; this connection only sees the project it signs in to.
- Apex NS and SOA records are created and managed by Selectel and can't be changed.
- A CNAME can't be placed at the zone apex; use ALIAS instead.
- Each record set can hold at most 100 values.
- Records you disabled in Selectel are left untouched and aren't imported.
- Selectel doesn't publish API rate limits; requests are retried with backoff when throttled.
Access we need: Create a service user with the member role scoped to only the project that holds your zones. The reader role on that project is enough for read-only exports.
Good to know about Cloudflare
- Proxied (orange-cloud) records hide the origin IP. Moving them to another provider sends traffic straight to the origin.
- Apex CNAMEs are flattened by Cloudflare. Other providers need an ALIAS record or static A/AAAA records instead.
- Cloudflare Registrar only allows Cloudflare nameservers, so domains registered there must be transferred out first.
Access we need: Zone → DNS → Read for the preview, Zone → DNS → Edit to apply. Redirect and Worker route records also need Zone → Single Redirect → Edit and Zone → Workers Routes → Edit.
Questions
Will there be downtime moving from Selectel to Cloudflare?
Not if both providers serve the same answers during the switch. The records are copied to Cloudflare 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 Selectel?
No. We never write to Selectel. 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 Cloudflare and publish its new DS record. The cutover plan walks you through each step.
Ready to see your own zone?