Migrate Nameservers Safely

July 16, 2026 ยท View on GitHub

A nameserver migration changes the authoritative source for the entire zone. Missing one record can interrupt a service even when the website still works.

Inventory the Old Zone

Collect every record and identify its owner:

  • A and AAAA
  • CNAME
  • MX
  • TXT, including SPF and verification records
  • DKIM selectors
  • DMARC policy
  • CAA
  • SRV
  • Delegated subdomain NS records

An ANY query is not a reliable zone export. Use the old DNS service's supported export or management interface.

Build the New Zone First

  1. Create the new zone without changing the registration-level nameservers.
  2. Copy records and TTL values.
  3. Check automatically generated SOA and NS records.
  4. Query each new authoritative server directly.

Example:

dig @new-ns1.dns-service.example A example.dpdns.org
dig @new-ns1.dns-service.example MX example.dpdns.org
dig @new-ns1.dns-service.example TXT _dmarc.example.dpdns.org

Change the Delegation

In the domain registration interface, replace the old authoritative nameservers with the complete new set. Review spelling before saving.

Keep Both Services Running

Old delegation answers can remain cached. Keep the old zone online and consistent during the transition. Do not delete it immediately after the Dashboard shows new nameservers.

Verify

dig +trace NS example.dpdns.org
dig NS example.dpdns.org
dig A example.dpdns.org
dig MX example.dpdns.org
curl -I https://example.dpdns.org

Test website, email, API, certificate renewal, and important subdomains.

Rollback

If the new authoritative service is incomplete or unavailable, restore the previous nameservers at the registration service and keep both zones intact until the delegation stabilizes.

Continue to Registration Data and Privacy.