DNS Management

Learn how to manage DNS zones and records directly through the brdz CLI.

Overview

brdz includes built-in DNS management, allowing you to:

• Create and manage DNS zones
• Add and update DNS records
• Integrate DNS with your applications
• Clone records from existing domains

When to Use brdz DNS

Use brdz DNS when you want:

• Centralized management of apps and DNS
• API-driven DNS updates
• Tight integration between apps and domains
• Simplified workflow for deployments

Quick Start

1. Create a DNS Zone

brdz dns:zones:create example.com

Note the zone ID and nameserver addresses from the output.

2. Update Nameservers

At your domain registrar, update nameservers to:

ns1.brdz-dns.com
ns2.brdz-dns.com
ns3.brdz-dns.com
ns4.brdz-dns.com

Note: Exact nameserver addresses will be provided when you create the zone.

3. Verify Configuration

brdz dns:zones:verify <zone>

Wait for verification (may take up to 48 hours for DNS propagation).

4. Add DNS Records

# A record for root domain
brdz dns:records:create example.com A 192.0.2.1 --zone <zone>

# CNAME for www
brdz dns:records:create www.example.com CNAME example.com --zone <zone>

# MX for email
brdz dns:records:create example.com MX mail.example.com --zone <zone> --prio 10

Common Workflows

Simple Website Setup

# Create zone
brdz dns:zones:create example.com

# After nameserver delegation and verification...

# Point root to your app
brdz dns:records:create example.com A 192.0.2.1 --zone <zone>

# Add www subdomain
brdz dns:records:create www.example.com CNAME example.com --zone <zone>

# Add hostname to your app
brdz hostnames:create example.com
brdz hostnames:create www.example.com

Email Configuration

# MX records for email
brdz dns:records:create example.com MX mail.example.com --zone <zone> --prio 10
brdz dns:records:create example.com MX mail2.example.com --zone <zone> --prio 20

# SPF record
brdz dns:records:create example.com TXT "v=spf1 mx ~all" --zone <zone>

# DMARC policy
brdz dns:records:create _dmarc.example.com TXT "v=DMARC1; p=quarantine;" --zone <zone>

# DKIM (get from email provider)
brdz dns:records:create default._domainkey.example.com TXT "v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=..." --zone <zone>

Microservices Setup

# Create zone
brdz dns:zones:create example.com

# Main website
brdz dns:records:create example.com A 192.0.2.1 --zone <zone>
brdz dns:records:create www.example.com CNAME example.com --zone <zone>

# API endpoint
brdz dns:records:create api.example.com A 192.0.2.2 --zone <zone>

# Admin panel
brdz dns:records:create admin.example.com A 192.0.2.3 --zone <zone>

# Docs
brdz dns:records:create docs.example.com A 192.0.2.4 --zone <zone>

Cloning Existing DNS

Migrate an existing domain by cloning its records:

# Create new zone
brdz dns:zones:create example.com

# Clone all records from existing DNS
brdz dns:records:clone example.com

# Review imported records
brdz dns:records:list --zone <zone>

# Update nameservers at registrar
# (to the nameservers provided when creating the zone)

Zone Management

Creating Zones

# Create zone
brdz dns:zones:create example.com

# Output will include:
# - Zone ID (save this!)
# - Nameserver addresses
# - Next steps

Listing Zones

brdz dns:zones:list

Getting Zone Details

brdz dns:zones:get <zone>

Verifying Zones

# Check if nameservers are configured
brdz dns:zones:verify <zone>

# Manually check DNS
dig example.com NS

Deactivating Zones

# Temporarily disable without deleting
brdz dns:zones:deactivate <zone>

Deleting Zones

# Permanently delete (deletes all records)
brdz dns:zones:delete <zone>

Record Management

Creating Records

# A record (IPv4)
brdz dns:records:create example.com A 192.0.2.1 --zone <zone>

# AAAA record (IPv6)
brdz dns:records:create example.com AAAA 2001:db8::1 --zone <zone>

# CNAME record
brdz dns:records:create www.example.com CNAME example.com --zone <zone>

# MX record
brdz dns:records:create example.com MX mail.example.com --zone <zone> --prio 10

# TXT record
brdz dns:records:create example.com TXT "v=spf1 mx ~all" --zone <zone>

Listing Records

brdz dns:records:list --zone <zone>

Deleting Records

# Get record ID from list
brdz dns:records:list --zone <zone>

# Delete record
brdz dns:records:delete <record-id>

Integration with Apps

Pattern 1: Separate DNS and Hosting

# Manage DNS in brdz
brdz dns:zones:create example.com
brdz dns:records:create example.com A 192.0.2.1 --zone <zone>

# Point to external hosting
# DNS managed by brdz, hosting elsewhere

Pattern 2: Unified Management

# Create DNS zone
brdz dns:zones:create example.com

# Deploy app
brdz releases:create release.zip

# Add hostname
brdz hostnames:create example.com

# Create DNS record pointing to brdz
brdz dns:records:create example.com A <brdz-ip> --zone <zone>

Pattern 3: Multiple Apps

# One zone, multiple apps
brdz dns:zones:create example.com

# Frontend app
brdz ctx:use  # Select frontend app
brdz hostnames:create www.example.com
brdz dns:records:create www.example.com CNAME <brdz-target> --zone <zone>

# API app
brdz ctx:use  # Select api app
brdz hostnames:create api.example.com
brdz dns:records:create api.example.com CNAME <brdz-target> --zone <zone>

Best Practices

1. Document Zone IDs

Keep a record of your zone IDs:

echo "example.com zone: example.com" >> dns-zones.txt

2. Start with Low TTL

Use low TTL (300 seconds) during setup:

brdz dns:records:create example.com A 192.0.2.1 --zone <zone> --ttl 300

Increase TTL once stable:

# Delete old record
brdz dns:records:delete <record-id>

# Recreate with higher TTL
brdz dns:records:create example.com A 192.0.2.1 --zone <zone> --ttl 3600

3. Verify Before Switching

Always verify zone and records before changing nameservers:

# Check records exist
brdz dns:records:list --zone <zone>

# Test resolution
dig @ns1.brdz-dns.com example.com

4. Keep Backup of Records

Before migrating:

# Export current DNS
dig example.com ANY > dns-backup.txt

# Or clone records
brdz dns:records:clone example.com

5. Monitor After Changes

After DNS changes:

• Check from multiple locations
• Monitor application availability
• Watch for certificate issues
• Test email delivery (if applicable)

Troubleshooting

Zone Not Verifying

Symptoms: dns:zones:verify fails

Solutions:

1. Check nameservers at registrar match zone nameservers
2. Wait for propagation (up to 48 hours)
3. Test delegation:

   dig example.com NS
   dig @ns1.brdz-dns.com example.com SOA

Records Not Resolving

Symptoms: dig example.com doesn’t return records

Solutions:

1. Verify zone is active:

   brdz dns:zones:get <zone>

2. Check records exist:

   brdz dns:records:list --zone <zone>

3. Test directly against nameservers:

   dig @ns1.brdz-dns.com example.com

Email Not Working

Symptoms: Email delivery fails

Solutions:

1. Verify MX records:

   dig example.com MX

2. Check SPF record:

   dig example.com TXT | grep spf

3. Test email configuration:

   # Use online tools like mxtoolbox.com

Advanced Usage

Scripting DNS Changes

#!/bin/bash
ZONE="example.com"

# Add multiple records
brdz dns:records:create example.com A 192.0.2.1 --zone $ZONE
brdz dns:records:create www.example.com CNAME example.com --zone $ZONE
brdz dns:records:create api.example.com A 192.0.2.2 --zone $ZONE

Dynamic DNS Updates

#!/bin/bash
# Update A record with current IP

ZONE_ID="abc123"
NEW_IP=$(curl -s ifconfig.me)

# Delete old record
OLD_RECORD_ID=$(brdz dns:records:list --zone $ZONE | grep "home.example.com" | awk '{print $1}')
brdz dns:records:delete $OLD_RECORD_ID

# Create new record
brdz dns:records:create home.example.com A $NEW_IP --zone $ZONE

Migration Checklist

When migrating DNS to brdz:

• Create zone in brdz
• Export existing DNS records
• Clone or recreate records in brdz
• Verify all records are correct
• Lower TTL on existing DNS
• Wait for old TTL to expire
• Update nameservers at registrar
• Monitor DNS propagation
• Verify zone verification
• Test all services (web, email, etc.)
• Monitor for 24-48 hours
• Increase TTL for stability

See Also

• DNS Zones
• DNS Records
• Custom Domains
• Hostnames