DNS Zone Import and Export

Understanding DNS Zone Import and Export

With smoxy, you can import and export entire DNS zones to make setting up and managing your domains as simple and efficient as possible. This feature is especially useful when migrating from another DNS provider or when quickly transferring configurations.

In this article, you’ll learn:

  • How to import a DNS zone

  • How to export a DNS zone

  • What limitations exist

  • What to consider when importing NS records

DNS Zone Import

The import function allows you to upload a complete DNS zone in BIND format (text file). smoxy analyzes this file and automatically creates all valid DNS records in your zone.

How the import works:

  1. In smoxy, go to Domains & DNS.

  2. Select your domain.

  3. Click Import in the top-right corner.

  4. Upload your zone file in BIND format (.txt).

  5. smoxy will then show you all the records that were imported.

Supported record types:

Type
Description

A

IPv4 address of a host

AAAA

IPv6 address of a host

CNAME

Alias for another domain

MX

Email routing (mail server)

TXT

Text-based data (SPF, DKIM, verification)

SRV

Service-specific records

CAA

Certificate authority policies

PTR

Reverse DNS records

NS*

Nameservers for subdomains (see below)

Note: Entries that are invalid or incompatible will be skipped.

Special Case: NS Records

Unlike many DNS providers, smoxy only supports the import of NS records for subdomains, e.g.:

subdomain.example.com.  IN NS  ns1.otherdns.com.

These allow delegation of individual subdomains to other nameservers and are fully supported by smoxy.

NS records for the apex domain (e.g., example.com) are ignored, since smoxy provides the nameservers for the main domain itself. Entries such as:

example.com.  IN NS  ns1.otherdns.com.

are not imported, as they technically have no effect on DNS management in smoxy.

DNS Zone Export

You can export your DNS configuration in smoxy at any time as a zone file in BIND format. This is especially useful as a backup or for transferring to other systems.

How to export your zone:

  1. In smoxy, go to Domains & DNS.

  2. Select your domain.

  3. Click Export.

  4. smoxy will automatically generate a .txt file containing all current records.

Tips for Working with Import/Export

  • When importing, make sure your file does not contain duplicate or conflicting records.

  • After importing, check that all important services such as websites, email, and subdomains are working correctly.

  • Use the export function regularly to back up your DNS configuration.

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