DNS Providers

Zones and Records

Learn about DNS zones, how they're synced, and how to use them for custom domains.

What are DNS Zones?

A DNS zone is a portion of the DNS namespace managed by a DNS provider. Each zone typically represents a domain (e.g., example.com) and contains DNS records (A, CNAME, TXT, etc.) that map domain names to IP addresses or other values.

Zone Examples

example.com - Root domain zone
subdomain.example.com - Subdomain (usually part of parent zone)
app.example.com - Application subdomain

Viewing Zones

Zones are automatically synced from your DNS provider when you create a connection.

From Connection Details

Open a DNS connection's details panel
Scroll to the Zones section
You'll see a list of all zones for that connection

Zone Information

Each zone displays:

Field	Description
Zone Name	The domain name (e.g., `example.com`)
Status	Active, Pending, or Inactive
Record Count	Number of DNS records in the zone
Last Synced	When the zone was last synchronized
Provider Zone ID	Provider-specific zone identifier

Zone Synchronization

Zones are automatically synchronized from your DNS provider.

Automatic Sync

Zones are synced:

When a connection is created
After connection validation
Periodically in the background
When you manually refresh zones

Manual Refresh

To manually refresh zones:

Open the connection details panel
Click Refresh Zones
Wait for sync to complete
Zones list updates automatically

Sync Status

Status	Description
Synced	Zone is up to date
Syncing	Zone is currently being synced
Failed	Zone sync failed (check connection)
Never Synced	Zone hasn't been synced yet

Route 53 Zone Configuration

AWS Route 53 supports two zone synchronization modes.

Sync All Zones (Recommended)

Automatically discovers and syncs all hosted zones in your AWS account.

Benefits:

Automatic zone discovery
New zones detected automatically
No manual configuration needed
Best for most use cases

When to Use:

Small to medium number of zones (1-50)
You want all zones available
Simple setup preferred

Specific Zones

Manually specify which hosted zone IDs to sync.

Benefits:

Limit access to specific domains
Better security for multi-tenant setups
Reduce API calls for large accounts
Fine-grained control

When to Use:

Large number of zones (100+)
Only need specific zones
Security/isolation requirements
Performance optimization

Configuration:

Select Specific Zones when creating Route 53 connection
Enter Route 53 Hosted Zone IDs (one per line)
Zone ID format: Z1234567890ABC (starts with 'Z')
Click Add for each zone ID

Finding Route 53 Zone IDs

Open AWS Route 53 Console
Go to Hosted zones
Click on a zone
The Hosted zone ID is shown at the top
Format: Z1234567890ABC

Zone Statuses

Status	Description	Action
Active	Zone is synced and ready to use	None needed
Pending	Zone is being synced	Wait for sync
Inactive	Zone sync failed or zone doesn't exist	Check connection

DNS Record Types

Common DNS record types:

Type	Description
A	Maps domain to IPv4 address
AAAA	Maps domain to IPv6 address
CNAME	Maps domain to another domain name
TXT	Text records (often for verification)
MX	Mail exchange records
NS	Name server records
SOA	Start of authority record

Using Zones for Custom Domains

DNS zones are used when configuring custom domains for your applications. For the end-to-end custom-domain flow on a deployed site, see Cloud Deploy → Custom Domains.

Domain Configuration Flow

Select DNS Connection - Choose which DNS provider to use
Select Zone - Choose the zone (domain) from the connection
Configure Domain - Set up the domain with DNS records
Automatic DNS Records - Orkestia creates necessary DNS records

Zone Selection

When adding a custom domain:

Go to your application's settings
Navigate to Custom Domains
Click Add Domain
Select a DNS Connection from the dropdown
Select a Zone from that connection
Enter the subdomain or use the root domain

Automatic DNS Record Creation

Orkestia automatically creates DNS records when you add a custom domain:

CNAME records - For subdomains pointing to your application
A records - For apex domains (if supported by provider)
TXT records - For domain verification (if required)

Provider-Specific Behavior

Provider	Features
Cloudflare	Supports proxy/CDN option, automatic SSL/TLS, apex domain support
Route 53	Uses ACM certificates for SSL, apex domain support, CloudFront integration
Google Cloud DNS	Apex domain support, standard DNS record management
Vercel DNS	Simple DNS record management, works with Vercel deployments