Question:

I have successfully migrated two domains (DNS hosting) from different providers to CloudFlare. I want to know the potential risks and pitfalls of this process before I repeat it with other domains. Note that I am only changing the DNS provider, not the registrar. >
> Here is what I did and the questions I have: >
> – I exported and imported the DNS zone (all records) from one provider to CloudFlare. For the other, CloudFlare copied them automatically. > – To avoid downtime, I wanted to point the registrar to both the old and the new DNS temporarily, but I was told that I had to use only the two CloudFlare DNS for CloudFlare to accept it. It worked, but why is that? > – Is it necessary to lower NS TTL before changing the DNS provider? Wouldn’t queries just go to the old or the new DNS during the transition period? > – How important is it to update the WHOIS information? > – What are the common causes of downtime or domain disappearance when changing the DNS provider? Is it more likely when changing the registrar? > – I noticed that at Netsol, where I bought the domain, there were two old NameServers that I didn’t use for a long time (not functional). It didn’t seem to affect the migration, but how did that work? I thought WHOIS took the information from the registrars. >
> Bonus question: What are the challenges or issues when moving a domain from one registrar to another? I rarely do that, but I would like to know.

Answer:

How to Migrate Your Domains to CloudFlare Without Downtime or Disappearance

CloudFlare is a popular service that provides DNS hosting, CDN, security, and performance optimization for your websites. If you want to switch your domains from your current DNS provider to CloudFlare, you might have some questions and concerns about the process. In this article, we will answer some of the common questions and explain how to avoid potential risks and pitfalls when migrating your domains to CloudFlare.

DNS stands for Domain Name System, and it is a system that translates human-readable domain names (such as example.com) into IP addresses (such as 192.168.0.1) that computers can understand. DNS also allows you to manage various records for your domain, such as A, CNAME, MX, TXT, etc. These records specify how your domain behaves and interacts with other services, such as web hosting, email, verification, etc.

DNS is important because it affects the availability, performance, and security of your website. If your DNS provider is slow, unreliable, or compromised, your website might suffer from downtime, latency, or attacks. Therefore, choosing a good DNS provider is crucial for your online presence.

Why choose CloudFlare as your DNS provider?

CloudFlare is one of the most popular and trusted DNS providers in the world, serving over 26 million domains and handling over 1 trillion queries per month. CloudFlare offers several benefits for your domains, such as:

• Free and easy to use: CloudFlare has a free plan that covers unlimited domains and records, and it has a user-friendly interface that allows you to manage your DNS settings easily.
• Fast and reliable: CloudFlare has a global network of over 200 data centers that deliver fast and consistent DNS resolution for your domains. CloudFlare also has a 100% uptime guarantee and a robust DDoS protection that ensures your domains are always online and secure.
• CDN and optimization: CloudFlare also acts as a content delivery network (CDN) that caches and delivers your website content from the nearest data center to your visitors, reducing bandwidth usage and improving loading speed. CloudFlare also offers various features that optimize your website performance, such as compression, minification, HTTP/2, etc.
• Security and privacy: CloudFlare provides several security features that protect your website from malicious attacks, such as SSL/TLS encryption, firewall, rate limiting, etc. CloudFlare also respects your privacy and does not sell or share your DNS data with third parties.

How to migrate your domains to CloudFlare?

Migrating your domains to CloudFlare is a simple and straightforward process that involves the following steps:

• Create a CloudFlare account and add your domains: You can sign up for a free CloudFlare account and add your domains to your dashboard. CloudFlare will scan your current DNS records and import them automatically. You can also export and import your DNS records manually if you prefer.
• Verify and update your DNS records: You should review and verify that your DNS records are correct and complete on CloudFlare. You can also add, edit, or delete any records as needed. You should also enable or disable any CloudFlare features that you want to use for your domains, such as CDN, SSL, firewall, etc.
• Change your name servers at your registrar: The final and most important step is to change your name servers at your domain registrar (the company where you bought your domain) to point to CloudFlare. CloudFlare will provide you with two name servers that you need to use for your domains. You should replace your current name servers with the CloudFlare ones and save the changes.

Once you have completed these steps, your domains are now using CloudFlare as your DNS provider. You can check the status of your domains on your CloudFlare dashboard and see if they are active and working properly.

What are the potential risks and pitfalls of migrating your domains to CloudFlare?

Migrating your domains to CloudFlare is generally a safe and smooth process, but there are some potential risks and pitfalls that you should be aware of and avoid. Here are some of the common ones:

• Downtime: One of the main concerns when changing your DNS provider is the possibility of downtime, which means your website becomes inaccessible or unreachable for some time. This can happen due to various reasons, such as propagation delay, caching issues, configuration errors, etc. To minimize the risk of downtime, you should follow these best practices:
• Lower your NS TTL before changing your name servers: TTL stands for Time To Live, and it is a value that specifies how long a DNS record should be cached by the DNS servers and clients. Lowering your NS TTL means that your name servers will be updated faster and more frequently, reducing the propagation delay and the chance of stale or incorrect DNS records. You should lower your NS TTL at least 24 hours before changing your name servers to CloudFlare, and set it to the lowest possible value (such as 300 seconds or 5 minutes).
• Do not delete your old DNS records until the migration is complete: You should keep your old DNS records intact until you are sure that your domains are fully migrated and working on CloudFlare. This is because some DNS servers and clients might still use your old DNS records during the transition period, and deleting them might cause errors or failures. You can delete your old DNS records after the migration is complete and your domains are stable on CloudFlare.
• Test your domains before and after changing your name servers: You should test your domains before and after changing your name servers to make sure that they are resolving correctly and functioning properly. You can use various tools and methods to test your domains, such as ping, dig, nslookup, curl, browser, etc. You should also check your website content, email, SSL, etc. to make sure that they are working as expected.
• Disappearance: Another possible risk when changing your DNS provider is the disappearance of your domain, which means your domain becomes unavailable or unregistered for some reason. This can happen due to various reasons, such as expiration, suspension, transfer, hijacking, etc. To prevent the disappearance of your domain, you should follow these best practices:
• Renew your domain before it expires: You should always renew your domain before it expires, preferably well in advance. If your domain expires, it might go into a grace period, a redemption period, or an auction, depending on your registrar and the domain extension. During these periods, your domain might become inactive, inaccessible, or even lost. You should always keep track of your domain expiration date and renew it on time.
• Update your WHOIS information: You should always update your WHOIS information, which is the public record of your domain ownership and contact details. Updating your WHOIS information ensures that you are the legitimate owner of your domain and that you can be contacted in case of any issues or disputes. You should also enable WHOIS privacy if you want to protect your personal information from spammers, scammers, or hackers.
• Lock your domain and enable two-factor authentication: You should always lock your domain and enable two-factor authentication at your registrar, which are security features that prevent unauthorized changes or transfers of your domain. Locking your domain means that your domain cannot be transferred to another registrar without your consent. Enabling two-factor authentication means that you need to provide a code or a token in addition to your password to access your registrar account. These features protect your domain from hijacking, phishing, or other malicious attacks.

Bonus question: What are the challenges or issues when moving a domain from one registrar to another?

Moving a domain from one registrar to another is a different process from changing your DNS provider, and it involves transferring the ownership and management of your domain to a new company. This process can be more complex and challenging than changing your DNS provider, and it involves the following steps:

• Prepare your domain for transfer: You need to prepare your domain for transfer by unlocking it, disabling WHOIS privacy, obtaining the authorization code, and verifying your email address. These steps are required to confirm that you are the rightful owner of your domain and that you agree to the transfer.
• Initiate the transfer at your new registrar: You need to initiate the transfer at your new registrar by providing your domain name, authorization code, and payment information. Your new registrar will then send a confirmation email to your email address and request the approval of the transfer from your old registrar.
• Approve the transfer at your old registrar: You need to approve the transfer at your old registrar by following the instructions in the email that you receive from them. Your old registrar might also send you a confirmation email to your email address and ask you to confirm the transfer.
• Wait for the transfer to complete: You need to wait for the transfer to complete, which can take from a few hours to a few days, depending on the domain extension and the registrar policies. During this time, your domain might be in a pending or a transferring status, and you might not be able to make any changes to it. You should also keep your old DNS records until the transfer is complete and your domain is active and working on your new registrar.

Some

of the challenges or issues that you might face when moving a domain from one registrar to another are: