Documentation

Quick Start Guide

Follow these steps to deploy redundant DNS in under 5 minutes.

  1. Create the Zone:

    Log in to your RocketDNS Dashboard and click Add Zone. Enter your domain name (e.g., example.com) and the IP address of your Primary (Master) Name Server.

  2. Configure Your Master Server:

    You must authorize our transfer IP to pull zone data. On your primary server (cPanel, BIND, PowerDNS), whitelist our AXFR IP: 91.99.187.157.

  3. Verify Sync:

    Wait approx. 10-60 seconds. Our systems will attempt a zone transfer. The dashboard status should change from Pending to Synced. If it fails, check the Firewall section below.

  4. Update Registrar:

    Once synced, go to your Domain Registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.) and add our nameservers to your NS list.

Security & Firewall Configuration

For RocketDNS to function as a Secondary provider, your Primary Name Server must allow incoming connections from our transfer fleet.

Required Open Ports

You must allow traffic on Port 53 for both TCP and UDP protocols.

  • UDP 53: Used for standard queries and small responses.
  • TCP 53: Essential for AXFR (Zone Transfer). If TCP 53 is blocked, RocketDNS cannot sync your zone, and usage will fail.

IP Allowlist

Allow incoming connections from:

91.99.187.157  (AXFR / Zone Transfer Source)

RocketDNS Nameservers

Assign these as valid nameservers at your registrar.

  • ns1.rocketdns.io
  • ns2.rocketdns.io
  • ns3.rocketdns.io
  • ns4.rocketdns.io

Best Practices

SOA Serial Management

RocketDNS relies on the SOA Serial number to detect changes. Every time you modify records on your Primary Native Server, you MUST increment the Serial Number.

If you do not increment the serial, RocketDNS will assume the zone is unchanged and will not pull the new records, resulting in stale data.

NOTIFY Support

For instant updates, configure your Master to send NOTIFY messages to `91.99.187.157`. We support RFC 1996 for real-time propagation.