Zerigo

Questions & Answers

Can you tell me more about your nameservers?

We have a number of DNS servers spread across the globe. Read more about our nameservers.

Do you have an API?

Yes. Domains, Hosts, and Templates are all supported by a full REST API. See the REST API documentation for details. For very basic updates, we also support dynamic DNS updates. More information is below.

Do you support wildcards?

Sure do. Just use '*' for the hostname. By default our name servers will check for an actual host record with the queried name. If that's not present, then it checks for a wildcard record. That means you can effectively use a wildcard record as a catchall.

How do I setup vanity (custom) nameservers?

All the details are documented here: setting up vanity nameservers.

How do I configure a reverse domain?

We support both IPv4 and IPv6 reverse domains. When you create a zone with the proper domain name, our system will automatically detect that it is a reverse domain and allow you to add PTR host records.

IPv4 reverse domains look like this: 3.2.1.in-addr.arpa

An IPv6 reverse domain looks more like this: 0.4.a.6.0.e.0.f.1.0.7.4.0.1.0.0.2.ip6.arpa

How do I add third and fourth level domains?

The hostname field allows nested subdomains. For example, if your domain is 'example.com' and the hostname field is 'www.dealers', then the full, valid domain name would be 'www.dealers.example.com'. You can have even more levels if necessary.

How do I setup round-robin records?

Simply add multiple records. Our system will automatically detect this situation and rotate through the possible responses. For example, create two host records, each with Hostname: www and Type: A, but give them different IPs. Everything else is automatic.

What's the status of IPv6 support?

We support AAAA records for forward lookups and also reverse domains (ip6.arpa). Our nameservers themselves still have IPv4 addresses. We are working toward our nameservers answering queries over IPv6—we're on target for a broader rollout in the second half of 2010.

Do you support NS subdomain delegation?

Yes, add new host records with the NS type.

Is your basic plan really free?

Our basic, entry-level service really is free. If you require more than basic support, have a higher number of domains, or a higher volume of DNS requests, then you'll need to upgrade. After finding Zerigo DNS useful, we hope you will also consider whether any of our other services might be a good fit too.

What happens if I go over my query limit?

If you're on a free plan, you'll receive an email asking you to upgrade. We'll send a couple emails over a couple days, just in case the first ones get lost. We know how important DNS is, so your domains will continue to work while we give you time to upgrade.

If you're on a paid plan, you'll simply be billed for the extra queries according to the "extra queries" rate associated with your plan. While it's a little bit more than if you prepaid for the queries, it's not too bad.

How long am I committed?

You can cancel at any time, so basically only until the end of your current billing cycle. You're never committed to another monthly charge. We don't require any contracts or term commitments.

Do you offer refunds?

Generally no, but we think we do even better: you are encouraged to try our entry-level service for free before you buy. That said, if you really feel that we've let you down somehow, contact us and we'll work something out.

What is static DNS service?

Static DNS service is DNS service for static, or consistent, IP addresses. This is by far the most common DNS service—used for pretty much every service (web, email, etc.) across the internet.

What is dynamic DNS service?

Dynamic DNS service is DNS service for dynamic, or changing, IP addresses. Some individuals and small businesses want to run some kind of low-use internet service from their DSL, cable, or other internet connection. The IP address for these connections changes periodically—sometimes every few months, sometimes every few hours or even more often.

If an IP address changes infrequently, it's not too bad to just change the DNS entry—if the TTL (time-to-live) for that address is short (15 minutes or less). Zerigo DNS allows TTLs as low as 1 minute to support this.

For IP addresses that change more often, and sometimes even for those that change infrequently, some kind of software program is run from the target computer that publishes its current IP address—so the update is automatic and timely. Zerigo DNS is capable of receiving this notification and updating the appropriate DNS entry accordingly.

How are dynamic updates made?

There are two options for making changes to your DNS service without using our web interface. The first is dynamic updates. This is ideal for simple dynamic DNS service. See the Dynamic Updates documentation for details and examples. The second option is our full-featured REST API.

Can I use IPv6 addresses with dynamic updates?

Yes. At this time the IPv6 address must be passed as a deliberate parameter to the dynamic update server (no auto-detection of the IPv6 address). Our system will automatically look for an AAAA record to update when provided with an IPv6 address.

Comments, complaints, suggestions

We're very interested in your feedback—positive or negative. Does it work well for you? Is something broken, confusing, or hard to use? Is something you're looking for missing? We'd like to hear about all of it. Contact us.