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DNS Automation

tfgrid-compose can automatically create DNS A records for your deployments, eliminating manual DNS configuration and enabling faster, fully automated deployments.

Overview

When you deploy an application like WordPress, Nextcloud, or ERPNext, tfgrid-compose needs to point your domain to the deployment's IP address. With DNS automation enabled, this happens automatically during deployment.

Supported Providers

tfgrid-compose supports the following DNS providers for fully automated DNS management:

Provider Authentication Setup Complexity Propagation Speed
Cloudflare API Token Easy ~30 seconds
Name.com Username + API Token Easy 1-5 minutes
GoDaddy API Key + Secret Easy 1-5 minutes

All three providers offer full API access without IP whitelisting requirements.

Recommendation

Cloudflare is recommended for the best developer experience—fastest propagation, excellent API documentation, and free CDN/SSL included.

Provider Setup

Cloudflare

  1. Create a free account at cloudflare.com
  2. Add your domain to Cloudflare
  3. Go to My Profile (top right) → API Tokens → Create Token
  4. Use the "Edit zone DNS" template
  5. Set permissions:
    • Zone - DNS - Edit (to create/update DNS records)
    • Zone - Zone - Read (to look up zone ID automatically)
  6. Zone Resources: Select "Include - All zones" or a specific zone
  7. Client IP Address Filtering: Leave blank (no IP whitelisting required)
  8. TTL: Leave Start/End dates blank for a non-expiring token, or set an expiration for extra security
  9. Click Continue to summary → Create Token
  10. Copy the generated token (shown only once)

Note

You only need the API token. The zone ID and account ID are looked up automatically using your domain name.

tfgrid-compose up tfgrid-wordpress \
  --env DOMAIN=blog.example.com \
  --env DNS_PROVIDER=cloudflare \
  --env CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN=your-token

Name.com

  1. Log into name.com
  2. Go to Account → API Token
  3. Generate a new API token
  4. Note your username and token
tfgrid-compose up tfgrid-wordpress \
  --env DOMAIN=blog.example.com \
  --env DNS_PROVIDER=name.com \
  --env NAMECOM_USERNAME=your-username \
  --env NAMECOM_API_TOKEN=your-token

GoDaddy

  1. Log into developer.godaddy.com
  2. Go to API Keys → Create New API Key
  3. Select Production environment
  4. Note your API key and secret
tfgrid-compose up tfgrid-wordpress \
  --env DOMAIN=blog.example.com \
  --env DNS_PROVIDER=godaddy \
  --env GODADDY_API_KEY=your-key \
  --env GODADDY_API_SECRET=your-secret

Using Cloudflare with Any Registrar

If your domain is registered with a provider that has API limitations (such as IP whitelisting requirements), you can use Cloudflare as your DNS provider while keeping the domain at your current registrar.

This approach gives you:

  • Full API access without restrictions
  • Faster DNS propagation (~30 seconds)
  • Free SSL certificates
  • Free CDN and DDoS protection

Setup Steps

  1. Create a Cloudflare account at cloudflare.com (free)

  2. Add your domain to Cloudflare

    • Click "Add a Site" in the dashboard
    • Enter your domain name
    • Select the Free plan
    • Cloudflare will scan and import existing DNS records

  3. Update nameservers at your registrar

    • Cloudflare provides two nameservers (e.g., anna.ns.cloudflare.com)
    • Log into your registrar's dashboard
    • Change nameservers from default to Cloudflare's nameservers
    • Save changes

  4. Wait for propagation

    • Nameserver changes typically take 10-30 minutes
    • Cloudflare will notify you when the domain is active

  5. Create an API token and use Cloudflare for DNS automation

Note

Your domain registration (ownership, renewal, transfers) stays with your original registrar. Only DNS management moves to Cloudflare.

Manual DNS Setup

If you prefer not to use DNS automation, select manual as your DNS provider:

tfgrid-compose up tfgrid-wordpress \
  --env DOMAIN=blog.example.com \
  --env DNS_PROVIDER=manual

tfgrid-compose will display the required DNS record details:

Please create an A record with your DNS provider:

  Domain: blog.example.com
  Type:   A
  Value:  203.0.113.50
  TTL:    300 (or your preference)

After creating the record, wait 1-5 minutes for propagation.

Security Best Practices

  • Scope API tokens to specific zones/domains when possible
  • Store tokens securely using environment variables or a secrets manager
  • Never commit tokens to version control
  • Rotate tokens periodically for production environments

Troubleshooting

DNS record not created

  • Verify API credentials are correct
  • Check that the domain/zone exists in your DNS provider account
  • Ensure API token has the required permissions

Domain not resolving

  • DNS propagation can take up to 5 minutes (30 seconds for Cloudflare)
  • Clear local DNS cache: sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches
  • Verify with: dig @8.8.8.8 your-domain.com

API rate limits

  • Cloudflare: 1200 requests per 5 minutes
  • Name.com/GoDaddy: Lower limits, sufficient for normal use
  • Avoid rapid repeated deployments to the same domain

TFGrid Studio Ecosystem

Integrated tools and resources