How to migrate DNS management from registrar to Cloudflare without downtime?

[Avery.J]

I'm managing the DNS for our small business website and email, which is currently hosted with our domain registrar, but we're experiencing slow propagation times and occasional outages when making changes. I'm considering moving DNS management to a dedicated service like Cloudflare or AWS Route 53 for better performance and reliability. For others who have made this migration, what were the key steps and potential pitfalls in transferring zones without causing significant downtime for email or web services, and how did you handle the transition of dynamic records like SPF and DKIM?

[MatthewDG]

Migration worked for us last year with minimal downtime. Key is to clone every DNS record exactly, flip TTL down before the switch, and keep the old DNS working as a fallback for a day or two.

[Larry.M]

Here's the approach I used: 1) export current zone (A/AAAA, MX, CNAME, TXT, SRV, AAAA). 2) Recreate identical zone in new DNS provider. 3) Set all TTLs to 300 seconds or less. 4) At registrar, switch NS to new provider and monitor propagation with dig/nslookup. 5) Keep old zone alive for a grace period. 6) Validate services (web, email, API). 7) Once stable, fade old DNS.

[JustinRT]

For email, copy SPF (TXT) as-is; move DKIM public keys by creating TXT records for the selector _domainkey.yourdomain. If you're using external email service, make sure their recommended SPF and DKIM alignment is kept; sometimes you need to add includes. After switch, test SPF via 'nslookup -type=TXT yourdomain' and verify by sending mail to check; watch DMARC reports. DKIM: ensure the selector and public key records exist in the new zone. If you run your own MTAs, you'll need to publish new DKIM public key in DNS; rotate keys during a low-traffic window if possible.

[Samuel_H]

If you go with Cloudflare, remember to keep mail-related records set to DNS only (disable the proxy for MX, TXT/SFP, and DKIM records). Cloudflare's proxy can interfere with mail delivery. For Route 53 there isn't a proxy mode to worry about, but you still want to test propagation and ensure your hosted zone is fully synced before cutover.

[MarkHC]

Test with a small, low-risk subdomain first (test.example.com) to verify that everything—web, mail, API—works with the new DNS. Then schedule a single switch window, keep TTLs low, and monitor DNS traffic and mail flow closely. Don’t forget to enable a rollback plan if you notice outages.

[Penelope.H]

What registrar or providers are you considering? If you want, I can tailor a concise 1-page migration checklist or provide a ready-to-copy DNS zone template for Cloudflare or Route 53.