How DNS Templates Work

Table of Contents

• What a template contains
• Who can use templates
• What happens when you apply a template
• Why applying a template can fail
• Template variables
• Templates and one-click services
• Have more questions?

A DNS template is a named, reusable group of DNS records stored on your account. Applying a template to a domain creates those records in the domain’s zone. It does not remove or overwrite records that are already there.

For the steps to create and apply one, see How to Use Templates.

What a template contains

A template has a name, a short identifier that is unique within your account, and any number of DNS records. There is no limit on how many records a template can hold, and the records can be of any type the record editor supports.

Templates belong to the account rather than to a domain, so one template can be applied to as many domains as you like.

Who can use templates

The Templates tab is for creating and editing templates. It appears in the header only for users who can manage the account. A member with domain-level access will not see that tab.
Applying a template is separate. A member who can manage a domain’s DNS can still apply an existing template even if they cannot create or edit templates.

What happens when you apply a template

Applying a template adds each of the template’s records to the target zone. Two things follow from that:

• Existing records are left alone. A template never deletes or replaces a record that is already in the zone.
• The application is recorded. A zone keeps track of which templates have been applied to it.

Why applying a template can fail

Applying a template is all or nothing. If any record the template would create is invalid for the target zone, the whole application fails and nothing is added.

The usual cause is a conflict with a record that already exists. For example, a template that creates a beta CNAME record cannot be applied to a domain that already has a beta CNAME, because the zone cannot hold both.

To resolve it, remove or rename the conflicting record in the zone, then apply the template again.

Template variables

Template records do not have to hard-code a domain name. Two substitutions are available:

• {{domain}} is replaced with the name of the domain the template is applied to
• @ on its own is replaced with the same value, for certain record types

{{domain}} is the only variable available in templates you create. For the full rules, including which record types accept @ and the special case for SRV records, see Template Record Variables and Syntax.

Templates and one-click services

One-click services are built on the same mechanism as templates. The difference is who maintains them and what they can do:

If a service already exists for the provider you are configuring, use it. Build a template when you have a record set of your own that you repeat across domains.

Have more questions?

If you have any questions about how templates work, just contact support, and we’ll be happy to help.