Question

What are Openprovider DNS templates and how to apply them to zones in one's reseller account?

Answer

A DNS template is a pre-defined format of a DNS zone. One can define multiple DNS templates, for example when managing multiple servers. When creating a new zone, one can choose which template should serve as the basis.

VERY IMPORTANT: a template is only used during the creation of a zone and can not be used to update all zones that were created using the specific template. Summarizing:

- If the domain has already any DNS zone created in Openprovider: template CAN NOT be updated.
- If the domain doesn't have any DNS zone created in Openprovider: template can be add when updating the nameservers.

If the domain has already any DNS zone created in Openprovider, we recommend you to delete the DNS zone before updating the nameservers with the template.

Creating a template

To create a DNS Template click here and click on Add DNS template button.

The contents of a template are exactly the same as the contents of any DNS zone. The only difference is, that one can use placeholder variables and wildcards to substitute a domain name.

For instance, to refer all subdomains to the top level domain, the record for a regular DNS zone will look as follows:

*.example.tld CNAME example.tld

In a template, a specific domain name can be references by a %domain% variable:

*.%domain% CNAME %domain%

NB: %domain% variable already includes domain's extension.

Define the records on Add DNS template page:

Using a template

Select the desired template from the drop-down menu in the Nameserver settings section when registering a domain:

Note: DNS templates created via RCP (Reseller Control Panel) or API are meant for DNS zones created in  Openprovider. If you are using external/custom nameservers, you should check with your DNS provider on creating DNS templates in their platform.