Configure OctoDNS with Gcore Managed DNS

OctoDNS is an open-source tool that manages DNS zones across multiple providers — use it to synchronize records from a primary DNS provider to Gcore Managed DNS, keeping Gcore as a secondary DNS with an up-to-date copy of zone data.

Before starting, verify that the primary DNS provider is supported by checking the providers table. If the provider is not listed, automatic record transfer is not supported.

Install OctoDNS

Steps 2–11 run in a terminal on the machine where OctoDNS will be installed — a local laptop or any Linux server works. The commands below are for Debian/Ubuntu; for other operating systems, install Python 3 and create a virtual environment using the method appropriate for that system.

1. Create a DNS zone for the domain to synchronize

   In the Gcore Customer Portal, navigate to DNS and create a DNS zone for the domain to synchronize. If the zone already exists, skip this step.

   
2. Update the local package index

   sudo apt update
   
3. Install Python 3 and the venv module

   sudo apt install python3 python3-venv
   
4. Create a working directory for OctoDNS

   mkdir ~/octodns ~/octodns/config
   
5. Navigate to the working directory

   cd ~/octodns
   
6. Create and activate a Python virtual environment

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate
   

   Keep the virtual environment active for all remaining steps.

7. (Optional) Install Git

   sudo apt-get install git-all
   
8. Install OctoDNS and the provider packages

   Replace octodns_yourprovider with the module name for the primary DNS provider found in the providers table:

   pip install octodns octodns_gcore octodns_yourprovider
   

   Verify the installation:

   octodns-sync --version
   

   Expected output (version number varies):

   octoDNS x.x.x
   

   If the command is not found, the virtual environment is not active. Run source venv/bin/activate from the ~/octodns directory and retry.

9. Navigate to the config directory

   cd ~/octodns/config
   
10. Create config.yaml

    This file specifies the providers and DNS zones for OctoDNS to manage. YAML indentation is required — use the template below as a starting point:

    providers:
      [your provider name]:
        [your provider class]
        [authentication data]
      gcore:
        class: octodns_gcore.GCoreProvider
        [authentication data]
    zones:
      [your DNS zone].:
        sources:
          - [your provider name]
        targets:
          - gcore
    

    Gcore DNS provider configuration

    The Gcore DNS provider requires authentication. An API token is recommended:

    gcore:
      class: octodns_gcore.GCoreProvider
      token: YOUR_API_TOKEN
      token_type: APIKey
    

    Alternatively, login and password authentication is supported:

    gcore:
      class: octodns_gcore.GCoreProvider
      login: your_login
      password: your_password
    

    Primary provider configuration

    Each provider has its own configuration format. In the providers table, find the primary provider, open its repository, and locate the Configuration section to copy the provider name, class name, and authentication fields.

    With Amazon Route 53 as the primary provider, the full config.yaml looks like this:

    providers:
      route53:
        class: octodns_route53.Route53Provider
        access_key_id: YOUR_KEY_ID
        secret_access_key: YOUR_SECRET_KEY
      gcore:
        class: octodns_gcore.GCoreProvider
        token: YOUR_API_TOKEN
        token_type: APIKey
    zones:
      myzone.com.:
        sources:
          - route53
        targets:
          - gcore
      mymyzone.com.:
        sources:
          - route53
        targets:
          - gcore
    

    Save and close the file.

11. Verify with a dry-run sync, then apply

    A dry-run shows the planned changes without applying them:

    octodns-sync --config-file=~/octodns/config/config.yaml
    

    Example output:

    * gcore (GCoreProvider)
    *   Create <ARecord A 300, www.myzone.com., ['1.2.3.4']> (route53)
    *   Summary: Creates=1, Updates=0, Deletes=0, Existing=0, Meta=False
    

    If the output is correct, apply the changes:

    octodns-sync --config-file=~/octodns/config/config.yaml --doit
    

    Example output:

    INFO    GCoreProvider[gcore] apply: making 1 changes to myzone.com.
    INFO    GCoreProvider[gcore] creating: Create <ARecord A 300, www.myzone.com., ['1.2.3.4']> (route53)
    INFO    Manager sync:   1 total changes
    

    The synchronized records are visible in the Customer Portal under DNS → the zone name.

    

Update records

To re-sync records after changes in the primary provider:

1. Navigate to the OctoDNS directory and activate the virtual environment

   cd ~/octodns
   source venv/bin/activate
   
2. Run the sync command

   octodns-sync --config-file=~/octodns/config/config.yaml --doit
   

To automate record updates, schedule this command with cron.