Domain Migration – A Step-by-Step Guide
Overview
Domain migration to AWS may seem very complicated at first, but to change the domain registrar is very straight forward. AWS Service Route 53 provides highly available and scalable DNS services, seamless integration with AWS workloads, and advanced features like traffic routing, health checks, and monitoring.
In this blog, I will walk through the end-to-end process of migrating your domain to AWS — whether you are moving from Bluehost, GoDaddy, SquareSpace, Google or any third-party service registrar. By the end, you will know exactly how to migrate without downtime.
Understanding Domain Migration
Before starting, it’s important to clarify what “domain migration” means:
Domain registration → who owns and manages the domain name (registrar).
DNS hosting → where your DNS records (A, CNAME, MX, TXT, etc.) are stored.
Migration mean:
Moving DNS hosting to AWS Route 53 (most common).
Transferring the entire domain registration to Route 53 as your new registrar.
Prerequisites
- An AWS account with Route 53 enabled.
- Access to your current domain registrar’s dashboard.
- A backup of your DNS records from your current provider.
- Plan for a maintenance window, especially for production domains.
Step-by-Step Migration :-
1. Export DNS Records from Current Provider
Log in to your existing registrar (Bluehost, Squarespace, Cloudflare, etc.) and export DNS records.
or back up the records.
- A records (IP addresses)
- CNAME records (aliases)
- MX records (mail servers)
- TXT records (SPF, DKIM, verification entries)
- Any SRV or CAA records
2. Create a Hosted Zone in AWS Route 53
- Go to AWS Console → Route 53 → Hosted zones → Create hosted zone.
- Add the domain name.
- Route 53 will automatically generate a set of NS (Name Server) and SOA records.
- Manually add your backed-up DNS records into this hosted zone.
3. Update Name Servers at Current Registrar
In your current registrar dashboard, replace the old NS records with the AWS Route 53 NS values.
Note : DNS propagation can take up to 48 hours, though most changes propagate much sooner.
4. Transfer Domain Registration to AWS
If you want AWS to manage both DNS and domain registration:
- Unlock the domain at your current registrar.
- Request the EPP/Auth code.
- In Route 53, choose Transfer Domain, enter the code, and follow the steps.
- Approve the transfer email sent to your domain’s admin contact.
Note : Once completed, AWS Route 53 becomes your domain registrar.
5. Validate Migration
- Run Command – dig yourdomain.com NS
- Verify your website loads correctly.
- Confirm email delivery if MX records were migrated.
- Monitor application logs for connectivity issues.
Post-Migration Best Practices
- Reduce DNS TTLs (300 seconds or lower) before future migrations.
- Enable Route 53 Health Checks to monitor endpoints.
- Use CloudWatch alarms to detect DNS or availability issues.
- Document all custom DNS records for auditing.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Forgetting MX records → causes email downtime.
- Leaving old TTLs too high → delays cutover.
- Not testing with dig/nslookup before switching NS records.
- Overlooking TXT records (like SPF/DKIM/Google verification).
Conclusion
Migrating your domain to AWS is straightforward if planned properly. By moving DNS hosting (and optionally registration) to Route 53, you gain powerful integration with the AWS, higher availability, and better visibility into your infrastructure.
