DNS Providers

This page explains, in plain language, what a “DNS provider” is for in this app and when you actually need one. For setup steps, see Installation.

Do you need this at all?

Only if you want a wildcard host (something like *.example.com covering every subdomain with one certificate). A normal, single-name host doesn’t need a DNS provider configured at all — skip this page entirely if that’s all you’re setting up.

Why a wildcard cert needs this extra step

To prove you actually own example.com before issuing a certificate that covers every possible subdomain of it, Let’s Encrypt needs to see a specific, temporary DNS record appear on that domain — something only the real owner of the domain could add. A normal single-host certificate doesn’t need this because it can prove ownership a simpler way (by responding to a web request instead).

So: to get a wildcard certificate, this app needs to be able to add (and later remove) that one temporary DNS record on your domain automatically, which means it needs your domain registrar or DNS host’s API credentials — that’s what registering a DNS provider here does.

What you’re actually giving it access to

A DNS provider entry only needs enough access to add/remove TXT records — it’s not given your registrar account’s full login, and it can’t do anything to your domain besides that one narrow task (and, for some providers, keeping a dynamic A record updated if you use that feature separately). Check your specific provider’s page in the Installation guide for exactly what kind of credential to generate and how narrowly you can scope it.

Want more detail?

For exact setup steps per provider (Cloudflare, DigitalOcean, Porkbun, DuckDNS, etc.), see Installation.

← Back to Home