Advanced

Zone Editor

Edit your entire DNS zone as JSON for maximum flexibility. Perfect for complex geo-routing configurations, bulk changes and advanced record management.

On this page8 sections

The Zone Editor with a zone file open

Accessing the Zone Editor#

There are two ways to use advanced JSON editing:

Per-record advanced mode: switch to the Advanced tab when adding or editing a single record to see and edit its full JSON representation, including geo routing. The Advanced tab is available in any record modal.
Full Zone Editor: toggle between Table and JSON view to edit all records at once. Ideal for bulk operations and complex configurations. Use the Table/JSON toggle in the Records page header.

Zone file format#

The zone file is a JSON object where keys are record types and values are arrays of records:

JSON

{
  "SOA": [{
    "name": "@",
    "ttl": 3600,
    "mname": "ns1-abc123.edge.network.",
    "rname": "hostmaster.example.com.",
    "refresh": 3600,
    "retry": 900,
    "expire": 604800,
    "minimum": 300
  }],
  "NS": [
    { "name": "@", "data": "ns1-abc123.edge.network.", "ttl": 3600 },
    { "name": "@", "data": "ns2-abc123.edge.network.", "ttl": 3600 }
  ],
  "A": [
    { "name": "@", "data": "185.1.1.1", "ttl": 300 },
    { "name": "www", "data": "185.1.1.1", "ttl": 300 },
    { "name": "api", "data": "185.1.1.2", "ttl": 60 }
  ],
  "AAAA": [
    { "name": "@", "data": "2001:db8::1", "ttl": 300 }
  ],
  "CNAME": [
    { "name": "blog", "data": "www.example.com.", "ttl": 3600 }
  ],
  "MX": [
    { "name": "@", "data": "mail.example.com.", "ttl": 3600, "priority": 10 }
  ],
  "TXT": [
    { "name": "@", "data": "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all", "ttl": 3600 }
  ]
}

Record types reference#

SOA record (auto-managed)#

Start of Authority. Defines zone parameters.

JSON

{
  "name": "@",
  "ttl": 3600,
  "mname": "ns1-abc123.edge.network.",
  "rname": "hostmaster.example.com.",
  "refresh": 3600,
  "retry": 900,
  "expire": 604800,
  "minimum": 300
}

A record#

Maps a domain to an IPv4 address.

JSON

{
  "name": "@",
  "data": "185.1.1.1",
  "ttl": 300,
  "geo": {
    "EU": "185.2.2.2",
    "US": "185.3.3.3",
    "AS": "185.4.4.4"
  }
}

geo is optional. See Geographic routing.

AAAA record#

Maps a domain to an IPv6 address.

JSON

{
  "name": "@",
  "data": "2001:db8::1",
  "ttl": 300,
  "geo": {
    "EU": "2001:db8::2"
  }
}

CNAME record#

Creates an alias pointing to another domain.

JSON

{
  "name": "www",
  "data": "example.com.",
  "ttl": 3600,
  "geo": {
    "US": "us.example.com.",
    "EU": "eu.example.com."
  }
}

ALIAS record#

CNAME-like functionality at the zone apex.

JSON

{
  "name": "@",
  "data": "loadbalancer.edge.network.",
  "ttl": 300
}

ALIAS records resolve the target hostname and return A/AAAA records.

MX record#

Specifies mail servers for the domain.

JSON

{
  "name": "@",
  "data": "aspmx.l.google.com.",
  "ttl": 3600,
  "priority": 1
}

priority is required. Lower values mean higher priority.

Multiple MX records for redundancy:

JSON

"MX": [
  { "name": "@", "data": "aspmx.l.google.com.", "ttl": 3600, "priority": 1 },
  { "name": "@", "data": "alt1.aspmx.l.google.com.", "ttl": 3600, "priority": 5 },
  { "name": "@", "data": "alt2.aspmx.l.google.com.", "ttl": 3600, "priority": 5 },
  { "name": "@", "data": "alt3.aspmx.l.google.com.", "ttl": 3600, "priority": 10 },
  { "name": "@", "data": "alt4.aspmx.l.google.com.", "ttl": 3600, "priority": 10 }
]

TXT record#

Stores text data for various purposes (SPF, DKIM, verification).

JSON

{
  "name": "@",
  "data": "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all",
  "ttl": 3600
}

For long TXT records (like DKIM), use an array:

JSON

{
  "name": "google._domainkey",
  "data": [
    "v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEA...",
    "...continuation of long key..."
  ],
  "ttl": 3600
}

Array values are automatically joined for DNS responses.

NS record#

Delegates a subdomain to other nameservers.

Apex NS records (at @) are auto-managed by Edge DNS based on your account’s assigned nameservers.

Subdomain delegation. Use NS records to delegate subdomains to other providers:

JSON

{
  "name": "subdomain",
  "data": "ns1.otherprovider.com.",
  "ttl": 3600
}

Add multiple NS records for the same subdomain for redundancy.

CAA record#

Specifies which certificate authorities can issue certificates.

JSON

{
  "name": "@",
  "data": "0 issue letsencrypt.org",
  "ttl": 3600
}

Format: <flags> <tag> <value>. Tags: issue, issuewild, iodef.

Common CAA configurations:

JSON

"CAA": [
  { "name": "@", "data": "0 issue letsencrypt.org", "ttl": 3600 },
  { "name": "@", "data": "0 issuewild letsencrypt.org", "ttl": 3600 },
  { "name": "@", "data": "0 iodef mailto:ssl@example.com", "ttl": 3600 }
]

SRV record#

Specifies service locations (used for SIP, XMPP, etc.).

JSON

{
  "name": "_sip._tcp",
  "data": "10 5 5060 sipserver.example.com.",
  "ttl": 3600
}

Format: <priority> <weight> <port> <target>.

PTR record#

Reverse DNS lookup (IP to hostname).

JSON

{
  "name": "1",
  "data": "server1.example.com.",
  "ttl": 3600
}

Used in reverse DNS zones like 1.168.192.in-addr.arpa.

Complex geographic routing#

The Zone Editor makes it easy to configure complex geo routing scenarios.

Global CDN with regional endpoints#

JSON

{
  "A": [
    {
      "name": "cdn",
      "data": "185.1.1.1",
      "ttl": 60,
      "geo": {
        "NA": "185.2.2.2",
        "US-WEST": "185.2.2.10",
        "US-EAST": "185.2.2.11",
        "CA": "185.2.2.12",
        "EU": "185.3.3.3",
        "GB": "185.3.3.10",
        "DE": "185.3.3.11",
        "NL": "185.3.3.12",
        "AS": "185.4.4.4",
        "JP": "185.4.4.10",
        "SG": "185.4.4.11",
        "IN": "185.4.4.12",
        "OC": "185.5.5.5",
        "AU": "185.5.5.10"
      }
    }
  ]
}

API with failover by region#

JSON

{
  "A": [
    {
      "name": "api",
      "data": "10.0.0.1",
      "ttl": 300,
      "geo": {
        "US": "10.0.1.1",
        "EU": "10.0.2.1",
        "AS": "10.0.3.1"
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "api",
      "data": "10.0.0.2",
      "ttl": 300,
      "geo": {
        "US": "10.0.1.2",
        "EU": "10.0.2.2",
        "AS": "10.0.3.2"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Multiple A records with the same name provide round-robin load balancing per region.

Regional CNAME aliases#

JSON

{
  "CNAME": [
    {
      "name": "www",
      "data": "global.example.com.",
      "ttl": 300,
      "geo": {
        "US": "us.example.com.",
        "EU": "eu.example.com.",
        "AS": "asia.example.com."
      }
    }
  ]
}

Complete zone example#

Here’s a complete zone configuration as shown in the Zone Editor. SOA and apex NS records are displayed for reference but managed automatically:

JSON

{
  "SOA": [{
    "name": "@",
    "ttl": 3600,
    "mname": "ns1-abc123.edge.network.",
    "rname": "hostmaster.example.com.",
    "refresh": 3600,
    "retry": 900,
    "expire": 604800,
    "minimum": 300
  }],
  "NS": [
    { "name": "@", "data": "ns1-abc123.edge.network.", "ttl": 3600 },
    { "name": "@", "data": "ns2-abc123.edge.network.", "ttl": 3600 },
    { "name": "subdomain", "data": "ns1.otherprovider.com.", "ttl": 86400 },
    { "name": "subdomain", "data": "ns2.otherprovider.com.", "ttl": 86400 }
  ],
  "A": [
    {
      "name": "@",
      "data": "185.1.1.1",
      "ttl": 300,
      "geo": {
        "EU": "185.2.2.2",
        "US": "185.3.3.3"
      }
    },
    { "name": "www", "data": "185.1.1.1", "ttl": 300 },
    { "name": "mail", "data": "185.1.1.10", "ttl": 3600 },
    { "name": "api", "data": "185.1.1.20", "ttl": 60 }
  ],
  "AAAA": [
    { "name": "@", "data": "2001:db8::1", "ttl": 300 },
    { "name": "www", "data": "2001:db8::1", "ttl": 300 }
  ],
  "CNAME": [
    { "name": "blog", "data": "www.example.com.", "ttl": 3600 },
    { "name": "docs", "data": "docs.gitbook.io.", "ttl": 3600 },
    { "name": "status", "data": "status.example.com.", "ttl": 3600 }
  ],
  "ALIAS": [
    { "name": "cdn", "data": "gateway.edge.network.", "ttl": 300 }
  ],
  "MX": [
    { "name": "@", "data": "aspmx.l.google.com.", "ttl": 3600, "priority": 1 },
    { "name": "@", "data": "alt1.aspmx.l.google.com.", "ttl": 3600, "priority": 5 },
    { "name": "@", "data": "alt2.aspmx.l.google.com.", "ttl": 3600, "priority": 5 }
  ],
  "TXT": [
    { "name": "@", "data": "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all", "ttl": 3600 },
    { "name": "_dmarc", "data": "v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@example.com", "ttl": 3600 },
    {
      "name": "google._domainkey",
      "data": [
        "v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEA...",
        "...rest of DKIM key..."
      ],
      "ttl": 3600
    }
  ],
  "CAA": [
    { "name": "@", "data": "0 issue letsencrypt.org", "ttl": 3600 },
    { "name": "@", "data": "0 issuewild letsencrypt.org", "ttl": 3600 }
  ]
}

Geographic region codes#

Use these codes in the geo object:

Category	Codes
Continents	`NA` (North America), `SA` (South America), `EU` (Europe), `AS` (Asia), `OC` (Oceania), `AF` (Africa)
US regions	`US`, `US-WEST`, `US-CENTRAL`, `US-EAST`
Countries	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes: `GB`, `DE`, `FR`, `JP`, `AU`, `IN`, `SG`, `NL`, `CA`, etc.
Directional	`WEST`, `EAST`, `CENTRAL`, `SOUTHEAST`

Tips and best practices#

Validate JSON before saving: the editor shows validation errors in real time. Fix all errors before saving.
End hostnames with a dot: CNAME, MX and NS targets should end with . (for example mail.google.com.) to indicate they are fully qualified.
Use @ for the zone apex: the special name @ represents the root of your domain.
Lower TTLs for dynamic content: use 60–300 seconds for records that may change. Use 3600+ for stable records.
SOA serial updates automatically: the SOA serial number is automatically incremented when you save changes, ensuring secondary DNS servers receive updates correctly.
Use Sync to push changes: after editing, use Sync to DNS to push changes to all DNS servers immediately. Changes are also synced automatically in the background.

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