DNS Zones
DNS Zones is the inventory and action center for zone ownership, record counts, provider state, recent activity, DNSSEC, and bulk administration.
Where to find it: SDM sidebar > DNS Zones.
Available to: All authenticated roles within their DNS scope; root can transfer ownership, and root/admin can run Cloudflare actions.
What this page does
Use this page to find the correct zone before opening its records. The table combines local authoritative state with ownership and Cloudflare signals, while row and bulk actions handle create, edit, DNSSEC, transfer, sync, and deletion workflows.
Before you start
Clear stale filters, confirm the normalized zone name and owner, and read the Cloudflare/provider column before choosing an action. Export or back up a zone before deletion or whole-zone replacement.
Filters and actions
- Owner: all owners or one assigned user.
- Search: zone-name text.
- Records: all, exactly 0, 1–10, 11–50, or 51+.
- Cloudflare: all, Cloudflare zones, or local only.
- Updated: any time, last 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, or missing sync timestamp.
- Create zone: creates a local Native zone from a valid name.
- Edit: opens records; DNSSEC opens signing state; Transfer changes one or selected zones' owner for root.
- CF actions: enable, synchronize, or disable/delete the provider zone for selected domains when root/admin is allowed.
- Delete: removes the local zone and, when linked, requires the exact domain to confirm Cloudflare deletion.
Controls and fields
| Control, Field, Or Section | What It Does | What It Affects | Recommended Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create zone | Opens the create-zone modal and creates a new DNS zone after validation. | Adds a new zone to PowerDNS/SDM for the current owner context. | Use for customer domains or reverse DNS zones that should be authoritative in SDM. |
| Zone name | Domain or reverse zone name entered in the create modal. | Becomes the authoritative DNS zone name. | Use a real domain/reverse-zone format; avoid creating test zones in production. |
| Search zones | Filters the table by zone name text. | Only changes the visible table; it does not alter DNS. | Use for fast lookup before editing or deleting. |
| Owner filter | Limits the list to zones owned by one user. Root-only where ownership data is visible. | Changes which zones are displayed and selected for bulk actions. | Use before bulk transfer so you do not include unrelated customer zones. |
| Records filter | Filters zones by record count ranges: empty, 1-10, 11-50, or 51 and more. | Helps identify empty zones or unusually large zones. | Use empty-zone filtering before cleanup; open the zone before deleting. |
| Updated filter | Filters by last 24 hours, last 7 days, last 30 days, or missing sync timestamp. | Helps identify recently changed or stale zones. | Use during incident review to find zones changed around the problem time. |
| Reset filters | Clears zone search and all filter selectors. | Returns the table to the default view. | Use before comparing totals or looking for a zone that may have been hidden by filters. |
| Select all | Selects visible root-accessible zones in the current table view. | Builds the bulk transfer selection. | Filter first, then select all; never bulk-select from an unfiltered customer environment. |
| Transfer selected | Transfers all selected zones to another target owner after confirmation. | Changes zone visibility and management ownership. | Use when moving customer zones between accounts; verify the target user before confirming. |
| Clear selection | Removes all selected zones from the bulk transfer set. | Prevents accidental bulk ownership change. | Use after a bulk action or if filters were changed while selecting. |
| Edit | Opens the Zone Editor for the selected zone. | Allows record-level changes inside that zone. | Open before destructive actions to verify current DNS records. |
| Transfer | Changes owner for one zone after selecting a target user. | Moves one zone between users. | Use for isolated ownership corrections instead of bulk transfer. |
| Delete | Deletes the selected zone after confirmation. | Removes authoritative DNS data for that zone from SDM/PowerDNS. | Use only after confirming the domain no longer uses this DNS service. |
| Table columns | Show selection, zone name, owner, record count, last update, and row actions. | Provide the context needed to choose safe edit, transfer, or delete actions. | Review owner and last update before touching customer DNS. |
Safety notes
- Deleting a zone removes DNS service for that domain from SDM/PowerDNS. Confirm external dependencies first.
- Transferring ownership changes who can see and manage the zone.
How to use it
- Reset filters, then search for the domain.
- Confirm owner, records, provider, and last-update state.
- Choose Edit, DNSSEC, Transfer, a Cloudflare action, or Delete.
- Read and satisfy the modal's confirmation; exact-domain confirmation protects provider deletion.
- Reload the list and verify the zone from an authoritative resolver or the target feature page.
Result and next check
The intended zone now has the correct owner, provider, signing state, or lifecycle result, and the table reflects it. For record changes continue to Zone Editor; for provider and signing details use their dedicated pages.
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