DNS Inventory Worksheet Before Moving Nameservers to Cloudflare
What DNS records and services should a small business inventory before moving nameservers to Cloudflare?
Build the inventory around services and hostnames rather than copying unfamiliar DNS rows without context. Record the root website, www, incoming and outgoing email, and every third-party service; capture the current entry, intended Cloudflare entry, proxy status, confirming provider, reviewer and status. Treat Cloudflare’s scan as a draft because it may not find every record. Keep email, verification and unfamiliar records DNS-only, and block the move while a critical row remains unconfirmed.
Start with the scan, but do not stop there
Alpine Root says Cloudflare scans the existing authoritative nameservers and tries to import the DNS records it can find when a domain is added. Treat the resulting zone as a draft for reconciliation, not proof that every business dependency has been captured. Keep a saved copy of the current configuration so unfamiliar or absent entries can be investigated before the move.
Sources: Website Migration Checklist: Email & DNS Guide.
- Use the scan as a starting draft.
- Compare it with known services and saved DNS data.
- Ask providers to confirm unclear requirements.
Inventory the root website and www separately
Cloudflare notes that a www subdomain record may be useful even when other specific subdomains are not required. Create separate worksheet rows for the root domain and www, including the current entry, intended Cloudflare entry, proxy status, confirming provider, reviewer and status. Mark either row as blocked until the website host or responsible technical owner confirms its intended value and proxy choice.
Sources: Change your nameservers (Full setup) · Cloudflare DNS docs.
- Create separate rows for the root domain and www.
- Record current and intended entries for each hostname.
- Confirm intended values with the website host.
Map email and third-party services to their providers
Greatmail describes DNS as the system that directs traffic for websites and email. Add separate rows for incoming email, outgoing email, domain verification and each known third-party platform that uses the domain. Keep email-related records, third-party verification records and unfamiliar entries DNS-only unless the responsible provider supplies a different explicit requirement. Record the provider that can verify each value instead of inferring settings from a record label.
Sources: Switching DNS Providers? Don’t Break Your Email—Follow This Checklist - Greatmail Blog.
- List incoming and outgoing email separately.
- List each named third-party platform separately.
- Keep email, verification and unfamiliar records DNS-only unless confirmed otherwise.
Use consistent fields and a sign-off status
Use one worksheet row per service or hostname, with columns for service or hostname, current DNS entry, intended Cloudflare entry, proxy status, confirming provider, reviewer and status. Use confirmed only when the required value and proxy status have been checked, and use blocked whenever a critical row lacks a confirmed value or responsible provider. Do not change nameservers while a critical row remains blocked.
- Use one row per service or hostname.
- Include the same fields in every row.
- Treat unconfirmed critical rows as blockers.
DNS service, proxy and provider sign-off worksheet
Complete one row for each business service or hostname. These columns expose missing values, unsafe proxy assumptions and unclear ownership before a nameserver handover.
| Service or hostname | Current DNS entry | Intended Cloudflare entry | Proxy status | Provider, reviewer and status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Root website | Capture the current entry | Record the host-confirmed intended entry | DNS-only or proxied, as confirmed | Website host; reviewer name; confirmed or blocked |
| www website | Capture the current entry | Record the host-confirmed intended entry | DNS-only or proxied, as confirmed | Website host; reviewer name; confirmed or blocked |
| Incoming email | Capture the current entry | Record the provider-confirmed intended entry | DNS-only | Email provider; reviewer name; confirmed or blocked |
| Outgoing email | Capture the current entry | Record the provider-confirmed intended entry | DNS-only | Email provider; reviewer name; confirmed or blocked |
| Third-party service or verification hostname | Capture the current entry | Record the provider-confirmed intended entry | DNS-only unless the provider explicitly confirms otherwise | Responsible provider; reviewer name; confirmed or blocked |
Use “blocked” for any critical row with an unknown value, proxy choice or confirming provider. Do not change delegation until every critical row is confirmed.
Related guidance
What follow-up questions matter most?
- Can I rely on Cloudflare to import every DNS record?
- No. Cloudflare attempts to import records from the current authoritative nameservers, but the imported zone should be reconciled against your services, saved configuration and provider requirements.
- How should I organise the worksheet?
- Create one row for each service or hostname, such as the root website, www, incoming email, outgoing email or a named third-party platform. Include the current entry, intended Cloudflare entry, proxy status, confirming provider, reviewer and status.
- What proxy status should the inventory record?
- Keep email-related records, third-party verification records and unfamiliar entries DNS-only. Mark only eligible website hostnames for proxying, and do so after the website host confirms that the origin and application are compatible with Cloudflare.
What steps does this workflow follow?
Build a DNS service inventory before moving to Cloudflare
- List services and hostnames: Create a separate row for the root website, www, incoming email, outgoing email and every known third-party service that uses the domain.
- Capture every promised field: For each row, record the service or hostname, current DNS entry, intended Cloudflare entry, intended proxy status, confirming provider, reviewer and confirmation status.
- Reconcile the imported zone: Compare every row with the Cloudflare zone and saved current configuration. Ask the provider responsible for the service to confirm any value or proxy choice that remains unclear.
- Sign off or block the move: Mark each row confirmed or blocked. Do not change delegation while any critical row has an unknown value, unknown owner or unconfirmed proxy status.