Zone File Downloads
Every snapshot BackupMyDNS captures is downloadable as a standard BIND zone file. Plain text. Universal format. No proprietary wrapper, no vendor lock-in.
Download it, open it in a text editor, import it into any DNS provider, or check it into version control. The backup is yours.
Why BIND format
BIND zone files are the universal standard for DNS. They’ve been around since the 1980s. Every DNS provider can import them. Every DNS tool can parse them. They’re plain text, which means you can grep them, diff them, pipe them through awk, or store them in git.
This is a deliberate choice. We could wrap your data in a JSON structure or a proprietary database format. Instead, we give you the format that works everywhere, with or without BackupMyDNS.
If we disappeared tomorrow, your backups would still be usable. That’s the point.
What’s included
Every record type the provider API returns, with correct values:
- Record types: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV, NS, SOA, CAA — and any other type the provider exposes
- TTLs: Preserved exactly as the provider reports them
- Priorities: MX priorities, SRV weights, and SRV ports are all included
- Full values: Long TXT records like DKIM keys are not truncated. Multi-value records are not collapsed
This is not a partial export. It’s the full zone as your provider’s API reports it.
Better than provider exports
Most DNS providers have an “export” button somewhere in their dashboard. In practice, these exports are unreliable:
- Some providers skip record types they consider “special” or “managed”
- Long TXT values get truncated — DKIM keys are a common victim
- Provider-specific records (like Cloudflare’s proxied status) are silently dropped
- The export format may not be a valid BIND zone file at all
BackupMyDNS captures everything the API returns and writes it to a standards-compliant zone file. We don’t filter, truncate, or reformat. You get what’s there.
Use cases
Disaster recovery. Your DNS provider has an outage, or your account is compromised, or someone deletes your zone. Download the latest snapshot, sign up with a new provider, import the zone file. You’re back online in minutes instead of hours.
Provider migration. You’re moving from Cloudflare to Route53, or consolidating multiple providers. Use the zone file as the source of truth. Import it at the new provider and verify the diff to confirm everything transferred.
Compliance and archival. Regulatory requirements may mandate that you retain records of your infrastructure configuration. Zone file downloads give you a timestamped, human-readable archive of your DNS at any point in time. Store them in your compliance system alongside your other infrastructure documentation.
Documentation. Need to know exactly what your DNS looked like on a specific date? Pull the snapshot. It’s a complete record — not a screenshot, not a summary, but the actual zone data.
Retention
How long we keep snapshots depends on your plan:
| Plan | Retention |
|---|---|
| Free | 30 days |
| Pro ($14/mo) | 1 year |
| Business ($49/mo) | Unlimited |
On the Business plan, you’ll have downloadable zone files going back to the day you connected your provider. On Pro, you get a full year of history. Even the free plan gives you 30 days of snapshots to download.
No lock-in
Your DNS backups should not depend on any single vendor — including us. BIND zone files are the format that guarantees that. Download them, store them wherever you want, and use them with whatever tool you choose.
Free for your first domain. No credit card required.