Build DNS Automation at Onboarding — Manual Console Before a 2-Path Provisioning Pipeline

Description and use

DNS automation for onboarding is split into two paths: fully automated for platform‑owned zones and instruction‑based for customer‑owned zones. A state machine tracks progress and ensures idempotent retries.

Problem

Onboarding custom domains requires DNS changes that are currently handled manually, creating an untracked work queue and inconsistent visibility for on‑call engineers.

Outcome

The two‑path pipeline reduces manual toil, provides clear state visibility, and ensures idempotent retries. Platform‑owned zones are fully automated; customer‑owned zones receive precise instructions and observation. Inventory tooling improves on‑call diagnostics.

Workflow

• 1. Store custom domain request with stable ID and ownership mode.
• 2. If platform‑owned, derive desired record set and apply via provider API.
• 3. If customer‑owned, generate exact record instructions and send to customer.
• 4. Observe zone for expected records; retry if not observed.
• 5. Transition state machine accordingly; log each transition.
• 6. On failure, provide rollback guidance (platform: revert to previous state; customer: resend instructions).

Evidence

Keep DNS changes in a documented manual console process while they are a handful of static records for one company site; build automation when custom-domain setup becomes a repeated part of customer onboarding

Source

Two ownership paths need different failure states

Source