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[DNS] Nameserver assignment consistency #26291

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Merged
merged 8 commits into from
Nov 11, 2025
Merged

[DNS] Nameserver assignment consistency #26291

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d80de41
Leverage FAQ gem for initial suggestion
RebeccaTamachiro Nov 4, 2025
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Adjust page structure and revert unnecessary edits
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Fix formatting and add hyperlinks
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Adjust core messaging
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Tangent: fix typo on ACNS and TCNS intro paragraphs
RebeccaTamachiro Nov 7, 2025
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Specify consistency reason for different nameserver types
RebeccaTamachiro Nov 7, 2025
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Consolidate assigment info in one page and adjust links and redirects
RebeccaTamachiro Nov 7, 2025
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Apply suggestion from code review
RebeccaTamachiro Nov 11, 2025
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10 changes: 9 additions & 1 deletion src/content/docs/dns/nameservers/nameserver-options.mdx
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Expand Up @@ -14,10 +14,18 @@ Refer to the sections below to learn about different nameserver options.

When you add a domain on a full or secondary setup, Cloudflare automatically assigns your nameservers.

The [default assignment method](/dns/zone-setups/reference/nameserver-assignment/) is to use standard nameservers and favor consistent nameserver names across all zones within an account. Nonetheless, in case there are conflicts - for example, if someone else has already added the same zone to a different account - you may get different nameserver names.
The [default assignment method](/dns/zone-setups/reference/nameserver-assignment/) is to use standard nameservers and favor consistent nameserver names across all zones within an account. Nonetheless, in case there are conflicts — for example, if someone else has already added the same zone to a different account — you may get different nameserver names.

To have control over what nameservers are assigned for different zones within an account, you can use [account custom nameservers](/dns/nameservers/custom-nameservers/account-custom-nameservers/).

### Nameserver consistency

The level of consistency you can expect when adding new zones depends on the nameserver type configured.

For [standard nameservers](/dns/nameservers/#standard-nameservers), since a conflict can be caused by anyone adding the same zone to any other Cloudflare account, the likelihood of your new zone being assigned different nameserver names than your previously existing ones is way higher.
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@hannes-cf hannes-cf Nov 6, 2025

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We could add a note that this can be prevented by placing a zone hold on your zone, if it's active already: https://developers.cloudflare.com/fundamentals/account/account-security/zone-holds/


For [account custom nameservers](/dns/nameservers/custom-nameservers/account-custom-nameservers/), [tenant custom nameservers](/dns/nameservers/custom-nameservers/tenant-custom-nameservers/), and [Foundation DNS advanced nameservers](/dns/foundation-dns/advanced-nameservers/#nameservers-hosting-and-assignment), the only conflict would be between a parent and a child zone, which makes consistent assignment across new zones more likely.
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@hannes-cf hannes-cf Nov 6, 2025

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With Foundation DNS advanced nameservers, I could have the same conflict if someone else signs up the same zone name in their account, BUT since advanced nameservers is an ENT-only feature the likelihood is significantly smaller.

For account custom nameserver, your statement is correct, since I cannot have two zones with the same name twice in the same account, meaning the only conflict indeed could be between parent and child (or deeper relation).

For tenant custom nameserver, however, there could be a conflict between two zones with the same name in two different accounts, if both accounts belong to the same tenants. But again, the likelihood is very small that this would happen.


### DNS zone defaults

If you have an Enterprise account, you also have the option to [configure your own DNS zone defaults](/dns/additional-options/dns-zone-defaults/) and change how Cloudflare handles nameserver assignment when you add a new zone to your account:
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