DNS Migration Guide: Terraphim.ai from Netlify to Cloudflare

Current DNS Configuration

Netlify Setup

Domain: terraphim.ai
Nameservers: Netlify's nameservers
A Records: Point to Netlify's load balancers
CNAME: www.terraphim.ai → Netlify
SSL: Managed by Netlify

Target DNS Configuration

Cloudflare Pages Setup

Domain: terraphim.ai
Nameservers: Cloudflare's nameservers
A Records: Point to Cloudflare Pages
CNAME: www.terraphim.ai → Cloudflare Pages
SSL: Managed by Cloudflare

Migration Steps

Phase 1: Preparation

1.1 Current DNS Analysis

# Check current nameservers
dig NS terraphim.ai

# Check current A records
dig A terraphim.ai

# Check current CNAME
dig CNAME www.terraphim.ai

# Check SSL certificate
openssl s_client -connect terraphim.ai:443 -servername terraphim.ai

1.2 Document Current Records

Create a backup of current DNS settings:

| Record Type | Name | Value | TTL | |-------------|------|-------|-----| | A | @ | Netlify IP | 300 | | CNAME | www | netlify.app | 300 | | MX | @ | mail.terraphim.ai | 300 | | TXT | @ | Various verification | 300 |

Phase 2: Cloudflare Setup

2.1 Add Domain to Cloudflare

Log in to Cloudflare Dashboard
Add domain: terraphim.ai
Choose plan (Free is sufficient)
Scan existing DNS records
Update nameservers to Cloudflare

2.2 Cloudflare Nameservers

After adding domain to Cloudflare, you'll get nameservers like:

dina.ns.cloudflare.com
jim.ns.cloudflare.com

2.3 DNS Record Configuration

Once nameservers are updated, configure these records:

# A Records (for root domain)
A    @    192.0.2.1    # Cloudflare Pages IP
A    @    192.0.2.2    # Cloudflare Pages IP
A    @    192.0.2.3    # Cloudflare Pages IP

# CNAME Records
CNAME    www    terraphim-ai.pages.dev

# MX Records (if email is used)
MX    @    10    mail.terraphim.ai

# TXT Records
TXT    @    "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all"
TXT    @    "google-site-verification=..."

Phase 3: Cloudflare Pages Configuration

3.1 Custom Domain Setup

Go to Cloudflare Pages > terraphim-ai
Click "Custom domains"
Add terraphim.ai
Add www.terraphim.ai
Wait for DNS verification

3.2 SSL Certificate

Cloudflare automatically provisions SSL certificate
Usually takes 5-10 minutes
Certificate is valid for 1 year and auto-renews

Phase 4: Migration Execution

4.1 Pre-Migration Checklist

[ ] Backup current DNS records
[ ] Verify Cloudflare account access
[ ] Test Cloudflare Pages deployment
[ ] Prepare rollback plan
[ ] Schedule maintenance window

4.2 Migration Timeline

T-2 hours:  Final verification of all configurations
T-1 hour:  Notify users of scheduled maintenance
T-0:       Update nameservers to Cloudflare
T+5 min:   Verify nameserver propagation
T+15 min:  Check DNS resolution
T+30 min:  Verify SSL certificate
T+1 hour:  Test website functionality
T+2 hours: Monitor performance and analytics
T+24 hours: Delete Netlify project (if stable)

4.3 Migration Commands

# Monitor nameserver propagation
watch dig NS terraphim.ai

# Check A record resolution
watch dig A terraphim.ai

# Test website accessibility
curl -I https://terraphim.ai

# Check SSL certificate
openssl s_client -connect terraphim.ai:443 -servername terraphim.ai

Phase 5: Post-Migration

5.1 Verification Tests

# Test all pages
curl -s https://terraphim.ai | grep -i "title"

# Test static assets
curl -I https://terraphim.ai/static/css/style.css

# Test navigation
curl -s https://terraphim.ai/posts | grep -i "title"

# Test forms (if any)
curl -X POST https://terraphim.ai/ -d "test=data"

5.2 Performance Monitoring

Cloudflare Analytics
Google PageSpeed Insights
GTmetrix performance tests
Uptime monitoring

5.3 SEO Considerations

Verify all URLs are the same
Check Google Search Console
Monitor for 404 errors
Verify sitemap accessibility

Rollback Plan

Immediate Rollback (if issues within 24 hours)

Revert nameservers to Netlify
Restore original DNS records
Verify website is accessible
Investigate Cloudflare issues

Rollback Commands

# Revert nameservers (via domain registrar)
# Update back to Netlify nameservers

# Verify rollback
dig NS terraphim.ai
dig A terraphim.ai
curl -I https://terraphim.ai

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

DNS Propagation Delays

Issue: Nameserver changes taking too long
Solution: Wait up to 48 hours for full propagation
Check: Use multiple DNS lookup tools

SSL Certificate Issues

Issue: Certificate not provisioning
Solution: Check DNS records, ensure CNAME is correct
Force: Re-issue certificate in Cloudflare dashboard

Website Not Loading

Issue: 404 errors or connection refused
Solution: Verify Cloudflare Pages deployment
Check: Build logs and deployment status

Performance Issues

Issue: Slow load times
Solution: Check Cloudflare caching rules
Optimize: Enable Cloudflare features (Brotli, HTTP/2)

Monitoring Commands

# Continuous monitoring
while true; do
    echo "$(date): Checking website..."
    curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://terraphim.ai
    echo ""
    sleep 60
done

# DNS propagation check
for ns in 8.8.8.8 1.1.1.1 208.67.222.222; do
    echo "Querying $ns:"
    dig @$ns A terraphim.ai
    echo ""
done

Success Metrics

Technical Metrics

DNS Propagation: <2 hours
SSL Provisioning: <15 minutes
Website Availability: 99.9%+
Load Time: <2 seconds globally

Business Metrics

Zero Downtime: During migration
SEO Stability: No ranking changes
User Experience: No reported issues
Performance Improvement: 20%+ faster load times

Maintenance

Ongoing Tasks

Monitor SSL certificate renewal
Update DNS records as needed
Optimize Cloudflare caching rules
Regular performance audits

Security Considerations

Enable Cloudflare security features
Monitor for DDoS attacks
Keep DNS records updated
Regular security audits

This DNS migration guide ensures a smooth transition from Netlify to Cloudflare Pages while maintaining website availability and performance.