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Set DNS with GoDaddy

Connect a GoDaddy account once. MainPath writes A and CNAME records into your zone.

On this page

If your domain lives at GoDaddy, you no longer have to copy records by hand. You store access under Connections; once a project has domains, MainPath writes the records into the matching zone.

Manual DNS is still possible. See Configure a DNS record.

Access at GoDaddy

MainPath talks to the GoDaddy Domains API (api.godaddy.com). A Personal Access Token (PAT) from the developer portal is the recommended option. Classic key/secret pairs still work, but they are no longer the first choice for new connections.

  1. Sign in to your GoDaddy account and open the developer portal.
  2. Create a Personal Access Token. For DNS the scopes domains.domain:read and domains.dns:update are enough.
  3. Copy the token. Alternatively create a classic API key and secret.

In MainPath:

  • PAT: fill in only the token field and leave the secret empty.
  • Classic: put key and secret in the two fields. Or key:secret in a single line in the key field.

The domain must use GoDaddy nameservers (ns*.domaincontrol.com). External nameservers (Cloudflare, Hetzner, …) cannot be managed through this API.

Connection in MainPath

  1. Open Connections and Add connection.
  2. Under DNS, choose the GoDaddy tile.
  3. Paste the credentials and save. MainPath checks whether they are valid and which domains they can see.

Several GoDaddy connections in one organization are allowed. If a hostname matches more than one zone, MainPath uses the most specific one.

What is written

MainPath uses the same hosts you see under Domains.

  • Records are only written when a real server address already exists.
  • Existing records of the same name and type are updated; the whole zone is never replaced.
  • Changes usually show up quickly.
flowchart LR
  org["GoDaddy connection"]
  domains["Domains in MainPath"]
  zone["GoDaddy zone"]
  server["Your server"]
  org --> zone
  domains -->|"A / CNAME"| zone
  zone --> server

After you save a project, MainPath tries to align missing or mismatched records. You can see the check status in the domain overview.

SSL via DNS-01 (optional)

If Let’s Encrypt cannot reach the server (no public HTTP/443, firewall, internal IP), open this connection’s details and tick the affected domains. MainPath then writes the _acme-challenge TXT record into this zone. Unticked domains keep the existing TLS-ALPN challenge on the server.

Troubleshooting

  • Invalid access: Check that the PAT has domains.domain:read and domains.dns:update, or that key and secret have no spaces. A token from another GoDaddy product (Auctions, OTE sandbox) is the wrong type.
  • No record at GoDaddy: The domain is not in this account, or it uses other nameservers.
  • Zone visible, domain unreachable: The domain exists at GoDaddy, but the nameservers point elsewhere. MainPath flags this in the connection details and on Domains. Point the nameservers at the registrar to GoDaddy (ns*.domaincontrol.com).
  • Status in MainPath still red: DNS often takes a few minutes, or the server does not have a known address yet.

See also