Monitoring NS1 DNS
Monitoring your NS1 DNS records automatically is made easy with ZoneWatcher. After you've added your account credentials, we will automatically import all of your domains and begin monitoring them for changes.
Generating your NS1 API Key
To get started adding your NS1 account, you'll first want to generate an API key from NS1's account settings. We use this key to automatically fetch your domains and their associated DNS records.
Navigate to Account Settings → API Keys in your NS1 portal. Click "Add Key" to create a new API key for ZoneWatcher.
For monitoring-only use, configure your API key with read-only access to your DNS zones and records:
- DNS Zones: View Only
- DNS Records: View Only
This ensures that even if the API key were compromised, it could not be used to modify your DNS records.
Permissions for Change Management & Rollback
If you plan to use ZoneWatcher's Change Management or rollback features, the View Only permissions above are not sufficient — those features write back to NS1 on your behalf to apply approved changesets and revert unauthorized changes.
Update the API key permissions to:
- DNS Zones: Manage
- DNS Records: Manage
Manage permissions allow ZoneWatcher to create, update, and delete records (the manage_zones permission). If you only want change notifications, stick with the View Only permissions above.
Creating your NS1 Provider
Once you've generated your API key, you can create your new NS1 provider on ZoneWatcher by giving it a descriptive name and pasting in the API key you generated.
After entering your credentials, click the "Save" button. ZoneWatcher will verify your API key and begin importing your domains.
Monitoring Your Zones
After you've created your NS1 provider, we will sync all the zones associated with your account and their associated DNS records. You'll be able to view them from either the Provider's page or the Zone Dashboard.
ZoneWatcher will automatically check for changes to your DNS records on a regular schedule. When changes are detected, you'll receive notifications through your configured notification channels, allowing you to stay informed about any modifications to your DNS configuration.
About NS1
NS1 (now part of IBM) is an enterprise-grade managed DNS and traffic management platform. NS1 is known for their advanced traffic steering capabilities, intelligent DNS routing, and high-performance global anycast network. Their platform is used by many large enterprises and technology companies for mission-critical DNS infrastructure.
NS1's nameservers follow the pattern dns[1-4].p##.nsone.net, providing redundant and geographically distributed DNS resolution. By monitoring your NS1 DNS records with ZoneWatcher, you can maintain visibility into your DNS configuration and quickly detect any unauthorized changes.