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Use Certbot’s DNS-01 challenge when you need a wildcard certificate, cannot expose a web server on port 80, or want a separate machine to perform domain validation. Certbot’s provider plugin publishes a short-lived TXT value at _acme-challenge.<your-domain>; Let’s Encrypt checks that value and then issues the certificate.
The reliable setup is: install Certbot, install the DNS plugin for your authoritative provider, create a narrowly scoped API credential, request the exact names you need, test renewal with certbot renew --dry-run, and reload services whenever a certificate is renewed.
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DNS-01 proves control of a domain by requiring a specific TXT record under that domain. During a request, Certbot obtains a challenge token, derives the value required by the ACME protocol, and asks your DNS provider to publish it at _acme-challenge.example.com. Let’s Encrypt queries authoritative DNS servers for that TXT value. If the value matches, control is proven and the certificate can be issued.
The record is normally temporary. A DNS plugin creates it before validation and removes it afterward. Your web server does not need to answer an HTTP request for the challenge, so the machine running Certbot can be different from the machine that serves the site.
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DNS-01 is the only ACME challenge in this guide that can issue a wildcard name such as *.example.com. A wildcard certificate covers subdomains, while the bare name example.com is a separate name; request both if clients must connect to both.
Decide what to request before installing anything
List every certificate name
Certificate names are explicit. For a site that must work at the apex and at www, request both names. For a wildcard deployment, include the apex separately when it is needed:
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example.com
*.example.comDo not request unrelated names merely because they are in the same DNS zone. A smaller certificate scope reduces the number of systems that must receive the private key.
Find the authoritative DNS provider
The provider whose authoritative name servers answer for the requested names is the provider whose API must be changed. Your domain registrar and DNS host may be different companies. Check the delegation for the exact zone that contains the names, especially when a subdomain has its own NS delegation.
Choose where validation runs
Running the plugin on the web server is convenient, but it places DNS credentials on a publicly exposed machine. Let’s Encrypt warns that a full-account DNS credential on that server increases the impact of a compromise. A separate, locked-down validation host is safer when your architecture permits it.
Install Certbot and the matching DNS plugin
Certbot’s DNS plugins are separate from the default Certbot installation. Install Certbot using the package method supported by your operating system, then install the plugin for your provider. The documented provider families include Cloudflare, DigitalOcean, DNSimple, DNS Made Easy, Google, Linode, LuaDNS, NS1, OVH, RFC2136, Route 53, and Sakura Cloud.
Package names differ by distribution. Use your distribution’s current package instructions and substitute the provider plugin name in the package manager command. The shape is:
sudo <package-manager> install certbot <provider-dns-plugin-package>After installation, verify that Certbot can see the plugin:
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certbot pluginsThe output should list a DNS authenticator corresponding to your provider. If it does not, stop before requesting a certificate; a command using --dns-<provider> cannot work until that plugin is installed.
Create and protect the DNS credential
Use least privilege
Create an API token or key that can change only the DNS zone and record types required for ACME validation. Prefer a token restricted to the single zone rather than a credential that can administer every domain in the account. If the provider supports separate permissions for reading zones and editing records, grant only what its Certbot plugin requires.
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Store the credential in a protected file
Provider plugins commonly read a credentials file through a provider-specific option. Follow that plugin’s documentation for the exact file format and option name. Keep the file outside the web root, owned by the account that runs Certbot, and readable only by that account or root:
sudo chown root:root /etc/letsencrypt/dns-credentials.ini
sudo chmod 600 /etc/letsencrypt/dns-credentials.iniThe path and ownership must match the account used by your renewal job. A file that is secure but unreadable to the scheduled Certbot process will cause renewal to fail.
Plan for rotation and revocation
Record which certificate lineage uses the credential, set an expiry or rotation reminder if the provider supports it, and keep a documented revocation procedure. Never place the token in a shell history, a web application configuration file, or a publicly served directory.
Request a certificate with a DNS plugin
Wildcard and apex certificate
Use certonly when Certbot should obtain and manage certificate files without editing your web-server configuration. Replace the provider and credential options with the syntax documented by that plugin:
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--dns-<provider>-credentials /etc/letsencrypt/dns-credentials.ini
-d example.com
-d '*.example.com'The shell quotes around '*.example.com' prevent the shell from expanding the asterisk. The plugin creates the TXT record, waits for the provider’s DNS update to become visible, asks Let’s Encrypt to validate it, and removes the challenge record when finished.
Several ordinary hostnames
For a non-wildcard certificate, request only the hostnames that need to share the certificate:
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sudo certbot certonly --dns-<provider>
--dns-<provider>-credentials /etc/letsencrypt/dns-credentials.ini
-d example.com
-d www.example.comSome plugins use a different credentials flag or require additional propagation settings. Treat the command above as the request pattern, not a universal provider command; use the plugin’s current option names.
What a successful run creates
Certbot stores each certificate as a lineage. The stable paths are under:
/etc/letsencrypt/live/<certificate-name>/The files most services need are fullchain.pem, which contains the server certificate and intermediates, and privkey.pem, which contains the private key. Keep the private key permissions restrictive and configure your service to read these stable paths rather than a dated archive filename.
Understand DNS propagation before diagnosing a failure
Publishing a TXT record through an API does not guarantee that every authoritative server will return it immediately. Certbot may need to wait for the new value to propagate. The correct wait time and any propagation controls differ by plugin and provider.
If validation fails, query the authoritative DNS service for the exact name and value the plugin reported. Check _acme-challenge.example.com, not the apex name. When a wildcard and an apex are requested together, Certbot can create more than one challenge value; all values must be present when Let’s Encrypt checks them.
Do not delete a challenge record while validation is in progress. If multiple Certbot processes run concurrently, one process can remove a TXT value needed by the other. Run one issuance or renewal process per lineage at a time.
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Certbot’s manual authenticator can display the TXT name and value and pause while you create the record yourself. This supports DNS-01 and therefore supports wildcard certificates, but it is an interactive procedure:
- Run Certbot with the manual authenticator and the required
-dnames. - Copy the exact TXT record name and value Certbot displays.
- Create the record at the authoritative provider.
- Wait until authoritative DNS servers return the value.
- Continue the Certbot prompt so Let’s Encrypt can validate it.
A manually obtained certificate does not autorenew by itself. Every renewal would require another person to publish a new token unless you supply authentication hooks that automate the DNS update and cleanup. For unattended operation, a supported DNS plugin or a carefully maintained hook is preferable.
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Delegate only the ACME challenge zone
If your main DNS provider is slow, lacks an API, or should not hold automation credentials, delegate the challenge location to a validation-specific DNS zone. Let’s Encrypt follows standard DNS delegation for this purpose.
CNAME delegation
Create a CNAME for the challenge name that points into a zone managed by the provider used by Certbot. The delegated target must itself be managed and updated by the automation. This keeps ordinary application records at the primary provider while allowing the plugin to write challenge TXT values elsewhere.
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NS delegation
You can delegate the _acme-challenge label, or an appropriate subzone beneath it, with NS records. The delegated name servers then become authoritative for challenge records. NS delegation offers a clean separation but requires careful DNS design, monitoring, and renewal documentation.
Delegation adds moving parts: an incorrect CNAME target, missing NS glue, or an accidentally cached old delegation can look like a Certbot failure even when the API update succeeded. Verify the delegation independently before relying on it for production renewal.
Set up renewal as an operational process
Schedule the renew command
After the first successful issuance, schedule a recurring job that runs:
sudo certbot renewThe renew subcommand examines certificates previously obtained by Certbot and attempts renewal only when they are close to expiry. Certbot reuses the authenticator, plugin, and options saved for each lineage. A scheduled task therefore needs access to the same credentials file and DNS provider API used for issuance.
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Test without replacing production certificates
Run a staging test before depending on automation:
sudo certbot renew --dry-runThe dry run uses Let’s Encrypt’s staging service and does not save production certificates. It exercises the renewal configuration, DNS plugin, credentials, and challenge flow. Treat a failed dry run as a deployment blocker rather than waiting for the real certificate to approach expiry.
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Reload services after renewal
Renewal writes new certificate files, but many servers continue using the old certificate until they reload their TLS configuration. Use a deploy hook that runs only after a certificate has been successfully renewed:
sudo certbot renew --deploy-hook /usr/local/sbin/reload-webserverThe hook should perform a configuration check when your web server supports one, then reload gracefully so existing connections are not unnecessarily dropped. Make the hook executable and test it separately with a non-destructive reload procedure before attaching it to production renewal.
Certificate lifetime makes automation mandatory
Let’s Encrypt certificates have a 90-day lifetime in the documentation’s 2023-era reference. That short lifetime is intentional: it limits the value of a stolen certificate but means renewal cannot be treated as an occasional maintenance task. Certbot’s current documentation describes renewal as due when a certificate has less than one-third of its lifetime remaining, for certificates longer than ten days. The exact issuance and policy details can change, so monitor successful renewals and expiry dates rather than assuming a fixed calendar interval.
Compare DNS validation with other methods
| Method | Wildcard certificates | Port 80 dependency | Automation | Main credential or operational risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DNS plugin | Yes | No | Automatic when the provider API and plugin work | DNS API credentials must be protected |
| Manual DNS | Yes | No | Interactive unless hooks are written | Missed renewals and human record errors |
| HTTP-01/webroot | No | Validation file must be reachable over HTTP | Often straightforward for ordinary hostnames | Web routing, redirects, and firewall changes can interrupt validation |
| CNAME or NS delegated challenge zone | Yes | No | Automatic after delegation and plugin setup | Additional DNS delegation design and monitoring |
Choose DNS-01 when a wildcard is required, when port 80 cannot be exposed, or when validation must occur away from the web server. HTTP-01 can be simpler for ordinary hostnames when the web endpoint is stable and reachable. Delegation is useful when the primary provider cannot safely support automation, but it should be documented like any other production dependency.
Troubleshoot the common failure points
“The DNS plugin is not found”
The provider plugin is not included in a default Certbot installation. Install the provider-specific package, then run certbot plugins again. Confirm that the plugin name in the command matches the installed authenticator.
“Invalid response” or a missing TXT value
- Confirm that the record is under
_acme-challengefor the correct domain. - Check which name servers are authoritative; editing a non-authoritative DNS dashboard has no effect.
- Wait for propagation according to the plugin’s documented controls.
- Remove stale, conflicting values only when no validation is running, then retry.
- For delegated challenges, verify the CNAME or NS chain and the authoritative servers at the target zone.
Authentication or permission errors
Recheck the token’s scope, zone selection, expiry, and API permissions. Ensure the scheduled Certbot account can read the credentials file and that the file was not replaced with ownership or mode bits that block access.
Renewal works manually but not on schedule
Compare the scheduled job’s user, PATH, working directory, and environment with the successful interactive run. Use absolute paths where appropriate, confirm the credentials file is readable, and inspect the scheduler’s logs. A successful initial issuance does not prove that the scheduled process can perform the same API call months later.
The certificate renewed but the site still shows the old expiry
Inspect the active service configuration and confirm it points to /etc/letsencrypt/live/<certificate-name>/fullchain.pem and privkey.pem. Then run the service’s configuration test and reload it through the deploy hook. Clients may also be connecting to a different load balancer or edge server than the host where Certbot renewed the files.
Production checklist
- Requested names are limited to the domains and wildcard labels actually needed.
- The authoritative DNS provider has been identified for every requested name.
- The matching Certbot DNS plugin is installed and visible in
certbot plugins. - The API credential is zone-limited, stored outside the web root, and protected with restrictive permissions.
- The first issuance uses
certonlyand the provider’s documented DNS options. - The resulting lineage and stable files under
/etc/letsencrypt/live/are documented. - A recurring
certbot renewjob runs with the correct account and credential access. certbot renew --dry-runcompletes successfully against staging.- A deploy hook reloads every service that consumes the certificate.
- DNS propagation, credential rotation, and failure alerts have named owners.
The Bottom Line
For automated wildcard or non-HTTP validation, install the DNS plugin that matches your authoritative provider, use a least-privilege credential, request the exact names with certbot certonly, and prove the entire renewal-and-reload path with certbot renew --dry-run before production expiry becomes an emergency.
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