On the NS1 platform, a linked zone refers to a "vanity domain" that forwards to another "real" (or "target") domain. For example, if your original zone is example_zone.com, you might also purchase example.site to serve the same content. In this case, all DNS records associated with example_zone.com should be available within example.site so that both zones point to the same place. Instead of creating two separate (or unlinked) zones that you need to configure individually and update manually, you can create a linked zone (example.site) that points to the target zone (example_zone.com), which contains the records. This ensures that all changes to the target zone are reflected automatically in the linked zone.
Before creating a linked zone, consider the following:
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You cannot chain-link zones. In other words, each linked zone must point to a non-linked zone.
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Currently, the NS1 Connect platform does not generate record-level query statistics for each linked zone. Instead, this information is aggregated within the record-level query statistics for the target zone.
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You cannot edit zone settings or add records to a linked zone. If you click through on a linked zone, NS1 Connect brings you directly to the details of the zone to which it’s linked, where you can configure the zone settings as desired.
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The only operation you can perform on a linked zone is to delete it. Deleting a linked zone does not impact the target zone. To delete, click the trash-can icon in the row of your linked zone, read the confirmation message, and confirm.
If you have not done so already, create the target zone and add the relevant DNS records to the zone. Then, follow the instructions below to create a linked zone via the NS1 Connect portal.
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Navigate to DNS > Zones to view a list of all zones associated with your account.
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Click the + on the right side of the screen to launch the Add Zone menu.
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Enter a valid, fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for the linked zone (i.e., the vanity domain).
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Optionally, click Override zone name to add a custom zone name, a nominal label applied to the zone, allowing multiple zone names pointing to the same FQDN. By default, the zone name auto-generates to match the zone FQDN you entered above.
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Under Zone Settings, select Linked Zone.
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Select the desired Target Zone from the search bar.
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Click Save zone. The new zone appears in the list of zones with a label indicating to which zone it is linked.
