dnswatchdog.iodocs

Getting Started

Connect your first DNS provider and get visibility into your DNS security posture in under 10 minutes.

This guide walks you through connecting your first DNS provider, waiting for zone discovery, and reviewing your first scan results.

1. Connect a DNS provider

Navigate to Settings → Providers → Add Provider and select your DNS hosting provider. DNS Watchdog supports:

Enter your credentials and choose read-only or read-write access. Read-only is recommended to start — you can upgrade later if you want to manage records through DNS Watchdog.

See the Provider Setup Guides for step-by-step instructions with copy-pasteable IAM policies and API token configurations.

2. Wait for zone discovery

After saving your provider credentials, DNS Watchdog immediately queues a zone discovery job. This typically completes within 1–2 minutes depending on the number of zones in your account.

You can monitor progress on the Providers page — the provider status will show Syncing while discovery is in progress, then switch to Active once complete.

3. Review your inventory

Once discovery completes, your DNS estate is available across the inventory pages:

  • Zones — all discovered domains with record counts
  • Records — every DNS record synced from your providers
  • Certificates — SSL/TLS certificates discovered during scanning
  • IP Addresses — deduplicated IPs with geolocation data

4. Review your first scan

DNS Watchdog runs an initial security scan automatically after zone discovery. The scan checks for:

  • Open ports on resolved IP addresses
  • SSL certificate issues (expired, expiring, mismatched, weak keys)
  • HTTP errors and missing HTTPS redirects
  • Dangling subdomains and broken delegations
  • Email authentication gaps (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)

Results appear on the Issues page, grouped by severity. Each issue includes an explanation of the risk and recommended remediation steps.

5. Set up notifications

Configure notification channels so your team is alerted when scans detect changes. DNS Watchdog supports email, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and custom webhooks.

Go to Settings → Notifications to add your first channel. See Notifications for detailed setup instructions.

You're all set

A healthy setup looks like this:

  • ✅ At least one provider connected with Active status
  • ✅ Zones discovered and records synced
  • ✅ Initial scan completed with issues triaged
  • ✅ At least one notification channel configured

DNS Watchdog runs automated scans daily. New issues appear automatically, and resolved issues are cleared when the underlying condition is no longer detected. You'll receive notifications for any changes.

Next steps

Introduction

DNS Watchdog.io gives organizations visibility into DNS security risks across all their providers and zones, providing immediate remediation and rollback alongside comprehensive audit controls.

Provider Overview

How DNS providers work in DNS Watchdog.

On this page

1. Connect a DNS provider2. Wait for zone discovery3. Review your inventory4. Review your first scan5. Set up notificationsYou're all setNext steps