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DNS Configuration Guide

This guide explains how to configure DNS records for MoaV.

Table of Contents

Do I Need a Domain?

No. MoaV can run without a domain in domainless mode. A domain unlocks more protocols, but several work with just an IP address.

Protocol Requires Domain Port
Reality (VLESS) No 443/tcp
XHTTP (VLESS+XHTTP+Reality) No 2096/tcp
WireGuard No 51820/udp
WireGuard (wstunnel) No 8080/tcp
AmneziaWG No 51821/udp
Telegram MTProxy (telemt) No 993/tcp
Admin Dashboard No 9443/tcp
Conduit (Psiphon donation) No —
Snowflake (Tor donation) No —
Trojan Yes 8443/tcp
Hysteria2 Yes 443/udp
TrustTunnel Yes 4443/tcp+udp
CDN (VLESS+WebSocket) Yes (Cloudflare) or No (CloudFront) 2082/tcp
dnstt (DNS tunnel) Yes (NS records) 53/udp
Slipstream (QUIC-over-DNS) Yes (NS records) 53/udp
XDNS (mKCP DNS tunnel) Yes (NS records) 53/udp

Domain-dependent protocols need a valid TLS certificate (via Let's Encrypt) or NS delegation, which both require a domain.

Domainless Mode

Leave DOMAIN= empty in your .env file. MoaV automatically detects this and runs only protocols that work without a domain:

  • Reality — VLESS with TLS camouflage (uses REALITY_TARGET like dl.google.com instead of your own domain)
  • XHTTP — VLESS+XHTTP+Reality via Xray-core (same TLS camouflage, different transport)
  • WireGuard — Full VPN, direct UDP or tunneled over WebSocket (TCP) when UDP is blocked
  • AmneziaWG — DPI-resistant WireGuard with packet-level obfuscation
  • Telegram MTProxy — Direct Telegram access via fake-TLS, no VPN needed
  • Admin Dashboard — Web UI with self-signed certificate
  • Conduit / Snowflake — Bandwidth donation (optional)

This is ideal for: - Raspberry Pi or home servers without a registered domain - Quick deployments when you can't register a domain - Environments where only VPN-style protocols are needed

You can upgrade to a full domain setup later — just set DOMAIN= in .env and run moav bootstrap.

Port Forwarding (Domainless)

If running on a home network, forward these ports on your router:

Port Protocol Service
443/tcp TCP Reality (VLESS)
2096/tcp TCP XHTTP (VLESS+XHTTP+Reality)
51820/udp UDP WireGuard
8080/tcp TCP wstunnel (WireGuard over WebSocket)
51821/udp UDP AmneziaWG
993/tcp TCP Telegram MTProxy
9443/tcp TCP Admin Dashboard

No port 80 needed — domainless mode doesn't use Let's Encrypt.

Domain Setup

If you have a domain, you unlock all 13+ protocols. How many DNS records you need depends on which features you enable.

Minimum Setup (Without DNS Tunnels)

If you don't need DNS tunnels (dnstt / Slipstream), you only need one record:

Type: A
Name: @ (or your domain name)
Value: YOUR_SERVER_IP
TTL: 300 (or Auto)

This enables: Reality, Trojan, Hysteria2, TrustTunnel, CDN mode, and all domainless protocols.

Full Setup (With DNS Tunnels)

Step 1: Main A Record

Type: A
Name: @ (or your domain name)
Value: YOUR_SERVER_IP
TTL: 300

Step 2: DNS Server A Record

Type: A
Name: dns
Value: YOUR_SERVER_IP
TTL: 300

This creates dns.yourdomain.com pointing to your server (used as the nameserver for tunnel subdomains).

Step 3: NS Delegation for dnstt

Type: NS
Name: t
Value: dns.yourdomain.com
TTL: 300

This tells DNS resolvers that queries for *.t.yourdomain.com should be sent to dns.yourdomain.com (your server). Used by dnstt.

Step 4: NS Delegation for Slipstream (Optional)

Type: NS
Name: s
Value: dns.yourdomain.com
TTL: 300

Same concept as dnstt, but for the Slipstream QUIC-over-DNS tunnel. Slipstream is 1.5-5x faster than dnstt. Only needed if ENABLE_SLIPSTREAM=true.

Type: NS
Name: x
Value: dns.yourdomain.com
TTL: 300

XDNS is a DNS tunnel protocol that uses Xray-core's FinalMask technology to encode VLESS traffic in DNS-like packets via mKCP transport, with per-user authentication. It requires a FinalMask-aware client (Happ, Xray CLI). For broader client-ecosystem support, dnstt and Slipstream are enabled by default (standalone client binaries on 25+ platforms).

Note: XDNS, dnstt, and Slipstream all use port 53. Only one group can own port 53 at a time. dnstt+Slipstream share dns-router by default (PORT_DNS=53). To switch to XDNS instead, run moav switch-dns xdns. To combine dnstt+Slipstream, run moav switch-dns dnstt+slipstream (default). See moav switch-dns list for current state.

Optional: IPv6 Support

If your server has IPv6, you can also add an AAAA record for the nameserver:

Type: AAAA
Name: dns
Value: YOUR_SERVER_IPV6
TTL: 300

More Info: For detailed dnstt documentation, see the official dnstt guide.

Summary of All DNS Records

Record Name Value Proxy Purpose Required?
A @ Server IP DNS only Main domain (Trojan, Hysteria2, Reality) Yes
A dns Server IP DNS only Nameserver for DNS tunnels Only for dnstt/Slipstream/XDNS/XDNS
NS t dns.domain.com — dnstt tunnel subdomain Only for dnstt
NS s dns.domain.com — Slipstream tunnel subdomain Only for Slipstream
NS x dns.domain.com — XDNS tunnel subdomain Only for XDNS
A cdn Server IP Proxied CDN-fronted VLESS Only for CDN mode
A www Server IP Proxied CDN stealth connect address Optional (CDN stealth)
A grafana Server IP Proxied Grafana via CDN Optional (monitoring)

Provider-Specific Instructions

Cloudflare

  1. Log into Cloudflare Dashboard
  2. Select your domain
  3. Go to DNS → Records
  4. Add records:

Important: Set proxy status to "DNS only" (gray cloud) for most records. Only CDN-related records should be "Proxied" (orange cloud).

Type Name Content Proxy status
A @ YOUR_IP DNS only
A dns YOUR_IP DNS only
NS t dns.yourdomain.com —
NS s dns.yourdomain.com —
A cdn YOUR_IP Proxied (orange cloud)
A www YOUR_IP Proxied (orange cloud)
A grafana YOUR_IP Proxied (orange cloud)

The cdn, www, and grafana records are optional: - cdn — Required if you want CDN-fronted VLESS (ENABLE_CDN=true or CDN_SUBDOMAIN set) - www — Recommended for CDN stealth. Used as the CDN connect address so DNS queries don't reveal the "cdn" subdomain to DPI. Set CDN_ADDRESS=www.yourdomain.com in .env - grafana — Only needed if you want faster Grafana loading via CDN (see Monitoring Guide)

All other records must be DNS only (gray cloud).

CDN Origin Rule (Required for CDN Mode)

If you added the cdn record above, you must also create an Origin Rule to redirect traffic to port 2082. By default, Cloudflare's Flexible SSL connects to origin port 80, but MoaV's CDN listener runs on port 2082.

Step 1: Go to Rules → Origin Rules

  1. In Cloudflare Dashboard, select your domain
  2. Navigate to Rules → Origin Rules
  3. Click Create rule

Step 2: Configure the Rule

Field Value
Rule name CDN to port 2082
When incoming requests match... Hostname equals cdn.yourdomain.com
Then... Destination Port → Rewrite to 2082

Step 3: Deploy

Click Deploy to activate the rule.

Verify it works: 

# Should return HTTP 400 (sing-box responding, not Cloudflare 521)
# Use any path - the CDN WS path is auto-generated during bootstrap
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://cdn.yourdomain.com/test

A 400 or 404 response means sing-box is receiving the request. - 521 = Origin Rule is missing or misconfigured - 525 = SSL mode is wrong — set Cloudflare SSL/TLS to Flexible (not Full/Strict), because MoaV's CDN port 2082 is plain HTTP

Important: Cloudflare SSL/TLS mode must be set to Flexible for CDN mode. MoaV's CDN inbound on port 2082 is plain HTTP (Cloudflare terminates TLS). If you need Full SSL for other subdomains, use a Configuration Rule to set Flexible for just cdn.yourdomain.com.

See CDN Setup Guide for complete CDN configuration.

AWS CloudFront (Alternative CDN)

CloudFront can be used as an alternative to Cloudflare for CDN-fronted VLESS. The main advantage: no domain required — CloudFront gives you a *.cloudfront.net domain automatically. This is useful when you can't register a domain or want an additional CDN fallback.

How it works: Client connects to CloudFront (AWS CDN IPs) → CloudFront forwards to your server on port 2082 → sing-box handles the VLESS+WS connection. DPI only sees connections to AWS infrastructure.

Important: CloudFront Requires a Domain Name as Origin

CloudFront does not accept bare IP addresses as origins — you'll get InvalidArgument: The parameter origin name cannot be an IP address. If you already have a domain, use it. If not, use the free wildcard DNS service sslip.io:

YOUR_SERVER_IP.sslip.io    →    resolves to YOUR_SERVER_IP

For example, 139.59.22.221.sslip.io resolves to 139.59.22.221. This works with any IP and requires no registration. sslip.io is purely a DNS service — no traffic passes through it. Users never interact with it; only CloudFront uses it internally to reach your server.

Step 1: Create CloudFront Distribution

Option A: AWS Console (Web UI)
  1. Log into AWS Console
  2. Click Create Distribution
  3. Configure origin:
Setting Value
Origin domain YOUR_SERVER_IP.sslip.io (or your domain)
Protocol HTTP only
HTTP port 2082
HTTPS port 443

Note: Type your origin domain (e.g., 139.59.22.221.sslip.io) directly into the "Origin domain" field. Ignore the dropdown suggestions (S3 buckets, etc.) — CloudFront accepts any valid domain name.

  1. Configure behavior:
Setting Value
Viewer protocol policy HTTPS only
Allowed HTTP methods GET, HEAD, OPTIONS, PUT, POST, PATCH, DELETE
Cache policy CachingDisabled
Origin request policy AllViewer
  1. Configure WebSocket support:
Setting Value
Response headers policy None

CloudFront supports WebSocket natively — no extra configuration needed.

  1. Click Create Distribution and wait for deployment (5-15 minutes)
  2. Note your distribution domain: d1234abcd.cloudfront.net
Option B: AWS CLI

Install the CLI first: AWS CLI Installation Guide

Then authenticate:

# Option 1: SSO login (recommended if your org uses AWS IAM Identity Center)
aws sso login

# Option 2: Configure with access keys (from IAM → Users → Security credentials)
aws configure

Create the distribution (replace YOUR_SERVER_IP):

aws cloudfront create-distribution --distribution-config '{
  "CallerReference": "moav-cdn-'$(date +%s)'",
  "Comment": "MoaV CDN",
  "Enabled": true,
  "Origins": {
    "Quantity": 1,
    "Items": [
      {
        "Id": "moav-origin",
        "DomainName": "YOUR_SERVER_IP.sslip.io",
        "CustomOriginConfig": {
          "HTTPPort": 2082,
          "HTTPSPort": 443,
          "OriginProtocolPolicy": "http-only"
        }
      }
    ]
  },
  "DefaultCacheBehavior": {
    "TargetOriginId": "moav-origin",
    "ViewerProtocolPolicy": "https-only",
    "AllowedMethods": {
      "Quantity": 7,
      "Items": ["GET","HEAD","OPTIONS","PUT","POST","PATCH","DELETE"],
      "CachedMethods": {"Quantity": 2, "Items": ["GET","HEAD"]}
    },
    "CachePolicyId": "4135ea2d-6df8-44a3-9df3-4b5a84be39ad",
    "OriginRequestPolicyId": "216adef6-5c7f-47e4-b989-5492eafa07d3",
    "Compress": false
  },
  "PriceClass": "PriceClass_200"
}'
Fix Existing Distribution (Missing Policies)

If you already created a distribution without the correct policies (common cause of bad "Sec-WebSocket-Key" header errors), fix it with:

# Download current config
aws cloudfront get-distribution-config --id YOUR_DISTRIBUTION_ID > /tmp/cf-config.json

# Add AllViewer origin request policy + CachingDisabled cache policy
jq '.DistributionConfig.DefaultCacheBehavior.OriginRequestPolicyId = "216adef6-5c7f-47e4-b989-5492eafa07d3" | .DistributionConfig.DefaultCacheBehavior.CachePolicyId = "4135ea2d-6df8-44a3-9df3-4b5a84be39ad" | .DistributionConfig' /tmp/cf-config.json > /tmp/cf-update.json

# Apply update (ETag is required for optimistic locking)
ETAG=$(jq -r '.ETag' /tmp/cf-config.json)
aws cloudfront update-distribution --id YOUR_DISTRIBUTION_ID --if-match "$ETAG" --distribution-config file:///tmp/cf-update.json

Wait 5-10 minutes for deployment. The key policies: - AllViewer (216adef6-...) — forwards all client headers including WebSocket upgrade headers to your origin - CachingDisabled (4135ea2d-...) — prevents caching, which breaks WebSocket connections

Example: For server IP 139.59.22.221, use "DomainName": "139.59.22.221.sslip.io"

The PriceClass controls which edge locations (regions) are used:

PriceClass Regions Cost
PriceClass_100 US, Canada, Europe Cheapest
PriceClass_200 + Asia, Middle East, Africa Mid-tier
PriceClass_All All edge locations worldwide Most expensive

For users in Iran/Middle East, use PriceClass_200 or PriceClass_All for better latency — these include Middle East and Asia edge nodes.

Note: You can't pick a specific datacenter/city. CloudFront is an anycast CDN — it automatically routes users to the nearest edge location within your selected price class.

Get your distribution domain:

aws cloudfront list-distributions \
  --query 'DistributionList.Items[0].DomainName' --output text

Wait for deployment to complete (status changes from InProgress to Deployed):

aws cloudfront list-distributions \
  --query 'DistributionList.Items[*].[Id,DomainName,Status]' --output table

Step 2: Configure MoaV

In your .env file:

# Use CloudFront instead of Cloudflare for CDN
CDN_SUBDOMAIN=           # Leave empty (not using Cloudflare subdomain)
CDN_DOMAIN=d1234abcd.cloudfront.net
CDN_ADDRESS=d1234abcd.cloudfront.net
CDN_SNI=d1234abcd.cloudfront.net
CDN_TRANSPORT=ws         # IMPORTANT: must be 'ws' for CloudFront (not 'httpupgrade')

Important: CloudFront requires CDN_TRANSPORT=ws (standard WebSocket). The default httpupgrade is a sing-box-specific protocol that works with Cloudflare but fails on CloudFront with bad "Sec-WebSocket-Key" header errors. If you switch from Cloudflare to CloudFront, change this setting and re-bootstrap.

Then re-bootstrap to regenerate configs: 

moav bootstrap

Step 3: Verify

# Should return 400 (sing-box responding)
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://d1234abcd.cloudfront.net/test

CloudFront vs Cloudflare

Feature Cloudflare CloudFront
Cost Free tier ~$0.085/GB (1TB free/month for 12 months)
Domain required Yes No (get *.cloudfront.net)
Setup complexity DNS + Origin Rule AWS Console distribution
WebSocket support Yes Yes
Origin port config Needs Origin Rule to rewrite to 2082 Direct port configuration
SNI flexibility Can use root domain for stealth Must use *.cloudfront.net or your CNAME
Domain fronting Partially supported Blocked since 2018
Global edge network Yes (larger) Yes

SNI note: CloudFront validates that the TLS SNI matches your distribution domain or a configured CNAME. You cannot use an arbitrary domain (like google.com) as SNI — AWS blocked domain fronting in 2018. For Reality-based protocols (XHTTP, VLESS+Reality), SNI camouflage works differently and does not rely on the CDN.

Using Both Cloudflare and CloudFront

You can run both CDN providers simultaneously for redundancy. Users get two CDN share links — if one CDN's IPs get blocked, the other likely still works:

  1. Set up Cloudflare CDN as described above (requires domain)
  2. Set up CloudFront as a second distribution pointing to the same server
  3. Share both links with users

To generate links for both, you'd need to run bootstrap with Cloudflare settings first, then manually create CloudFront share links using the same UUID and WS path.

CloudFront CLI Management

# List all distributions
aws cloudfront list-distributions \
  --query 'DistributionList.Items[*].[Id,DomainName,Status]' --output table

# Check which edge location a user is hitting
curl -sI https://d1234abcd.cloudfront.net/ | grep x-amz-cf-pop
# Example output: x-amz-cf-pop: FRA56-P4 (Frankfurt)

# Disable a distribution (must disable before deleting)
# First get the ETag:
ETAG=$(aws cloudfront get-distribution-config --id DIST_ID \
  --query 'ETag' --output text)
# Then disable:
aws cloudfront get-distribution-config --id DIST_ID \
  --query 'DistributionConfig' --output json \
  | jq '.Enabled = false' \
  | aws cloudfront update-distribution --id DIST_ID \
    --if-match "$ETAG" --distribution-config file:///dev/stdin

# Delete (only after status is "Deployed" and distribution is disabled)
aws cloudfront delete-distribution --id DIST_ID --if-match "$ETAG"

Namecheap

  1. Log into Namecheap
  2. Domain List → Manage → Advanced DNS
  3. Add records:
Type Host Value TTL
A Record @ YOUR_IP Automatic
A Record dns YOUR_IP Automatic
NS Record t dns.yourdomain.com. Automatic
NS Record s dns.yourdomain.com. Automatic

Note: NS value may need trailing dot. The dns, t, and s records are only needed if using DNS tunnels.

Google Domains / Squarespace

  1. Go to DNS settings
  2. Add custom records:
Host name Type TTL Data
(blank) A 300 YOUR_IP
dns A 300 YOUR_IP
t NS 300 dns.yourdomain.com
s NS 300 dns.yourdomain.com

Hetzner DNS

  1. Go to DNS Console
  2. Select your zone
  3. Add records:
@ IN A YOUR_IP
dns IN A YOUR_IP
t IN NS dns.yourdomain.com.
s IN NS dns.yourdomain.com.

Home Servers & Raspberry Pi

MoaV runs on Raspberry Pi 4+ (2GB+ RAM) and any ARM64/x64 Linux machine. Home servers typically have dynamic IPs and sit behind a router, so you need port forwarding and (if using a domain) Dynamic DNS.

Port Forwarding

Configure your router to forward the ports you need to your MoaV server's local IP.

Domainless mode (minimum):

Port Protocol Service
443/tcp TCP Reality (VLESS)
51820/udp UDP WireGuard
8080/tcp TCP wstunnel (WireGuard over WebSocket)
51821/udp UDP AmneziaWG
993/tcp TCP Telegram MTProxy
9443/tcp TCP Admin Dashboard

With domain (add these):

Port Protocol Service
80/tcp TCP Let's Encrypt verification (only during certificate setup/renewal)
443/udp UDP Hysteria2
8443/tcp TCP Trojan
4443/tcp TCP TrustTunnel (HTTP/2)
4443/udp UDP TrustTunnel (HTTP/3 / QUIC)
53/udp UDP DNS tunnels (dnstt / Slipstream / XDNS)

Optional:

Port Protocol Service
9444/tcp TCP Grafana monitoring dashboard

Only forward ports for protocols you actually enable. Check your .env file for ENABLE_* toggles.

Before You Start

  1. Check for CGNAT: Some ISPs use Carrier-Grade NAT which prevents incoming connections entirely. Test by comparing your router's WAN IP with curl ipinfo.io/ip. If they differ, contact your ISP for a public IP or use a VPS instead.

  2. Static local IP: Assign a static IP to your MoaV server in your router's DHCP settings so port forwarding rules don't break when the local IP changes.

Dynamic DNS (DDNS)

If you're using a domain with a home server, your ISP likely assigns a dynamic public IP that changes periodically. Dynamic DNS services automatically update your domain to point to your current IP.

Domainless mode does not need DDNS. Users connect via your public IP directly. You can find your current public IP with curl ifconfig.me and share it manually. If your IP changes, update the configs you shared.

DuckDNS (Free)

DuckDNS is a free DDNS service that provides subdomains like yourname.duckdns.org. Let's Encrypt works with DuckDNS domains.

Step 1: Create Account

  1. Go to duckdns.org
  2. Sign in with Google, GitHub, Twitter, or Reddit
  3. Create a subdomain (e.g., myvpn → myvpn.duckdns.org)
  4. Copy your token from the dashboard

Step 2: Install Update Script

On your MoaV server (Raspberry Pi or home server):

# Create update script
mkdir -p /opt/duckdns
cat > /opt/duckdns/duck.sh << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash
DOMAIN="YOUR_SUBDOMAIN"  # e.g., myvpn (without .duckdns.org)
TOKEN="YOUR_TOKEN"

curl -s "https://www.duckdns.org/update?domains=${DOMAIN}&token=${TOKEN}&ip=" | logger -t duckdns
EOF

# Replace with your values
nano /opt/duckdns/duck.sh

# Make executable
chmod +x /opt/duckdns/duck.sh

# Test it
/opt/duckdns/duck.sh

Step 3: Schedule Automatic Updates

# Add to crontab (runs every 5 minutes)
(crontab -l 2>/dev/null; echo "*/5 * * * * /opt/duckdns/duck.sh") | crontab -

Step 4: Configure MoaV

In your .env file: 

DOMAIN=yourname.duckdns.org

Then run bootstrap as normal.

Note: DuckDNS subdomains don't support NS delegation, so DNS tunnels (dnstt, Slipstream, XDNS) won't work with DuckDNS. All other domain-based protocols work fine.

Cloudflare DDNS (Own Domain)

If you have your own domain on Cloudflare, you can use the Cloudflare API to update DNS records automatically. This supports all features including DNS tunnels.

Step 1: Get API Token

  1. Go to Cloudflare Dashboard → My Profile → API Tokens
  2. Create a token with Zone:DNS:Edit permission for your domain
  3. Copy the token

Step 2: Get Zone ID

  1. Go to your domain in Cloudflare
  2. Scroll down on the Overview page
  3. Copy the Zone ID from the right sidebar

Step 3: Install Update Script

mkdir -p /opt/cloudflare-ddns
cat > /opt/cloudflare-ddns/update.sh << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash

# Configuration
CF_API_TOKEN="YOUR_API_TOKEN"
CF_ZONE_ID="YOUR_ZONE_ID"
DOMAIN="yourdomain.com"
RECORD_NAME="@"  # Use "@" for root domain or "subdomain" for subdomain

# Get current public IP
CURRENT_IP=$(curl -s https://api.ipify.org)

# Get current DNS record
RECORD_DATA=$(curl -s -X GET "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/${CF_ZONE_ID}/dns_records?type=A&name=${DOMAIN}" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer ${CF_API_TOKEN}" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json")

RECORD_ID=$(echo "$RECORD_DATA" | grep -o '"id":"[^"]*"' | head -1 | cut -d'"' -f4)
RECORD_IP=$(echo "$RECORD_DATA" | grep -o '"content":"[^"]*"' | head -1 | cut -d'"' -f4)

# Update if IP changed
if [ "$CURRENT_IP" != "$RECORD_IP" ]; then
    echo "IP changed from $RECORD_IP to $CURRENT_IP, updating..."
    curl -s -X PUT "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones/${CF_ZONE_ID}/dns_records/${RECORD_ID}" \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer ${CF_API_TOKEN}" \
        -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
        --data "{\"type\":\"A\",\"name\":\"${DOMAIN}\",\"content\":\"${CURRENT_IP}\",\"ttl\":300,\"proxied\":false}" | logger -t cloudflare-ddns
else
    echo "IP unchanged ($CURRENT_IP)"
fi
EOF

# Edit with your values
nano /opt/cloudflare-ddns/update.sh

chmod +x /opt/cloudflare-ddns/update.sh

Step 4: Schedule Updates

# Run every 5 minutes
(crontab -l 2>/dev/null; echo "*/5 * * * * /opt/cloudflare-ddns/update.sh") | crontab -

Step 5: Configure MoaV

In your .env: 

DOMAIN=yourdomain.com

After DDNS Setup

  1. Wait for propagation: After the first update, wait 5-10 minutes
  2. Verify: dig +short yourdomain.com should show your home IP
  3. Run MoaV setup: moav to start the interactive setup
  4. Test from outside: Use mobile data (not home WiFi) to test connectivity

Home Server Tips

  • UPS recommended: Protect against power outages, especially for Raspberry Pi
  • Monitor uptime: Use a free service like UptimeRobot to alert you if your server goes down
  • Backup regularly: moav export to backup your configuration
  • Temperature: Ensure adequate cooling for Raspberry Pi under sustained VPN load
  • SD card: Use a high-endurance microSD card or boot from USB/SSD for reliability

Verification

After configuring DNS, wait for propagation (usually 5-30 minutes, up to 48 hours).

Verify with MoaV

moav doctor dns

Verify A Record

dig +short yourdomain.com
# Should return: YOUR_SERVER_IP

dig +short dns.yourdomain.com
# Should return: YOUR_SERVER_IP

Verify NS Delegation

dig NS t.yourdomain.com
# Should show: dns.yourdomain.com in AUTHORITY SECTION

# Test that queries reach your server
dig @YOUR_SERVER_IP test.t.yourdomain.com
# Should get a response (after dnstt is running)

Online Tools

  • https://dnschecker.org - Check propagation worldwide
  • https://mxtoolbox.com/DNSLookup.aspx - Detailed DNS lookup

Common Issues

"DNS not propagated yet"

Wait longer (up to 48 hours in rare cases). Check with multiple DNS servers:

dig @8.8.8.8 yourdomain.com
dig @1.1.1.1 yourdomain.com

"NS record not working"

  • Ensure the A record for dns.yourdomain.com exists
  • Some registrars require a trailing dot: dns.yourdomain.com.
  • NS delegation can take longer to propagate

"Certificate acquisition failed"

  • Verify A record is correct: dig yourdomain.com
  • Ensure port 80 is open (temporarily, for ACME HTTP-01)
  • Check that no other service is using port 80
  • Not applicable in domainless mode (no certificates needed)

"Can't connect from outside my home network"

  • Verify port forwarding is configured on your router
  • Check for CGNAT: curl ifconfig.me should match your router's WAN IP
  • Ensure your ISP doesn't block the ports you need
  • Test from mobile data, not your home WiFi

Domain Acquisition Tips

For users in censored regions:

  1. Use privacy protection - Hide your personal info in WHOIS
  2. Pay with crypto if possible - For anonymity
  3. Choose a neutral TLD - .com, .net, .org are less suspicious than country-specific TLDs
  4. Avoid "VPN" or "proxy" in the domain name - Keep it generic
  5. Consider multiple domains - Have backups ready if one gets blocked

Domain Naming Strategy

Your domain name is the first thing DPI systems see in the TLS SNI. A good domain blends with legitimate traffic:

Good examples: - Names that look like business infrastructure: cloudops-services.com, cdn-platform.net - Names that look like SaaS products: dataflow-sync.com, metrics-hub.net - Generic tech names: stackbuilder.io, nodebridge.net

Bad examples: - Anything with "vpn", "proxy", "tunnel", "free", "bypass" in the name - Random strings: xk4m2p.com (suspicious to automated systems) - Known circumvention patterns: v2ray-server.com

Subdomain naming also matters. MoaV's CDN subdomain defaults to cdn — consider changing it to something like assets, static, api, or app in your .env: 

CDN_SUBDOMAIN=assets

  • Namecheap - Good privacy, accepts crypto
  • Porkbun - Cheap, good privacy
  • Njalla - Maximum privacy (they own the domain for you)