DNS Migration: Cloudflare (Kajabi) → Route53¶

Overview¶

Current State: - Domain: vell.ai - Nameservers: Cloudflare (jermaine.ns.cloudflare.com, joyce.ns.cloudflare.com) - Management: Kajabi interface → Cloudflare backend - Homepage (vell.ai, www.vell.ai): Kajabi hosted

Target State: - Nameservers: AWS Route53 - Homepage: Laravel app (same as app.vell.ai) - Full DNS control in AWS console

Pre-Migration Checklist¶

1. Verify AWS Resources¶

Subdomain	Type	Target	Status
`app.vell.ai`	ALB	`dualstack.prod-c-loadb-2j2vzccrfpmp-207866001.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com`	✅ Active
`dev.vell.ai`	ALB	`dualstack.dev-co-loadb-w0pnpffp5bkj-2032461823.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com`	✅ Active
`demo.vell.ai`	ALB	`dualstack.demo-c-loadb-ctwuglocmc5d-1899769558.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com`	✅ Active
`docs.vell.ai`	CloudFront	`d75e5c5rcdxz9.cloudfront.net`	✅ Active
`templates.vell.ai`	CloudFront	`d2s1me9tauxpal.cloudfront.net`	✅ Active

2. Verify ACM Certificate¶

Certificate ARN: arn:aws:acm:us-east-1:253265132499:certificate/1776d484-5e23-40bb-b84f-f42568574d1f
Covers: *.vell.ai (wildcard)
Status: Must remain valid during migration

3. Verify Google Workspace Email¶

Test email delivery to @vell.ai addresses before and after migration.

Route53 Hosted Zone Records¶

Hosted Zone ID: Z03310081OFYKR4PREURF AWS Nameservers (use these):

ns-1214.awsdns-23.org
ns-1920.awsdns-48.co.uk
ns-96.awsdns-12.com
ns-655.awsdns-17.net

Complete Record Set to Create in Route53¶

A Records (Alias)¶

# Homepage - Point to production ALB
vell.ai                 A       ALIAS dualstack.prod-c-loadb-2j2vzccrfpmp-207866001.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com (Z35SXDOTRQ7X7K)

# App environments
app.vell.ai             A       ALIAS dualstack.prod-c-loadb-2j2vzccrfpmp-207866001.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com (Z35SXDOTRQ7X7K)
dev.vell.ai             A       ALIAS dualstack.dev-co-loadb-w0pnpffp5bkj-2032461823.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com (Z35SXDOTRQ7X7K)
demo.vell.ai            A       ALIAS dualstack.demo-c-loadb-ctwuglocmc5d-1899769558.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com (Z35SXDOTRQ7X7K)

CNAME Records¶

# WWW redirect
www.vell.ai             CNAME   vell.ai                                         300

# CloudFront distributions
docs.vell.ai            CNAME   d75e5c5rcdxz9.cloudfront.net                   300
templates.vell.ai       CNAME   d2s1me9tauxpal.cloudfront.net                  300

# ACM Validation (keep existing)
_d41b04043495d0e2788e5d93283cf803.vell.ai       CNAME   _ad2281a368109e49a20aaaa0deb56136.mhbtsbpdnt.acm-validations.aws    300
_f523bc5c502497008431c0b329aeb35f.www.vell.ai   CNAME   _29034740609e89ec88aadcc2e5d29fa0.mhbtsbpdnt.acm-validations.aws    300

# Amazon SES DKIM (vell.ai)
gt24mvcjrlvwnswk7qq3fujtn52ziy3w._domainkey.vell.ai     CNAME   gt24mvcjrlvwnswk7qq3fujtn52ziy3w.dkim.amazonses.com     300
rdxzhggd5tgqojccjeftmgnlxy57g6xb._domainkey.vell.ai     CNAME   rdxzhggd5tgqojccjeftmgnlxy57g6xb.dkim.amazonses.com     300
rszsxr46tov2bvyvkxcegpzjxyaz5yf5._domainkey.vell.ai     CNAME   rszsxr46tov2bvyvkxcegpzjxyaz5yf5.dkim.amazonses.com     300

# Amazon SES DKIM (email.vell.ai subdomain)
5jom4fld6ndco6ndosckgdvy2xbwkjsy._domainkey.email.vell.ai   CNAME   5jom4fld6ndco6ndosckgdvy2xbwkjsy.dkim.amazonses.com   300
tvm4uwaljbqtd4kkpnjuq6xqtdzhhpvv._domainkey.email.vell.ai   CNAME   tvm4uwaljbqtd4kkpnjuq6xqtdzhhpvv.dkim.amazonses.com   300
vwxx2s45v567wxy4da5gl35d6pub5n3g._domainkey.email.vell.ai   CNAME   vwxx2s45v567wxy4da5gl35d6pub5n3g.dkim.amazonses.com   300

# Mailchimp DKIM
k2._domainkey.vell.ai   CNAME   dkim2.mcsv.net                                  300
k3._domainkey.vell.ai   CNAME   dkim3.mcsv.net                                  300

MX Records¶

# Google Workspace (Primary email)
vell.ai                 MX      1   aspmx.l.google.com
vell.ai                 MX      5   alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
vell.ai                 MX      5   alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
vell.ai                 MX      10  alt3.aspmx.l.google.com
vell.ai                 MX      10  alt4.aspmx.l.google.com

# Amazon SES (for bounces and transactional)
email.vell.ai           MX      10  feedback-smtp.us-east-1.amazonses.com
bounce.email.vell.ai    MX      10  feedback-smtp.us-east-1.amazonses.com

TXT Records¶

# SPF Records
vell.ai                     TXT     "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:amazonses.com ~all"
email.vell.ai               TXT     "v=spf1 include:amazonses.com -all"
bounce.email.vell.ai        TXT     "v=spf1 include:amazonses.com ~all"

# DMARC Records
_dmarc.vell.ai              TXT     "v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; pct=100; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@vell.ai; ruf=mailto:dmarc-reports@vell.ai; fo=1"
_dmarc.email.vell.ai        TXT     "v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; pct=100; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@vell.ai; ruf=mailto:dmarc-reports@vell.ai; fo=1"

# Amazon SES Verification
_amazonses.email.vell.ai    TXT     "4Lx5QefS6h+EPqqndsNurC5hmdh1zaKt3DzimWV+60k="

# Ahrefs Site Verification
vell.ai                     TXT     "ahrefs-site-verification_8ea9066b619025833aec334e7d23fc91e97639e04ea215bb40f0e7d643d2f243"

# Amazon Business Verification (already in Route53)
@.vell.ai                   TXT     "amazon-business-verification=093f9c121c25b5a3ac84f744673c9ba2fb6d4dd9c804a315132351bd9fa704ca3"

# Amazon Chime (already in Route53)
_amazonchime.vell.ai        TXT     "9e637068-30b5-48ec-aa4d-9ccb108a4537"

Migration Steps¶

Phase 1: Prepare Route53 (Before Cutover)¶

Estimated Time: 30 minutes

Lower TTL in Cloudflare/Kajabi

Set all records to TTL 300 (5 minutes)
Wait 24 hours for TTL propagation

Create all records in Route53 (see script below)
Do NOT change nameservers yet
Records will exist but not resolve

Verify Route53 records

# Test records using Route53 nameservers directly
dig @ns-1214.awsdns-23.org vell.ai A
dig @ns-1214.awsdns-23.org app.vell.ai A
dig @ns-1214.awsdns-23.org vell.ai MX

Phase 2: Update Laravel for Apex Domain¶

File: routes/web.php

// Add support for vell.ai apex domain
// The app should respond the same whether accessed via vell.ai or app.vell.ai

File: config/app.php or .env

APP_URL=https://vell.ai

Test locally:

# Add to /etc/hosts temporarily
127.0.0.1 vell.ai

Phase 3: Nameserver Cutover¶

Estimated Downtime: 5-30 minutes (DNS propagation)

Schedule maintenance window
Choose low-traffic time (e.g., Sunday 2-4 AM EST)
Notify team
Update nameservers at registrar
Login to domain registrar (where vell.ai was purchased)

Change nameservers FROM:

jermaine.ns.cloudflare.com
joyce.ns.cloudflare.com

Change nameservers TO:

ns-1214.awsdns-23.org
ns-1920.awsdns-48.co.uk
ns-96.awsdns-12.com
ns-655.awsdns-17.net

Monitor propagation

# Check from multiple DNS servers
dig vell.ai NS
dig @8.8.8.8 vell.ai A
dig @1.1.1.1 vell.ai A

# Or use online tool
# https://dnschecker.org/#A/vell.ai

Verify all services
https://vell.ai loads (homepage)
https://app.vell.ai loads (app)
https://dev.vell.ai loads (dev)
https://demo.vell.ai loads (demo)
https://docs.vell.ai loads (documentation)
https://templates.vell.ai/templates/ loads (templates)
Email to @vell.ai addresses works
Transactional emails send correctly

Phase 4: Post-Migration Cleanup¶

Restore TTLs
Set important records to 3600 (1 hour) or higher
Remove Kajabi custom domain
In Kajabi, remove vell.ai as custom domain
Cancel Kajabi subscription if no longer needed
Update documentation
Update runbooks with new DNS location
Document Route53 as authoritative DNS

AWS CLI Commands¶

Create Records via CLI¶

# Set variables
HOSTED_ZONE_ID="Z03310081OFYKR4PREURF"

# Create apex domain A record (alias to ALB)
aws route53 change-resource-record-sets --hosted-zone-id $HOSTED_ZONE_ID --change-batch '{
  "Changes": [{
    "Action": "UPSERT",
    "ResourceRecordSet": {
      "Name": "vell.ai",
      "Type": "A",
      "AliasTarget": {
        "HostedZoneId": "Z35SXDOTRQ7X7K",
        "DNSName": "dualstack.prod-c-loadb-2j2vzccrfpmp-207866001.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com",
        "EvaluateTargetHealth": true
      }
    }
  }]
}'

# Create www CNAME
aws route53 change-resource-record-sets --hosted-zone-id $HOSTED_ZONE_ID --change-batch '{
  "Changes": [{
    "Action": "UPSERT",
    "ResourceRecordSet": {
      "Name": "www.vell.ai",
      "Type": "CNAME",
      "TTL": 300,
      "ResourceRecords": [{"Value": "vell.ai"}]
    }
  }]
}'

# Create dev.vell.ai A record (alias to dev ALB)
aws route53 change-resource-record-sets --hosted-zone-id $HOSTED_ZONE_ID --change-batch '{
  "Changes": [{
    "Action": "UPSERT",
    "ResourceRecordSet": {
      "Name": "dev.vell.ai",
      "Type": "A",
      "AliasTarget": {
        "HostedZoneId": "Z35SXDOTRQ7X7K",
        "DNSName": "dualstack.dev-co-loadb-w0pnpffp5bkj-2032461823.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com",
        "EvaluateTargetHealth": true
      }
    }
  }]
}'

# Create demo.vell.ai A record (alias to demo ALB)
aws route53 change-resource-record-sets --hosted-zone-id $HOSTED_ZONE_ID --change-batch '{
  "Changes": [{
    "Action": "UPSERT",
    "ResourceRecordSet": {
      "Name": "demo.vell.ai",
      "Type": "A",
      "AliasTarget": {
        "HostedZoneId": "Z35SXDOTRQ7X7K",
        "DNSName": "dualstack.demo-c-loadb-ctwuglocmc5d-1899769558.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com",
        "EvaluateTargetHealth": true
      }
    }
  }]
}'

# Create docs.vell.ai CNAME
aws route53 change-resource-record-sets --hosted-zone-id $HOSTED_ZONE_ID --change-batch '{
  "Changes": [{
    "Action": "UPSERT",
    "ResourceRecordSet": {
      "Name": "docs.vell.ai",
      "Type": "CNAME",
      "TTL": 300,
      "ResourceRecords": [{"Value": "d75e5c5rcdxz9.cloudfront.net"}]
    }
  }]
}'

# Create templates.vell.ai CNAME
aws route53 change-resource-record-sets --hosted-zone-id $HOSTED_ZONE_ID --change-batch '{
  "Changes": [{
    "Action": "UPSERT",
    "ResourceRecordSet": {
      "Name": "templates.vell.ai",
      "Type": "CNAME",
      "TTL": 300,
      "ResourceRecords": [{"Value": "d2s1me9tauxpal.cloudfront.net"}]
    }
  }]
}'

Verify Records¶

# List all records in zone
aws route53 list-resource-record-sets --hosted-zone-id Z03310081OFYKR4PREURF

# Test specific record
aws route53 test-dns-answer --hosted-zone-id Z03310081OFYKR4PREURF --record-name vell.ai --record-type A

Rollback Plan¶

If issues occur after nameserver change:

Immediate (< 5 min): Change nameservers back to Cloudflare
```
jermaine.ns.cloudflare.com
joyce.ns.cloudflare.com
```
Wait for propagation (5-30 minutes)
Verify Kajabi/Cloudflare is serving again

Records NOT Being Migrated¶

Record	Reason
`blue.vell.ai`	Test record - deprecated
Kajabi-specific records	No longer needed

Cost Impact¶

Service	Before	After
Kajabi	~$199-399/mo	$0 (if cancelled)
Route53 Hosted Zone	$0.50/mo	$0.50/mo (already exists)
Route53 Queries	~$0.40/mo	~$0.40/mo
Net Savings		~$199-399/mo

Support Contacts¶

AWS Support: Console → Support Center
Domain Registrar: (where vell.ai was registered)
Google Workspace: Admin console for email issues

Appendix: Full Route53 Zone File Import¶

Save as vell.ai.zone for Route53 import:

$ORIGIN vell.ai.
$TTL 300

; SOA and NS records managed by Route53

; A Records (Alias - must be created via console/CLI, not zone import)
; vell.ai.        IN  A   ALIAS prod-alb
; app.vell.ai.    IN  A   ALIAS prod-alb
; dev.vell.ai.    IN  A   ALIAS dev-alb
; demo.vell.ai.   IN  A   ALIAS demo-alb

; CNAME Records
www                     IN  CNAME   vell.ai.
docs                    IN  CNAME   d75e5c5rcdxz9.cloudfront.net.
templates               IN  CNAME   d2s1me9tauxpal.cloudfront.net.

; ACM Validation
_d41b04043495d0e2788e5d93283cf803    IN  CNAME   _ad2281a368109e49a20aaaa0deb56136.mhbtsbpdnt.acm-validations.aws.
_f523bc5c502497008431c0b329aeb35f.www IN  CNAME   _29034740609e89ec88aadcc2e5d29fa0.mhbtsbpdnt.acm-validations.aws.

; SES DKIM (vell.ai)
gt24mvcjrlvwnswk7qq3fujtn52ziy3w._domainkey IN  CNAME   gt24mvcjrlvwnswk7qq3fujtn52ziy3w.dkim.amazonses.com.
rdxzhggd5tgqojccjeftmgnlxy57g6xb._domainkey IN  CNAME   rdxzhggd5tgqojccjeftmgnlxy57g6xb.dkim.amazonses.com.
rszsxr46tov2bvyvkxcegpzjxyaz5yf5._domainkey IN  CNAME   rszsxr46tov2bvyvkxcegpzjxyaz5yf5.dkim.amazonses.com.

; SES DKIM (email.vell.ai)
5jom4fld6ndco6ndosckgdvy2xbwkjsy._domainkey.email IN  CNAME   5jom4fld6ndco6ndosckgdvy2xbwkjsy.dkim.amazonses.com.
tvm4uwaljbqtd4kkpnjuq6xqtdzhhpvv._domainkey.email IN  CNAME   tvm4uwaljbqtd4kkpnjuq6xqtdzhhpvv.dkim.amazonses.com.
vwxx2s45v567wxy4da5gl35d6pub5n3g._domainkey.email IN  CNAME   vwxx2s45v567wxy4da5gl35d6pub5n3g.dkim.amazonses.com.

; Mailchimp DKIM
k2._domainkey           IN  CNAME   dkim2.mcsv.net.
k3._domainkey           IN  CNAME   dkim3.mcsv.net.

; MX Records (Google Workspace)
@                       IN  MX  1   aspmx.l.google.com.
@                       IN  MX  5   alt1.aspmx.l.google.com.
@                       IN  MX  5   alt2.aspmx.l.google.com.
@                       IN  MX  10  alt3.aspmx.l.google.com.
@                       IN  MX  10  alt4.aspmx.l.google.com.

; MX Records (SES subdomains)
email                   IN  MX  10  feedback-smtp.us-east-1.amazonses.com.
bounce.email            IN  MX  10  feedback-smtp.us-east-1.amazonses.com.

; TXT Records
@                       IN  TXT "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:amazonses.com ~all"
@                       IN  TXT "ahrefs-site-verification_8ea9066b619025833aec334e7d23fc91e97639e04ea215bb40f0e7d643d2f243"
email                   IN  TXT "v=spf1 include:amazonses.com -all"
bounce.email            IN  TXT "v=spf1 include:amazonses.com ~all"
_dmarc                  IN  TXT "v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; pct=100; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@vell.ai; ruf=mailto:dmarc-reports@vell.ai; fo=1"
_dmarc.email            IN  TXT "v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; pct=100; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@vell.ai; ruf=mailto:dmarc-reports@vell.ai; fo=1"
_amazonses.email        IN  TXT "4Lx5QefS6h+EPqqndsNurC5hmdh1zaKt3DzimWV+60k="

Document Version: 1.0 Created: 2026-01-05 Author: Claude (Vell AI Assistant)