Domain Connect and DomainKit, two ways to set up a customer's DNS

Domain Connect is an open template protocol each DNS provider onboards. DomainKit writes through the customer's own grant. How they differ.

Last reviewed 2026-09-29. Provider lists and repository activity change often. To correct something, open an issue on GitHub.

Verdict

Domain Connect fits when your setup is a fixed template and your customers’ DNS providers already support it. DomainKit fits when the record values differ per customer and you want to write through the customer’s own Cloudflare or Vercel account. Nothing stops you from offering both.

What Domain Connect is

Domain Connect is an open protocol. A service provider, such as an email or hosting company, publishes a DNS template. A supporting DNS provider shows the customer a consent screen and applies the template. The customer never edits records by hand.

The protocol is under active work. Its IETF working-group draft is at revision 03, updated 3 July 2026 (4). The Templates repository was pushed to on the day we checked, with dozens of open pull requests being reviewed.

What it asks of you

Getting a template accepted has two steps (1).

Define the template and get it merged into the shared Templates repository. Submissions need to be tested in the online editor and follow strict naming and quality rules.
Onboard the template with each DNS provider. Domain Connect’s guide says this is done by contacting them, and that some may require contractual terms and further review.

The second step repeats for every DNS provider you want to reach, and each one decides on its own timeline.

Who supports it

The Domain Connect site lists these providers as live: IONOS, Cloudflare, Domain Chief, Glauca Digital, GoDaddy, NameSilo, Plesk, Vercel, and WordPress.com (2).

Two details matter for builders. Cloudflare supports the synchronous flow with signed requests, and asks you to email template links and public-key domains (5). Vercel supports it only where Vercel is the domain’s authoritative DNS (6).

Well-known senders use it. Resend’s Cloudflare guide offers a Sign in to Cloudflare option that uses Domain Connect (7).

Side by side

	Domain Connect	DomainKit
What it is	Open protocol and shared template repository	Open-source library in your app
Who shows the consent screen	The customer’s DNS provider	Your app
What you set up per DNS provider	Onboard your template with each provider	One adapter per provider. Cloudflare and Vercel are built in
What the customer grants	Approval of your template on their DNS provider’s page	A grant to their own provider account, then approval of an exact plan
Record values	Template variables, within the template’s rules	Any records you declare, per customer or tenant
Reach	Nine providers listed live	Two built in
Scope	Applying a template	Connect, plan, approve, apply, receipt, verify, cleanup
License	Public domain spec (CC0 1.0)	MIT license, no per-domain fee

When each fits

Domain Connect fits when

Your setup is a fixed template with a few variables.
Your customers’ DNS providers already support it and have onboarded your template.
You want the DNS provider to own the consent screen.

DomainKit fits when

Record values vary per customer, tenant, or environment.
You want the flow, the consent, and the audit inside your own app.
Your customers are on Cloudflare or Vercel.
You need receipts, verification, and reviewed cleanup after the first click.

Offering both

They don’t conflict. Try the automated path that fits the customer’s DNS provider and keep manual records as the last option. The order is your decision, made in your own UI. DomainKit doesn’t ship a Domain Connect adapter, and it doesn’t publish templates. What DomainKit does and doesn’t do about Domain Connect.

FAQ

Is Domain Connect still active?

Yes. As of 29 September 2026 its Templates repository had a push that day, and new templates were being merged.

Does DomainKit implement Domain Connect?

No. It has no Domain Connect adapter and doesn’t publish templates.

Is DomainKit a replacement for Domain Connect?

No. They use different mechanisms. One relies on DNS providers onboarding your template. The other relies on your customer granting access to their own provider account.

Which is faster to ship?

It depends on your customers’ DNS providers. If they already support Domain Connect and have onboarded your template, the protocol needs no library. If they’re on Cloudflare or Vercel, DomainKit doesn’t wait for an onboarding.

Sources

All accessed 29 September 2026.