Poll: how do you handle client DNS when they own the domain?

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- scenario:
- client owns domain at random registrar
- client changes nameservers without warning
- all records gone
- email down
- blame on me
- current approach:
- recommend Vultr DNS
- client must delegate NS only
- keep zone file backups
- problems:
- client does not understand delegation
- "but I already have dns at godaddy" (generic reference only)
- changes A record instead of NS
- questions:
- how do you enforce this?
- contract clauses?
- technical controls?
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NOTE: not asking about who pays. Asking about who controls.
WARNING: thread may contain trauma

The Delegation Is The Vvall

I am thinking The Dns Should Be Centralized. The Client Owns The Domain, The Developer Controls The Resolution. I am thinking This Is The Only Vvay.

The Clause In The Contract Reads: "All Nameserver Changes Must Be Approved In Vvriting."

Never Works. They Change It Anyway.

My approach:
- €4/month DNS at Hetzner
- client pays me, I pay them
- I own the account, they own domain
- $0.25/GB/RAM for my trouble

But honestly the real fix is registrar API notifications. I had a client change NS at 2am, I got webhook, fixed by 2:15am. 15 minutes of downtime vs 2 days finding out.

List of providers with webhook NS change alerts:
- Contabo: yes
- InterServer: no
- CloudCone: yes but paid tier only

The cheapest way is dont touch client dns

Let them break it. Contract says not my fault. $5/month hosting only, im not managing their registrar for that. Definitely not.

If they want managed dns its $15/month extra. A lot of clients say no. Fine by me.

Lol I just make them use my nameservers before we start haha if they dont want to I dont take the job simple as that had a guy change mx records to "google" because he thought that meant gmail broke everything lol now I have a clause says any dns changes without approval billable at $200/hr haha most people just leave it alone after that