Connect AWS Route 53

This guide walks you through connecting your AWS Route 53 account to Domain Pilot so you can manage all your Route 53 domains from a single dashboard.

You'll create a dedicated IAM user for Domain Pilot and give Domain Pilot that user's Access Key ID and Secret Access Key.

Step 1: Open IAM Users

1. Log in to the AWS Console and open IAM

2. In the left sidebar, click IAM users

   

Step 2: Create an IAM User

1. Click Create user

2. Enter a user name, such as "DomainPilot". Leave Provide user access to the AWS Management Console unticked, then click Next

   

3. Under Permissions options, select Attach policies directly

4. Search for route and tick these two AWS managed policies, then click Next:

   • AmazonRoute53DomainsFullAccess: lets Domain Pilot read your registered domains
   • AmazonRoute53FullAccess: lets Domain Pilot read and manage your hosted zones and DNS records
   

5. Review the details and click Create user

Step 3: Create an Access Key

1. In the IAM users list, click the user you just created

   

2. Open the Security credentials tab

   

3. Under Access keys, click Create access key

   

4. Select Third-party service as the use case, tick the confirmation box, and click Next

   

5. Optionally add a description tag, such as "DomainPilotKeys", then click Create access key

   

Step 4: Copy Your Access Keys

On the Retrieve access keys page, copy both values:

• Access key: this is your Access Key ID
• Secret access key: click Show to reveal it, or use the copy icon

Important: AWS only shows the secret access key once. Copy it, or click Download .csv file, before clicking Done.

Step 5: Connect in Domain Pilot

1. Log in to Domain Pilot
2. Click Registrars in the sidebar, then click Add Registrar
3. Select AWS Route 53
4. Paste your access key into AWS Access Key ID
5. Paste your secret access key into AWS Secret Access Key
6. AWS Region is optional. You can leave it empty
7. Click Test Connection

Verifying the Connection

Domain Pilot imports your domains as soon as the connection test succeeds and shows how many it found. Click View My Domains to see them on the Domains page.

Troubleshooting

"Invalid Credentials" Error

• Ensure you're using the matching Access Key ID and Secret Access Key pair
• Verify the IAM user still exists and the access key is Active
• If you lost the secret access key, create a new access key for the user and deactivate the old one

"Access Denied" Error

• Check that both AmazonRoute53DomainsFullAccess and AmazonRoute53FullAccess are attached to the user under the Permissions tab
• If your account is part of an AWS Organization, check that no Service Control Policy (SCP) blocks Route 53

Only Hosted Zones or Only Registered Domains Appearing

• Registered domains and hosted zones are separate services in AWS
• AmazonRoute53DomainsFullAccess covers registered domains, and AmazonRoute53FullAccess covers hosted zones and DNS. The user needs both