Dynamic DNS setup for Google domains

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This article will show you how to use ddlcient to update your dynamic DNS settings in Google domain service

Assume you have your website top domain as : example.com, you want to create a subdomain blog.example.com on your google domain and point to your home host server, google provides a dynamic DNS service that can generate credentials for your domain/sub-domains, ddclient is a tool to use this generated credentials dynamically update your site in case your ISP changed your dynamically assigned IP address

Step 1: Create a dynamic DNS record

Log on to https://domains.google.com/ choose “DNS” on the left menu list, then go to “Dynamic DNS” advanced settings, click “create new record” button, fill the host you want to use, eg: blog.example.com, click “save” , you should have a new record “blog.example.com” in the section right below “Dynamic DNS”, where list all available records you created, there’s a “view credential” button at the end of each record, you’ll need to copy those credential to ddclient configuration file on you home host server

Step 2: Add Google dynamic DNS client configuration to ddclient

Edit your ddclient configuration file example: /etc/ddclient.conf

sudo vi /etc/ddclient.conf

# Add below information for you new subdomain on Google
# database sub domain
protocol=dyndns2
use=web
server=domains.google.com
login=<your username generated by google for your blog.example.com site>
password=<your password generated by google for your blog.example.com site>
blog.example.com


Save and exit

Step 3: Debug and verify your site change

# Run below command on your host server
sudo ddclient -daemon=0 -debug -verbose -noquiet

# Example output:
...
DEBUG:     nic_dyndns2_update -------------------
INFO:     setting IP address to 12.34.56.78 for blog.example.com
UPDATE:   updating blog.example.com
DEBUG:    proxy  = 
DEBUG:    url    = http://domains.google.com/nic/update?system=dyndns&hostname=blog.example.com&myip=12.34.56.78
DEBUG:    server = domains.google.com
CONNECT:  domains.google.com

If no error showed, go to google domain dashboard check if the record has your home server IP address attached

Run below command if there’s cache issue

# Delete cache if change not reflected
sudo rm /var/cache/ddclient/ddclient.cache
sudo systemctl restart ddclient
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