AI ERP with agents inside the systems you run
AI phone and voice agents for real calls
LLM.coPrivate, self-hosted LLM deployments
Legal AI infrastructure for firms
AI RFP discovery and response drafting
Automatic.coBusiness process automation
CyberAttack.aiThreat detection and defense
Secure AI virtual data roomscloudflare-ddns
A lightweight Rust-based dynamic DNS client for Cloudflare that automatically updates DNS records when your public IP changes. Designed for self-hosted setups, it runs in ~1.1 MB Docker containers with minimal memory overhead and supports IPv4/IPv6, multiple domains, notifications, and WAF list management.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | timothymiller/cloudflare-ddns |
| Owner | timothymiller |
| Primary language | Rust |
| License | GPL-3.0 — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 4.2k |
| Forks | 418 |
| Open issues | 10 |
| Latest release | v2.1.2 (2026-04-30) |
| Last updated | 2026-07-03 |
| Source | https://github.com/timothymiller/cloudflare-ddns |
What cloudflare-ddns is
Static Rust binary compiled to scratch Docker images with zero runtime dependencies. Provides flexible IP detection (Cloudflare Trace, DNS-over-HTTPS, ipify, local interfaces, custom URLs), cron-based scheduling, Shoutrrr notification integration, and Cloudflare API automation for DNS, WAF lists, and health monitoring endpoints.
Get the cloudflare-ddns source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/timothymiller/cloudflare-ddns.gitcd cloudflare-ddns# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- Requires Cloudflare API token with 'Edit DNS' capability—generate via Cloudflare Profile dashboard and store securely (Docker secrets or mounted files recommended).
- IPv6 detection requires `--network host` in Docker due to kernel networking constraints; IPv4-only deployments can use bridge networking.
- By default rejects detected IPs within Cloudflare's published IP ranges to prevent misconfiguration; disable only if you understand the implications.
- Update frequency configurable via cron expressions (@every 5m default); shorter intervals increase API calls and rate-limit risk; monitor Cloudflare API quota.
- Supports graceful shutdown with optional DNS record cleanup (DELETE_ON_STOP) and automatic cleanup on IP detection failure (DELETE_ON_FAILURE=true default).
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- Non-Cloudflare DNS provider — This tool is tightly coupled to Cloudflare's API. If your domains are hosted elsewhere (Route53, Azure DNS, Namecheap, etc.), you need a different DDNS client.
- Strict GPLv3 incompatibility requirements — GPLv3 license requires derivative works and distributions to be open-source. If your deployment model or proprietary integration violates GPL terms, this tool is unsuitable without separate licensing review.
- Need for commercial support SLA — Community-maintained project with no official commercial support, guaranteed response times, or vendor accountability. Critical production environments requiring guaranteed uptime support should evaluate commercial alternatives.
- Complex conditional IP detection logic — IP detection is deterministic and rule-based (single provider per IP version). If you need complex failover chains, weighted provider selection, or stateful IP history tracking, this may be insufficient.
License & commercial use
GPLv3 (GNU General Public License v3.0). Copyleft license requiring source code disclosure, attribution, and derivative works to remain open-source under identical terms.
GPLv3 is a strong copyleft license. Commercial use is permitted for internal operations (e.g., running in your own infrastructure), but distribution of modified versions or integration into closed-source products requires either open-sourcing those modifications or obtaining separate commercial licensing. Requires review if you plan to redistribute, integrate into proprietary software, or modify and sell derived works.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active |
| Documentation | Strong |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | Low |
| DEV.co fit | Strong |
| Assessment confidence | High |
API tokens must be treated as secrets—use Docker secrets or mounted files (CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN_FILE) rather than plaintext env vars. Default IP provider (Cloudflare Trace) is zero-log and avoids third-party IP tracking. Automatic rejection of Cloudflare anycast IPs prevents DNS poisoning from IP detection failures. No hardened runtime or network policy enforced by the tool itself; security relies on container orchestration and API token isolation. No CVE history or security audit data provided.
Alternatives to consider
ddclient
Perl-based DDNS client with broader DNS provider support (Route53, Azure, GoDaddy, DynDNS, etc.). Larger footprint (~5-10 MB) and higher resource usage; language choice (Perl) less favorable for minimal containers. Older, less actively maintained than cloudflare-ddns.
go-ddns (or other Go-based alternatives)
Go binaries are ~10-20 MB vs. 1.1 MB for Rust. Easier to find hosted versions. Cloudflare support varies by project. cloudflare-ddns is explicitly smaller and more memory-efficient than Go alternatives per README.
Cloudflare Workers + scheduled automation
Serverless alternative using Cloudflare's own platform for IP detection and DNS updates. Requires Cloudflare Workers subscription and JavaScript/TypeScript familiarity. No self-hosted infrastructure or Docker needed, but less transparent, harder to customize, and vendor lock-in to Cloudflare.
Build on cloudflare-ddns with DEV.co software developers
Deploy cloudflare-ddns in minutes with Docker. Requires a Cloudflare account, API token, and domains hosted on Cloudflare. Confirm GPLv3 license compatibility for your use case before production rollout.
Talk to DEV.coRelated open-source tools
Surfaced by semantic similarity across the DEV.co open-source index.
Related on DEV.co
Explore the category and the services that help you build with it.
cloudflare-ddns FAQ
Can I use this with non-Cloudflare DNS providers?
What API permissions do I need?
Why does IPv6 detection require --network host?
Is GPLv3 a problem for my use case?
Senior engineers for your next build
Our engineers ship open-source devops software for a living. DEV.co provides software development services, web development services, and ongoing support for teams standardizing on tools like cloudflare-ddns.
Ready to automate your home network DNS?
Deploy cloudflare-ddns in minutes with Docker. Requires a Cloudflare account, API token, and domains hosted on Cloudflare. Confirm GPLv3 license compatibility for your use case before production rollout.