Skip to main content

Ddnames - Dynamic Domain Name System for IoT

ddnames.com is an API-first Dynamic Domain Name System (DDNS) architecture engineered to keep DNS records continuously synchronized with dynamic IP addresses assigned to IoT devices, edge nodes, and self-hosted server environments.

Engineering Background and Motivation​

I developed ddnames backend to solve a fundamental problem in edge computing: residential ISP dynamic IP allocation breaking inbound traffic routing to IoT hardware and personal infrastructure.

Big-tech proprietary DDNS services often require bloated desktop applications, intrusive telemetry, or restrictive commercial paywalls. In collaboration with cofounder Evgeniy Teneta (who originated the concept of an open dynamic DNS tailored for IoT hardware), I engineered ddnames backend as a lean, API-driven solution centered around standard JSON HTTP endpoints and backend PowerDNS integration.

System Architecture and Data Flow​

The core architecture operates as an intermediary service between localized client daemons and authoritative nameservers.

+------------------+     (DHCP)     +-------------------+
|  IoT Edge Device | -------------> | Residential Router|
+------------------+                +-------------------+
         |                                    |
  (Cron/Python Agent)                   (Dynamic Public IP)
         |                                    |
         +-----------------+------------------+
                           |
                           v
           +-------------------------------+
           |   ddnames REST API Gateway    |
           |    (JWT Auth & Rate Limit)    |
           +-------------------------------+
                           |
                           v
           +-------------------------------+
           |    PowerDNS Backend Engine    |
           | (Authoritative Record Sync)   |
           +-------------------------------+
                           |
                           v
           +-------------------------------+
           | Internet Users / Clients      |
           +-------------------------------+

Infrastructure Workflow​

  1. IP Detection: The client daemon running on an IoT device polls a lightweight public IP reflector (such as http://fra.rastem.com.ua/ip.php).
  2. REST Update Dispatch: If the external IP shifts, the daemon dispatches an authenticated JSON payload to the /update endpoint.
  3. PowerDNS Binding: The backend validates the JWT bearer token and API key, then updates the DNS A-records across designated authoritative nameservers (fra.rastem.com.ua and tor.rastem.com.ua).

REST API Specification and Authentication​

The ddnames backend uses JWT Bearer authentication paired with user-specific API keys to govern record modifications and enforce rate limits.

1. User Registration and JWT Auth Flow​

To register an account, a client posts JSON credentials to the registration route:

curl -X POST http://136.244.82.142:8000/register \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"email": "engineer@example.com", "password": "secure_password"}'

Upon successful registration, the API issues a persistent apikey. Subsequent logins return a short-lived JSON Web Token (JWT):

{
  "access_token": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...",
  "token_type": "bearer"
}

2. Domain Binding and Dynamic IP Synchronization​

Once nameservers (fra.rastem.com.ua, tor.rastem.com.ua) are configured at the domain registrar, the user binds a domain via /add:

POST http://136.244.82.142:8000/add
Authorization: Bearer <access_token>

{
  "email": "engineer@example.com",
  "apikey": "your_api_key",
  "domain": "device.example.com",
  "ipaddress": "198.51.100.42"
}

Periodic updates are pushed via /update:

POST http://136.244.82.142:8000/update
Authorization: Bearer <access_token>

{
  "email": "engineer@example.com",
  "apikey": "your_api_key",
  "domain": "device.example.com",
  "ipaddress": "198.51.100.88"
}

3. Account Inspection and Health Monitoring​

Users can audit account request quotas, active domain maps, and last-updated timestamps by querying /check:

GET http://136.244.82.142:8000/check
Authorization: Bearer <access_token>
{
  "status": "200 OK. Domains Checked",
  "email": "engineer@example.com",
  "apikey": "Yr15oqCRaDN",
  "account_type": "Trial",
  "domains_added": 1,
  "domains_names_limit": 3,
  "requests_made": 8,
  "requests_left": 2092,
  "requests_limit": 2100,
  "domains_remain": [
    {
      "domain": "device.example.com",
      "ipaddress": "198.51.100.88",
      "requests_made": 1,
      "updated_at": "2025-01-19"
    }
  ]
}

Client-Side Daemon Implementation​

I designed lightweight Python client scripts that can run as cron jobs or systemd services on Linux devices (e.g., Raspberry Pi, OpenWrt routers).

import requests
from requests import get

def sync_dynamic_ip():
    # 1. Fetch current public IPv4 address
    current_ip = get('http://fra.rastem.com.ua/ip.php').text.strip()

    # 2. Configuration parameters
    token = "your_bearer_token"
    email = "engineer@example.com"
    apikey = "your_api_key"
    domain = "device.example.com"

    payload = {
        "email": email,
        "apikey": apikey,
        "domain": domain,
        "ipaddress": current_ip
    }

    headers = {
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {token}",
        "Content-Type": "application/json"
    }

    # 3. Push update payload to ddnames API
    response = requests.post(
        'http://136.244.82.142:8000/update',
        json=payload,
        headers=headers
    )

    print(f"Status: {response.status_code}, Response: {response.text}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    sync_dynamic_ip()

Team and References​

ddnames was conceived and built by a dedicated team:

Last updated on