GoDaddy DDNS Updater

Last updated: 19th April, 2018, 7:55 PM

As I’m running this site itself on my 4TB WDMyCloud home NAS, refer to my post WebHosting on WDMyCloud V4 Firmwares, I will need my DNS to be always pointing to it when my public IP changes.

Although my public IP seldom changes, I’ve been using a Python based script with its ‘pygodaddy’ module for a while to auto update my GoDaddy DDNS pointing to my WDMyCloud NAS. The script is supposed to update my current public IP by parsing GoDaddys DNS update form. But on few occasions when there’s the need to update, the script failed to work because obviously GoDaddy had changed something in their front-end. I’ve also used a similar PHP based script but that too failed to work. And worst still, for as long that I know of, GoDaddy hasn’t provide any means of updating the records other than manually from their site itself.

Like many others with paid GoDaddy domain account, I’ve been looking for permanent solution not until recently and long awaited for, GoDaddy has finally implemented some APIs for developments which now provides the ability to update the DNS records via a REST call. You can see more details at their developer’s site, https://developer.godaddy.com.

Disclaimer: As I’m frequently updating the original guides and installers here on TeaNazaR.com, I will not be responsible for any brick issues if you were to follow my obsolete guides copied elsewhere. Thus subscribe to this post to get latest updates. Modifying any part of a device may void its warranty.

With this API, I’ve written another simple shell script to perform the DDNS update which can be scheduled with a 5mins repeating Cron job. It should work on any Linux based systems. Why shell script? It’s simple, low-resource and does the update faster than any similar Python, PHP, Perl, Java JIT compiler I’ve tested on the NAS. On each run, the script will check for public IP changes against the local cache and GoDaddy records itself using cURL and only attempt to update if necessary. Even though GoDaddy did not specify the minimum update interval, updating too frequently could affect DNS propagation which could cause delay of the DNS being updated across the internet.

GoDaddy.sh

First you will need is of course your paid domain name, then a GoDaddy “Production” API key/secret to use with this script. Go to this specific link, log in with your GoDaddy account then generate the API key/secret. Note that the very first time you do this, it will be created as “Test” environment (seen at the time of writing). Go back to the same page again or click on the “Keys” top menu then generate a new “Production” API key/secret instead.

You can place this script anywhere on your server. I’ll explain more for users who’s not familiar with Linux.

Launch the editor i.e. nano /root/scripts/GoDaddy.sh; . Copy & paste the script source from the bottom of this post into the terminal, update the API key/secret , Domain and other desired options, then CTRL+X to save. Test the script if it’s working:

/bin/bash /root/scripts/GoDaddy.sh;

1	/bin/bash /root/scripts/GoDaddy.sh;

Once the script is in place, schedule a Cron job every 5mins, crontab -e; , examples below on a single line:

a. No logging (recommended):

*/5 * * * * /bin/bash /root/scripts/GoDaddy.sh>/dev/null 2>&1

1	/5 * * * /bin/bash /root/scripts/GoDaddy.sh>/dev/null 2>&1

b. With logging for debugging purposes (you will need to do your own log housekeeping, try logrorate?):

*/5 * * * * /bin/bash /root/scripts/GoDaddy.sh>>/var/log/GoDaddy.sh.log

1	/5 * * * /bin/bash /root/scripts/GoDaddy.sh>>/var/log/GoDaddy.sh.log

To update a subdomain (second-level domain i.e. subdomain.domain.com) instead of primary domain (top-level domain i.e. domain.com), set Type=A ~~Type=CNAME~~ (Updated: CNAME by default can’t point to an IP) and Name=subdomain where subdomain is your subdomain.domain.com as seen in the GoDaddy DNS setup page.

I’ve also added optional advanced variables to include any custom scripts, programs or commands to execute when the IP update occurs or failed. This is so that you can place this script on top of your other applications i.e. those which requires public IP update cached in /tmp/current_ip or those which triggers upon IP changes. Read the script’s comments for more details. For instance, you can use Postfix‘s sendmail to trigger an email notification upon IP update or failures by setting the SuccessExec or FailedExec values. Those who’s using my WebHosting on WDMyCloud V4 Firmwares mods, you can configure its ESMTP to get similar results. For an example to get notified upon successful IP update, set the SuccessExec value to:

SuccessExec='echo -e "To:myself@mail.teanazar.com\nFrom:alert@mail.teanazar.com\nSubject:GoDaddy.sh IP Updated\n\nGoDaddy.sh IP Updated ${Domain} ${PublicIP} $(date)\n"|sendmail "myself@mail.teanazar.com"'

1	SuccessExec='echo -e "To:myself@mail.teanazar.com\nFrom:alert@mail.teanazar.com\nSubject:GoDaddy.sh IP Updated\n\nGoDaddy.sh IP Updated ${Domain} ${PublicIP} $(date)\n"\|sendmail "myself@mail.teanazar.com"'

This should be the permanent solution for now until GoDaddy decides to make other changes. Need a Windows based DDNS client updater? Not sure why would anyone leave their PC always awaked, unless it’s a Windows based NAS/server. Perhaps I can help to write a simple Windows executable. But you can always run Cygwin to deploy shell scripts also Ubuntu is already runnable in Windows 10 Insider Preview (at the time of writing). For now, only my NAS running 24/7 needs this. Any questions you can post it here, enjoy (-:

GoDaddy.sh

#!/bin/bash

# GoDaddy.sh v1.3 by Nazar78 @ TeaNazaR.com
###########################################
# Simple DDNS script to update GoDaddy's DNS. Just schedule every 5mins in crontab.
# With options to run scripts/programs/commands on update failure/success.
#
# Requirements:
# - curl CLI - On Debian, apt-get install curl
#
# History:
# v1.0 - 20160513 - 1st release.
# v1.1 - 20170130 - Improved compatibility.
# v1.2 - 20180416 - GoDaddy API changes - thanks Timson from Russia for notifying.
# v1.3 - 20180419 - GoDaddy API changes - thanks Rene from Mexico for notifying.
#
# PS: Feel free to distribute but kindly retain the credits (-:
###########################################

# Begin settings
# Get the Production API key/secret from https://developer.godaddy.com/keys/.
# Ensure it's for "Production" as first time it's created for "Test".
Key=fsvVddxVsfe_frhN1SAgfdgCdAfyVdWDdv
Secret=FwkUfafh8dgrsdydrdfC1e

# Domain to update.
Domain=teanazar.com

# Advanced settings - change only if you know what you're doing :-)
# Record type, as seen in the DNS setup page, default A.
Type=A

# Record name, as seen in the DNS setup page, default @.
Name=@

# Time To Live in seconds, minimum default 600 (10mins).
# If your public IP seldom changes, set it to 3600 (1hr) or more for DNS servers cache performance.
TTL=600

# Writable path to last known Public IP record cached. Best to place in tmpfs.
CachedIP=/tmp/current_ip

# External URL to check for current Public IP, must contain only a single plain text IP.
# Default http://api.ipify.org.
CheckURL=http://api.ipify.org

# Optional scripts/programs/commands to execute on successful update. Leave blank to disable.
# This variable will be evaluated at runtime but will not be parsed for errors nor execution guaranteed.
# Take note of the single quotes. If it's a script, ensure it's executable i.e. chmod 755 ./script.
# Example: SuccessExec='/bin/echo "$(date): My public IP changed to ${PublicIP}!">>/var/log/GoDaddy.sh.log'
SuccessExec=''

# Optional scripts/programs/commands to execute on update failure. Leave blank to disable.
# This variable will be evaluated at runtime but will not be parsed for errors nor execution guaranteed.
# Take note of the single quotes. If it's a script, ensure it's executable i.e. chmod 755 ./script.
# Example: FailedExec='/some/path/something-went-wrong.sh ${Update} && /some/path/email-script.sh ${PublicIP}'
FailedExec=''
# End settings

Curl=$(which curl 2>/dev/null)
[ "${Curl}" = "" ] &&
echo "Error: Unable to find 'curl CLI'." && exit 1
[ -z "${Key}" ] || [ -z "${Secret}" ] &&
echo "Error: Requires API 'Key/Secret' value." && exit 1
[ -z "${Domain}" ] &&
echo "Error: Requires 'Domain' value." && exit 1
[ -z "${Type}" ] && Type=A
[ -z "${Name}" ] && Name=@
[ -z "${TTL}" ] && TTL=600
[ "${TTL}" -lt 600 ] && TTL=600
echo -n>>${CachedIP} 2>/dev/null
[ $? -ne 0 ] && echo "Error: Can't write to ${CachedIP}." && exit 1
[ -z "${CheckURL}" ] && CheckURL=http://api.ipify.org
echo -n "Checking current 'Public IP' from '${CheckURL}'..."
PublicIP=$(${Curl} -kLs ${CheckURL})
if [ $? -eq 0 ] && [[ "${PublicIP}" =~ [0-9]{1,3}\.[0-9]{1,3} ]];then
	echo "${PublicIP}!"
else
	echo "Fail! ${PublicIP}"
	eval ${FailedExec}
	exit 1
fi
if [ "$(cat ${CachedIP} 2>/dev/null)" != "${PublicIP}" ];then
	echo -n "Checking '${Domain}' IP records from 'GoDaddy'..."
	Check=$(${Curl} -kLsH"Authorization: sso-key ${Key}:${Secret}" \
	-H"Content-type: application/json" \
	https://api.godaddy.com/v1/domains/${Domain}/records/${Type}/${Name} \
	2>/dev/null|grep -Eo '\b([0-9]{1,3}\.){3}[0-9]{1,3}\b' 2>/dev/null)
	if [ $? -eq 0 ] && [ "${Check}" = "${PublicIP}" ];then
		echo -n ${Check}>${CachedIP}
		echo -e "unchanged!\nCurrent 'Public IP' matches 'GoDaddy' records. No update required!"
	else
		echo -en "changed!\nUpdating '${Domain}'..."
		Update=$(${Curl} -kLsXPUT -H"Authorization: sso-key ${Key}:${Secret}" \
		-H"Content-type: application/json" -w"%{http_code}" -o/dev/null \
		https://api.godaddy.com/v1/domains/${Domain}/records/${Type}/${Name} \
		-d"[{\"data\":\"${PublicIP}\",\"ttl\":${TTL}}]" 2>/dev/null)
		if [ $? -eq 0 ] && [ "${Update}" -eq 200 ];then
			echo -n ${PublicIP}>${CachedIP}
			echo "Success!"
			eval ${SuccessExec}
		else
			echo "Fail! HTTP_ERROR:${Update}"
			eval ${FailedExec}
			exit 1
		fi	
	fi
else
	echo "Current 'Public IP' matches 'Cached IP' recorded. No update required!"
fi
exit $?

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#!/bin/bash

# GoDaddy.sh v1.3 by Nazar78 @ TeaNazaR.com

###########################################

# Simple DDNS script to update GoDaddy's DNS. Just schedule every 5mins in crontab.

# With options to run scripts/programs/commands on update failure/success.

# Requirements:

# - curl CLI - On Debian, apt-get install curl

# History:

# v1.0 - 20160513 - 1st release.

# v1.1 - 20170130 - Improved compatibility.

# v1.2 - 20180416 - GoDaddy API changes - thanks Timson from Russia for notifying.

# v1.3 - 20180419 - GoDaddy API changes - thanks Rene from Mexico for notifying.

# PS: Feel free to distribute but kindly retain the credits (-:

###########################################

# Begin settings

# Get the Production API key/secret from https://developer.godaddy.com/keys/.

# Ensure it's for "Production" as first time it's created for "Test".

Key=fsvVddxVsfe_frhN1SAgfdgCdAfyVdWDdv

Secret=FwkUfafh8dgrsdydrdfC1e

# Domain to update.

Domain=teanazar.com

# Advanced settings - change only if you know what you're doing :-)

# Record type, as seen in the DNS setup page, default A.

Type=A

# Record name, as seen in the DNS setup page, default @.

Name=@

# Time To Live in seconds, minimum default 600 (10mins).

# If your public IP seldom changes, set it to 3600 (1hr) or more for DNS servers cache performance.

TTL=600

# Writable path to last known Public IP record cached. Best to place in tmpfs.

CachedIP=/tmp/current_ip

# External URL to check for current Public IP, must contain only a single plain text IP.

# Default http://api.ipify.org.

CheckURL=http://api.ipify.org

# Optional scripts/programs/commands to execute on successful update. Leave blank to disable.

# This variable will be evaluated at runtime but will not be parsed for errors nor execution guaranteed.

# Take note of the single quotes. If it's a script, ensure it's executable i.e. chmod 755 ./script.

# Example: SuccessExec='/bin/echo "$(date): My public IP changed to ${PublicIP}!">>/var/log/GoDaddy.sh.log'

SuccessExec=''

# Optional scripts/programs/commands to execute on update failure. Leave blank to disable.

# This variable will be evaluated at runtime but will not be parsed for errors nor execution guaranteed.

# Take note of the single quotes. If it's a script, ensure it's executable i.e. chmod 755 ./script.

# Example: FailedExec='/some/path/something-went-wrong.sh ${Update} && /some/path/email-script.sh ${PublicIP}'

FailedExec=''

# End settings

Curl=$(which curl 2>/dev/null)

[ "${Curl}" = "" ] &&

echo "Error: Unable to find 'curl CLI'." && exit 1

[ -z "${Key}" ] || [ -z "${Secret}" ] &&

echo "Error: Requires API 'Key/Secret' value." && exit 1

[ -z "${Domain}" ] &&

echo "Error: Requires 'Domain' value." && exit 1

[ -z "${Type}" ] && Type=A

[ -z "${Name}" ] && Name=@

[ -z "${TTL}" ] && TTL=600

[ "${TTL}" -lt 600 ] && TTL=600

echo -n>>${CachedIP} 2>/dev/null

[ $? -ne 0 ] && echo "Error: Can't write to ${CachedIP}." && exit 1

[ -z "${CheckURL}" ] && CheckURL=http://api.ipify.org

echo -n "Checking current 'Public IP' from '${CheckURL}'..."

PublicIP=$(${Curl} -kLs ${CheckURL})

if [ $? -eq 0 ] && [[ "${PublicIP}" =~ [0-9]{1,3}\.[0-9]{1,3} ]];then

echo "${PublicIP}!"

else

echo "Fail! ${PublicIP}"

eval ${FailedExec}

exit 1

if [ "$(cat ${CachedIP} 2>/dev/null)" != "${PublicIP}" ];then

echo -n "Checking '${Domain}' IP records from 'GoDaddy'..."

Check=$(${Curl} -kLsH"Authorization: sso-key ${Key}:${Secret}" \

-H"Content-type: application/json" \

https://api.godaddy.com/v1/domains/${Domain}/records/${Type}/${Name} \

2>/dev/null|grep -Eo '\b([0-9]{1,3}\.){3}[0-9]{1,3}\b' 2>/dev/null)

if [ $? -eq 0 ] && [ "${Check}" = "${PublicIP}" ];then

echo -n ${Check}>${CachedIP}

echo -e "unchanged!\nCurrent 'Public IP' matches 'GoDaddy' records. No update required!"

else

echo -en "changed!\nUpdating '${Domain}'..."

Update=$(${Curl} -kLsXPUT -H"Authorization: sso-key ${Key}:${Secret}" \

-H"Content-type: application/json" -w"%{http_code}" -o/dev/null \

https://api.godaddy.com/v1/domains/${Domain}/records/${Type}/${Name} \

-d"[{\"data\":\"${PublicIP}\",\"ttl\":${TTL}}]" 2>/dev/null)

if [ $? -eq 0 ] && [ "${Update}" -eq 200 ];then

echo -n ${PublicIP}>${CachedIP}

echo "Success!"

eval ${SuccessExec}

else

echo "Fail! HTTP_ERROR:${Update}"

eval ${FailedExec}

exit 1

else

echo "Current 'Public IP' matches 'Cached IP' recorded. No update required!"

exit $?

201 thoughts on “GoDaddy DDNS Updater”

Tri says:

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam [VN] June 4, 2024 at 3:58 pm

Hello, can you check the scrip againt ?
I got error HTTP_ERROR:403
I am sure that I put in correct information 100%

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1. Nazar says:
  
  Singapore [SG] June 6, 2024 at 9:05 pm
  
  Unfortunately GoDaddy has gotten greedy and changed their API for the worst possible outcome:
  
  We have recently updated the account requirements to access parts of our production Domains API. As part of this update, access to these APIs are now limited:
  
  – Availability API: Limited to accounts with 50 or more domains
  – Management and DNS APIs: Limited to accounts with 10 or more domains and/or an active Discount Domain Club plan.
  
  I advise those using it to move your business elsewhere or at least move to another DNS provider.
  
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