ApertoDNS CLI

Dynamic DNS management from your terminal. Manage domains, tokens, API keys, and DNS updates with style.

ApertoDNS is a free Dynamic DNS service that lets you point a subdomain to your dynamic IP address. Perfect for home servers, IoT devices, game servers, NAS systems, and remote access.

Why ApertoDNS?

Feature	ApertoDNS	Dyn (Oracle)	No-IP	DuckDNS
Free plan	Yes	No ($55/yr)	Yes	Yes
Free subdomains	Unlimited	0	1	5
API Keys with scopes	Yes	No	No	No
CLI tool	Yes	No	No	No
Docker images	Yes	No	No	No
IPv6 support	Yes	Paid	Paid	Yes
No forced renewal	Yes	N/A	30 days	Yes
DynDNS2 compatible	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Webhooks	Yes	No	No	No
Team sharing	Yes	No	No	No
Open Source	Yes	No	No	No

Features

• Easy Setup - Login or register directly from CLI
• Multiple Domains - Manage unlimited subdomains
• API Keys - Create and manage API keys with granular scopes
• Auto Updates - Set up cron or daemon mode for automatic IP updates
• Interactive Mode - Beautiful terminal UI with menus
• JSON Output - Machine-readable output for scripting
• IPv4 & IPv6 - Full dual-stack support
• Real-time Stats - View usage statistics and logs
• Router/NAS Compatible - Works with Synology, QNAP, and DynDNS2-compatible routers
• Docker Images - Official apertodns/cli and apertodns/updater images

Requirements

• Node.js 18.0.0 or higher
• An ApertoDNS account (register free)

Installation

# npm
npm install -g apertodns

# yarn
yarn global add apertodns

# pnpm
pnpm add -g apertodns

Or use without installing:

npx apertodns --help

Quick Start

# 1. Setup (login or register)
apertodns --setup

# 2. View your dashboard
apertodns --dashboard

# 3. List your domains
apertodns --domains

# 4. Force DNS update
apertodns --force

Commands

Main Commands

Command	Description
--dashboard	Complete dashboard with all info
--domains	List all your domains
--tokens	List all your tokens
--stats	Statistics and metrics
--logs	Recent activity logs
--my-ip	Show your current public IP

Domain Management

Command	Description
--add-domain <name>	Create a new subdomain
--delete-domain	Delete a domain (interactive)
--test <domain>	Test DNS resolution
update <domain>	Update a specific domain's IP (use with --api-key)

TXT Records (ACME DNS-01)

Command	Description
--txt-set <host> <name> <value>	Set a TXT record
--txt-delete <host> <name>	Delete a TXT record

Perfect for Let's Encrypt DNS-01 challenges:

# Set TXT record for certificate validation
apertodns --txt-set example.apertodns.com _acme-challenge "validation-token"

# Delete TXT record after certificate issuance
apertodns --txt-delete example.apertodns.com _acme-challenge

# Use with API key for automation
apertodns --api-key apertodns_live_xxx... --txt-set example.apertodns.com _acme-challenge "token" --json

Token Management

Command	Description
--enable <id>	Enable a token
--disable <id>	Disable a token
--toggle <id>	Toggle token state
--verify	Verify token validity

API Keys

Command	Description
--api-keys	List all API keys
--create-api-key <name>	Create new API key
--delete-api-key <id>	Delete an API key
--scopes	Show available scopes
--api-key <key>	Use API key for authentication

Configuration

Command	Description
--setup	Guided setup (login/register)
--status	Show current status and IP
--config	Edit configuration
--logout	Remove local configuration
--force	Force DNS update now

Standalone Update (DynDNS2)

Command	Description
--update	Standalone DynDNS2 update (no config required)
--domain <fqdn>	Domain to update (with --update)
--token <token>	Token for authentication (with --update)
--ip <address>	Custom IP address (optional, auto-detected if omitted)

Daemon Mode

Command	Description
--daemon	Start daemon mode (continuous updates)
--interval <sec>	Update interval (default: 300s)

Options

Option	Description
--cron	Silent mode for cron jobs
--quiet	Hide banner
--json	JSON output (machine-readable)
-v, --version	Show version
-h, --help	Show help

Interactive Mode

Run apertodns without arguments for an interactive menu with all options.

apertodns

Authentication Methods

You can authenticate in 3 ways:

1. Interactive Login - Run apertodns --setup (saves JWT to ~/.config/apertodns/)
2. API Key - Use --api-key <key> for single operations
3. Environment Variable - Set APERTODNS_API_KEY

JSON Output

All commands support --json flag for machine-readable output:

# Get domains as JSON
apertodns --domains --json

# Get your IP as JSON
apertodns --my-ip --json

# Combine with API key for scripting
apertodns --api-key apertodns_live_xxx... --domains --json

Daemon Mode

Run continuously to keep your DNS updated:

# Default interval (5 minutes)
apertodns --daemon

# Custom interval (60 seconds)
apertodns --daemon --interval 60

Standalone Update

Update DNS without any saved configuration - perfect for scripts and one-off updates:

# Auto-detect IP and update
apertodns --update --domain myserver.apertodns.com --token YOUR_TOKEN

# Specify custom IP
apertodns --update --domain myserver.apertodns.com --token YOUR_TOKEN --ip 203.0.113.42

Docker

Run without installing Node.js:

# Run CLI via Docker
docker run --rm apertodns/cli --help

# Interactive setup (persisted config)
docker run -it -v apertodns_config:/root/.config/apertodns apertodns/cli --setup

# List domains
docker run -v apertodns_config:/root/.config/apertodns apertodns/cli --domains

# Standalone update (no config needed)
docker run --rm apertodns/cli --update --domain myhost.apertodns.com --token YOUR_TOKEN

For continuous updates, use the dedicated updater image:

docker run -d \
  --name apertodns-updater \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -e TOKEN=your_token \
  -e DOMAINS=myhost.apertodns.com \
  apertodns/updater

See Docker Hub for more options.

Automatic Updates (Cron)

Set up automatic IP updates with cron:

# Update every 5 minutes
*/5 * * * * /usr/local/bin/apertodns --cron >> /var/log/apertodns.log 2>&1

# Or every minute for faster updates
* * * * * /usr/local/bin/apertodns --cron

Find your apertodns path with: which apertodns

Router Integration (DynDNS2)

ApertoDNS is compatible with routers that support DynDNS2 protocol:

Server: api.apertodns.com
Protocol: DynDNS2
Path: /nic/update
Username: your-token
Password: your-token
Hostname: yourdomain.apertodns.com

Compatible Devices

• Routers: ASUS, TP-Link, Netgear, Ubiquiti, pfSense, OPNsense, DD-WRT, OpenWRT
• NAS: Synology DSM, QNAP QTS, TrueNAS
• Other: Any device supporting DynDNS2/DynDNS protocol

Configuration Storage

Configuration is stored in platform-specific locations:

• Linux: ~/.config/apertodns/ or ~/.apertodns/
• macOS: ~/.config/apertodns/
• Windows: %APPDATA%\apertodns\

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Unable to detect IP address"

• Check your internet connection
• Try a different IP detection service: the CLI automatically tries multiple fallbacks
• If behind a corporate proxy, the detected IP may be the proxy's IP

"Authentication failed"

• Run apertodns --logout then apertodns --setup to re-authenticate
• If using API key, verify it has the required scopes
• Check if the token/API key is still active in your dashboard

"DNS not updating"

• Use apertodns --force to force an immediate update
• Check apertodns --status to see current IP vs DNS IP
• DNS propagation can take up to 5 minutes

IPv6 not working

• IPv6 requires your ISP and network to support it
• Use apertodns --my-ip --json to check if IPv6 is detected
• Some networks only provide IPv4

Permission denied on Linux

• If installed globally, you may need sudo: sudo npm install -g apertodns
• Or use a Node version manager (nvm) to avoid permission issues

Daemon mode exits unexpectedly

• Check logs in /var/log/apertodns.log if using cron
• Ensure stable internet connection
• Consider using a process manager like PM2 or systemd

Getting Help

# Show all commands
apertodns --help

# Check current status
apertodns --status

# Verify authentication
apertodns --verify

Security

• Credentials are stored locally, never transmitted except to ApertoDNS servers
• API keys support granular scopes for least-privilege access
• All API communication uses HTTPS
• No cross-account data access - strict user isolation

Examples

# Quick status check
apertodns --status

# Test DNS propagation
apertodns --test myserver.apertodns.com

# Create domain and get token
apertodns --add-domain newserver.apertodns.com

# List domains as JSON
apertodns --domains --json

# Use API key for automation
APERTODNS_API_KEY=apertodns_live_xxx... apertodns --domains --json

Links

• Website: apertodns.com
• Dashboard: apertodns.com/dashboard
• Documentation: apertodns.com/docs
• Issues: GitHub Issues

Support

Need help?

• Open an issue on GitHub
• Email: support@apertodns.com

License

MIT - Aperto Network