Reference zones

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:::note A wildcard record (*.example.local) in the matching internal zone will take precedence over an exact match in a reference zone. :::

Configuration conditions

• Each internal zone can only reference one other zone.
• The same zone can be referenced by multiple internal zones.
• Public zones cannot be used as reference zones.
• Reference zones do not have to be linked to the same DNS view as the zone referencing them. They may also not be linked to any view at all.

Set up

1. In the Cloudflare dashboard, go to the Internal DNS page.

2. Select a zone.

3. Within the selected zone, go to Reference zone.

4. Select Add reference zone. If your zone already has a reference zone set up, you must first remove it. As explained in the configuration conditions, each internal zone can only reference one other zone at a time.

5. Find the zone you want to use as reference and choose Select in the respective row.

Use the Update DNS settings endpoint. In --json, specify the internal_dns object with the parameter reference_zone_id.

:::note If your API token is scoped to specific zones, make sure it includes both the zone you are updating and the zone you are referencing. :::

A third zone (C) could also point to zone B as a reference, but zone A cannot add another zone as a reference while also having zone B configured as its reference zone.

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