How to Install PowerDNS on Ubuntu Linux

Why use PowerDNS?

PowerDNS gives administrators complete control over DNS infrastructure. This system offers a scalable solution for managing thousands of records, complete with a modern web interface. Finishing these steps leaves behind a professional DNS management system accessible right from a browser.

Follow the sections in order. Each one depends on the one before it, so the database must exist before PowerDNS can connect to it, and PowerDNS must be configured before the web interface can talk to it.

Install the MariaDB database server

MariaDB (a relational database management system) stores your DNS records and must be set up before you install PowerDNS Ubuntu. Install it 💿 first, then create a database and a user account for PowerDNS.

1. Open a terminal on your server.
2. Run sudo apt install mariadb-server to get the database software. Wait for the installation to finish and for the prompt to return.
3. Run the command below to open the database prompt. Use sudo mysql as written, because the root database account on Ubuntu is tied to your system root access. You should now see a MariaDB prompt instead of your normal shell prompt.

sudo mysql

At the MariaDB prompt, run these commands in order to create the database and user. They create the database, create the user and set its password, give that user rights on the database, and then leave the prompt. Pick a strong password and write it down, because you need the same one later in the PowerDNS configuration file.

CREATE DATABASE pdns;
CREATE USER 'pdnsadmin'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_secure_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON pdns.* TO 'pdnsadmin'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

If a command returns an error, fix it before moving on. A mistyped database name or password here causes confusing connection errors later.

Install PowerDNS

PowerDNS handles all incoming DNS requests for your domains once you install PowerDNS Ubuntu on your server. Update your system package list and run the apt install command to download the main server software. After the download finishes, you must also update your system DNS resolver settings to point to a reliable public server.

1. Run the three commands below in order. They refresh the package list and install the PowerDNS server with its database support.

sudo resolvectl dns eth0 8.8.8.8
sudo sed -i 's/#DNS=/DNS=8.8.8.8/' /etc/systemd/resolved.conf
sudo systemctl restart systemd-resolved

Configuring the system resolver starts the installation. This step ensures Ubuntu correctly identifies and uses PowerDNS for domain name resolution, preventing connectivity issues.

2. Run the two commands below to adjust the resolver settings. Your server should still be able to look up outside names afterwards, which is why the resolver points to a reliable public server.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install pdns-server pdns-backend-mysql

If PowerDNS later refuses to start, check whether another service is already using port 53. That is the first thing to look for.

3. Import the database structure with the command below. This creates the tables PowerDNS needs inside the database you made earlier. It should finish without printing an error.

sudo mysql -u pdnsadmin -p pdns < /usr/share/doc/pdns-backend-mysql/schema.mysql.sql

Configure PowerDNS

The PowerDNS configuration file requires database details for connection. Adding database credentials within this file ensures PowerDNS accesses its data storage properly.

1. Open the configuration file for editing with the command below.
2. Add the database settings from the next block. Use the same database name, user name and password you created in the MariaDB section.
3. Save the file and close the editor.

sudo nano /etc/powerdns/pdns.d/pdns.local.gmysql.conf

launch+=gmysql
gmysql-host=127.0.0.1
gmysql-user=pdnsadmin
gmysql-password=your_secure_password
gmysql-dbname=pdns

Because the file now holds a password, keep it readable only by administrators. If you change it later, restart PowerDNS so the change takes effect.

Install the PowerDNS Admin web application

PowerDNS Admin gives you a web dashboard to manage your DNS settings without using the command line. To install PowerDNS Admin Ubuntu, you first need to install Python tools and the Nginx web server using your terminal. Next, create a dedicated folder for the application and set up a Python virtual environment. A virtual environment keeps the application's Python packages separate from the rest of the system, so they cannot clash with other software.

1. Run the command below to install the Python tools and Nginx.

sudo apt install python3-venv python3-pip gunicorn nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx

2. Set up the application folder and virtual environment with the commands below. Run them in order, and do not skip any.

sudo git clone https://github.com/ngoduykhanh/PowerDNS-Admin.git /var/www/html/pdns
cd /var/www/html/pdns
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run database migrations to prepare the app. Migrations create the tables the dashboard needs for its own data.

export FLASK_APP=powerdnsadmin/__init__.py
flask db upgrade

Configure PowerDNS and Nginx

PowerDNS Admin talks to PowerDNS through its API, so the API must be switched on. This is also where the API key comes from. You will need that key at the end of the setup.

1. Open the PowerDNS configuration file, /etc/powerdns/pdns.conf, in your editor.
2. Enable the API by adding the lines below. Pick a long, random API key and keep a copy of it.
3. Save the file.
4. Restart PowerDNS so it reads the new settings: sudo systemctl restart pdns

api=yes
api-key=generate_a_very_long_random_string_here

5. Configure Nginx to serve the site and secure it with HTTPS using the command below. HTTPS matters here because you log in to the dashboard and handle your API key through it.

sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com

Your domain name must already point to this server for the HTTPS step to work. If the certificate request fails, check your domain's DNS record first.

Start the Service

Systemd (a system and service manager) runs the PowerDNS Admin application smoothly in the background as a permanent service. You need to reload the system service manager and enable the application to start automatically when your server boots up. Run the systemctl commands in your terminal to get the web interface up and running.

1. Run the two commands below in order.
2. Check that the service is running. If it is, the logs should show the application's worker processes starting. If it is not, read the service logs for the error, which is usually a wrong path or a missing Python package.

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now pdnsadmin

With everything running, finish the setup in your browser.

1. Open a browser and go to your domain name. You should see the PowerDNS Admin login page over HTTPS.
2. Log in.
3. Enter the API key you generated earlier to finish the setup. It must match the key you added to the PowerDNS configuration file exactly.

If the dashboard loads but cannot reach PowerDNS, the usual causes are a wrong API key or PowerDNS not having been restarted after you enabled the API.