Dynamic DNS (DDNS) Documentation

UpdatedIP provides a fast and reliable Dynamic DNS (DDNS) service that automatically keeps your hostname updated with your current public IP address. This ensures your device remains reachable even when your ISP changes your IP.

1. Create a New Hostname

  1. Log in to your account on the UpdatedIP Dashboard.
  2. Click Create Hostname.
  3. Enter your desired hostname without updatedip.com.
    Example: myserver
  4. Enter your current IPv4 address.
  5. Click Create Hostname.

✅ Your hostname is now created and ready for automatic updates.

2. Update Hostname via API

Whenever your public IP address changes (for example, after a router reconnect), your client or router should call the UpdatedIP API to update your hostname.

API Endpoint

GET https://updatedip.com/nic/update

Query Parameters

Parameter Required Description
hostname Required Full hostname (e.g. myserver.updatedip.com)
myip Required New IPv4 address to assign

Authentication

This API uses HTTP Basic Authentication. Most routers and clients like ddclient handle this automatically when you provide your username and password in their settings.

Response Codes

The API returns a plain-text response following the DynDNS2 standard:

Response Meaning
good <ip> Hostname updated successfully to the new IP address.
nochg <ip> IP address is already up to date — no change needed.
nohost Hostname not found or does not belong to your account.
notfqdn Missing or invalid hostname parameter.
badauth Invalid username or password.
dnserror DNS update failed due to a server error. Try again later.

Example Success Response

good 123.123.123.123

3. Updating Using curl

You can manually update your hostname using the following curl command: 

curl -X GET "https://updatedip.com/nic/update?hostname=myserver.updatedip.com&myip=123.123.123.123" -u <username>:<password>

If successful, your hostname will immediately point to the provided IP address.

4. Updating Using ddclient

ddclient is a popular Linux background service for updating Dynamic DNS entries. It is highly recommended for servers or Linux desktops.

Configuration

Edit your /etc/ddclient.conf file and add the following configuration:

# Use web-based IP detection
use=web, web=checkip.updatedip.com

# Protocol and Server details
protocol=dyndns2
server=updatedip.com
ssl=yes

# Credentials
login=YOUR_USERNAME
password='YOUR_PASSWORD'

# The hostname you want to update
myserver.updatedip.com

Note: Ensure you have the libio-socket-ssl-perl package installed on your system to enable the ssl=yes feature.

Restart the service to apply changes:

sudo systemctl restart ddclient

5. Updating via Router Configuration

Many routers support Dynamic DNS (DDNS) natively. UpdatedIP is compatible with routers that support custom update URLs.

5.1 FRITZ!Box Configuration

  1. Open the FRITZ!Box web interface.
  2. Go to Internet → Permit Access.
  3. Open the DynDNS tab and enable it.
  4. Enter the following update URL:
https://updatedip.com/nic/update?hostname=<hostname>&myip=<ipaddr>
  1. Enter your hostname (e.g. myserver.updatedip.com).
  2. Enter your UpdatedIP username.
  3. Enter your UpdatedIP password.
  4. Click Save.

✅ From now on, whenever your router receives a new public IP address, it will automatically update your hostname.

6. Troubleshooting

I'm getting badauth — what's wrong?

Double-check your username and password. Make sure you're using your UpdatedIP account credentials, not your email provider's.

If you recently changed your password, update it in your client or router settings as well.

I'm getting nohost — the hostname exists though

Make sure you're passing the full hostname including the domain, e.g. myserver.updatedip.com — not just myserver.

Also verify the hostname belongs to the account you're authenticating with.

My hostname updated but I still can't connect

DNS changes can take a few minutes to propagate. Try flushing your local DNS cache:

nslookup myserver.updatedip.com

If the IP shown doesn't match, wait a few minutes and try again. Also check that your firewall or router isn't blocking incoming connections on the required port.

ddclient isn't updating my IP automatically

Check the ddclient logs for errors:

sudo journalctl -u ddclient --no-pager -n 20

Common issues:

  • Missing libio-socket-ssl-perl package (required for SSL)
  • Incorrect credentials in /etc/ddclient.conf
  • Service not running — restart with sudo systemctl restart ddclient
I'm getting dnserror

This is a temporary server-side issue. Wait a few minutes and try your update again. If the problem persists, contact support.

7. You're All Set

Your hostname will now always point to your device — even when your IP address changes. UpdatedIP keeps your DNS records synchronized so your services remain accessible at all times.