Plesk Route 53 Extension - Choice.hosting White-Label DNS Edition

A specialized version of the Plesk Route 53 extension, optimized for white-label DNS hosting businesses. This edition automatically applies consistent AWS tags for improved cost tracking, zone segmentation, and business operations.

🎯 Purpose

Transform your Plesk server into a professional white-label DNS hosting platform using AWS Route 53 infrastructure with:

• Branded nameservers (e.g., ns1.your-brand.com)
• Automatic zone tagging for cost allocation and management
• Restricted IAM permissions focused on DNS hosting (no domain registration)
• Customer zone segmentation between hosting business and infrastructure

⚡ Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Plesk Onyx or later
• AWS Account with Route 53 access
• Pre-configured reusable delegation set
• White-label nameserver A records pointing to AWS nameservers

Installation

# Backup existing extension
cp -r /usr/local/psa/admin/plib/modules/route53 /usr/local/psa/admin/plib/modules/route53.backup

# Deploy this version
cp -r src/* /usr/local/psa/admin/plib/modules/route53/

# Restart Plesk
systemctl restart sw-cp-server

Configuration

1. Navigate to Extensions > Amazon Route 53
2. Enter your AWS credentials for the restricted choice.hosting-aws-r53 IAM user
3. Set your Default Delegation Set ID (e.g., N3HW3H0W0HBZH6)
4. Uncheck "Manage NS and SOA records" (preserves white-label setup)
5. Check "Auto-apply hosting tags" (enables automatic tagging)
6. Check "Turn on Amazon Web Service Route 53"

🏷️ Automatic Tagging

Every hosted zone created through Plesk automatically receives these tags:

Tag Key	Tag Value	Purpose
Environment	hosting	Separate hosting business from infrastructure
ManagedBy	plesk	Identify Plesk-managed zones
Type	customer	Categorize as customer zone
Customer	domain.com	Customer identification for billing/support

🔐 AWS IAM Policy

This extension requires a restricted IAM policy that excludes Route53Domains permissions:

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Sid": "Route53FullAccess",
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "route53:CreateHostedZone",
        "route53:DeleteHostedZone", 
        "route53:GetHostedZone",
        "route53:ListHostedZones",
        "route53:ListHostedZonesByName",
        "route53:ChangeResourceRecordSets",
        "route53:ListResourceRecordSets",
        "route53:GetChange",
        "route53:ChangeTagsForResource",
        "route53:ListTagsForResource",
        "route53:GetReusableDelegationSet",
        "route53:ListReusableDelegationSets",
        "route53:GetReusableDelegationSetLimit"
      ],
      "Resource": "*"
    }
  ]
}

Note: Route53Domains permissions are intentionally excluded since nameservers are managed manually for white-label setups.

🔍 Key Differences from Official Extension

Feature	Official Extension	Choice.hosting Edition
Tagging	Manual only	✅ Automatic hosting tags
IAM Policy	Includes Route53Domains	❌ DNS hosting only
Zone Segmentation	None	✅ Business vs infrastructure
Cost Tracking	Manual setup	✅ Built-in tag structure
White-label Focus	Generic DNS	✅ Hosting provider optimized

📈 Benefits

Cost Allocation

• Track Route 53 costs by hosting business vs personal domains
• Generate AWS billing reports filtered by Environment=hosting tag
• Per-customer cost tracking using domain-based tags

Zone Management

• Quickly identify Plesk-managed zones vs manual zones
• Filter by customer for support operations
• Automated zone categorization for hosting business

Business Operations

• Consistent delegation set usage for branded nameservers
• No accidental domain registration charges
• Customer-specific automation capabilities

🛠️ White-Label Setup Example

For a hosting business branded as "choice.hosting":

1. AWS Delegation Set

Delegation Set ID: N3HW3H0W0HBZH6
Nameservers:
  ns-1155.awsdns-16.org
  ns-339.awsdns-42.com
  ns-1912.awsdns-47.co.uk
  ns-1003.awsdns-61.net

2. White-label A Records

ns1.choice.hosting  A  205.251.196.131  ; → ns-1155.awsdns-16.org
ns2.choice.hosting  A  205.251.193.83   ; → ns-339.awsdns-42.com
ns3.choice.hosting  A  205.251.199.120  ; → ns-1912.awsdns-47.co.uk
ns4.choice.hosting  A  205.251.195.235  ; → ns-1003.awsdns-61.net

3. Customer Domain Setup

Customer points their domain at registrar to:

ns1.choice.hosting
ns2.choice.hosting
ns3.choice.hosting
ns4.choice.hosting

🔧 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Tags not applied?

• Check if "Auto-apply hosting tags" is enabled
• Verify IAM user has route53:ChangeTagsForResource permission
• Check Plesk logs for tagging errors

Permission denied errors?

• Confirm IAM policy excludes route53domains:* (this is intentional)
• Verify all required Route 53 DNS permissions are present

Zones in wrong delegation set?

• Ensure Default Delegation Set ID is configured correctly
• Check delegation set has available capacity (100 zone limit)

📚 Documentation

• Complete Setup Guide: Detailed installation and configuration
• AWS White-Label DNS Guide: Official AWS documentation
• Plesk DNS Documentation: Plesk DNS management

🤝 Contributing

This is a specialized fork for white-label DNS hosting providers. For general Plesk Route 53 issues, please refer to the official Plesk repository.

For white-label DNS hosting specific issues:

1. Check existing issues and documentation
2. Provide AWS IAM policy, delegation set configuration, and Plesk version
3. Include relevant log excerpts from Plesk

📄 License

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. See LICENSE file for details.

🏢 About

Developed for hosting providers who need professional white-label DNS hosting with automated zone management, cost tracking, and customer segmentation capabilities using AWS Route 53 infrastructure.