DNS多A记录配置及按国家分流用户的技术咨询

Hey David, totally get the frustration here—dealing with regional IP blocks is never fun, especially when it impacts your user base. Let’s break down your questions clearly, since you mentioned you’re new to DNS mechanics.

先回答你的第一个问题：能不能直接添加额外A记录？ #

Short answer: No, adding a basic extra A record won’t solve your problem.

Here’s why: When you have multiple A records for the same domain, standard DNS uses a round-robin approach—it cycles through the IPs for each query. This means Russian users might still get directed to your blocked Amazon EC2 IP half the time, which doesn’t fix the access issue. Round-robin is for load balancing, not regional routing.

正确的解决方案：地理DNS（GeoDNS）分流 #

To route Russian users to your new server (German or Russian local) and everyone else to Amazon, you need GeoDNS—a DNS service that returns different IP addresses based on the user’s geographic location. Here are the most practical options for a small startup:

1. Use a managed DNS provider with GeoDNS support #

Most major DNS services offer built-in geographic routing, and they’re easy to set up even if you don’t know deep DNS details:

• Amazon Route 53: Since you’re already using AWS, this is a natural fit. You can create a Geolocation Routing Policy:
  • Create one record set pointing to your Amazon EC2 IP, set the geographic scope to "All regions except Russia".
  • Create another record set pointing to your new server’s IP, set the scope to "Russia".
• Cloudflare: Their free tier includes basic GeoDNS (called "Geo Steering"). You can configure rules in their dashboard to route Russian visitors to your alternate server IP, while others go to Amazon.
• Other providers: Services like DNSimple, NS1 also offer GeoDNS features with user-friendly interfaces.

2. Use a CDN with geographic routing #

If you’re using a CDN (which you should consider for performance anyway), most CDNs (like Cloudflare, Fastly) let you configure origin routing based on location. This works similarly to GeoDNS, but adds caching and security benefits on top. For example:

• Set your primary origin as Amazon EC2, and a secondary origin as your new server.
• Create a rule that sends all traffic from Russia to the secondary origin.

3. Avoid self-hosted GeoDNS (unless you have time to maintain it) #

You could set up your own GeoDNS server using tools like BIND with GeoIP modules, but this requires maintaining IP geolocation databases, managing DNS server uptime, and troubleshooting—way more work than a managed service, and not worth it for a small startup.

关键注意事项 #

• Sync your server environments: Make sure your new German/Russian server has the exact same API and website code, dependencies, and database access as your Amazon EC2 instance. Inconsistent environments will break user experience.
• Test the routing: Use a VPN to connect from Russia, then run nslookup yourdomain.com or dig yourdomain.com to verify it resolves to your new server’s IP. Test from other regions too to confirm they still hit Amazon.
• Check Russian compliance: If you use a Russian local server, be aware of local data privacy laws (like Federal Law No. 152-FZ) to avoid legal issues.

Since you’re a developer, setting this up with a managed provider should be straightforward—most have step-by-step guides in their docs that don’t require deep DNS knowledge. Don’t hesitate to tweak the settings if you need to adjust the routing scope later!

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者David