How to Import an Azure DNS CNAME Record into Terraform

Import Azure DNS CNAME Record with Terraback (recommended)

Terraback reverse-engineers your live infrastructure: it reads the Azure DNS resource with read-only credentials, generates the HCL, and produces the exact import block. Two commands take you from a live Azure DNS CNAME Record to managed Terraform.

terraback scan all azure --subscription-id YOUR_ID

terraback azure import --method bulk

The Terraform import block

Terraback emits a Terraform 1.5+ import block like the one below. Because the block lives in your configuration, the import is reviewable in a pull request and repeatable across environments.

import {
  to = azurerm_dns_cname_record.www
  id = "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/prod-rg/providers/Microsoft.Network/dnszones/example.com/CNAME/www"
}

Example azurerm_dns_cname_record configuration

Here is a realistic Azure DNS CNAME Record block. Terraback generates a fuller version from your actual resource attributes; this is a minimal, valid starting point.

resource "azurerm_dns_cname_record" "www" {
  name                = "www"
  zone_name           = "example.com"
  resource_group_name = "prod-rg"
  ttl                 = 300
  record              = "app.example.com"
}

Gotchas when importing a Azure DNS CNAME Record

• The record type is part of the ID path (.../dnszones/<zone>/CNAME/<name>) and is case-sensitive as CNAME.
• A CNAME record holds exactly one target in the singular record attribute, unlike A records which use a records list.
• Use @ as the name for an apex record, though CNAME at the zone apex is not allowed by DNS.
• The DNS zone itself imports separately as azurerm_dns_zone.

Doing it manually with terraform import

The native approach is to write the azurerm_dns_cname_record block by hand, then run terraform import azurerm_dns_cname_record.example <import-id> for every resource, one at a time. That works for a handful of resources, but it does not scale: you author all the HCL yourself and repeat the command for each item. Terraback generates the HCL and the import blocks for your whole account in one pass.

Import other Azure resources