Shared control.
WHO SHOULD HOLD WHAT
The domain registered in your business's name, with your access.
DNS wherever suits, with your access.
A developer having working access is fine. A developer holding sole control is not.
WHAT TO AGREE
Who makes DNS changes Who is notified before a change What happens when the engagement ends
WHY THIS MATTERS
DNS changes take a site and its email offline when done wrongly.
A change made without telling you, at a busy moment, is a real problem.
WHAT TO ASK FOR AT HANDOVER
Registrar access, or confirmation that you hold it DNS provider access A zone export Documentation of what each record is for
THE COMMON SITUATION
A developer moves on and nobody knows where DNS is hosted or how to reach it.
That is discovered during an incident.
WHAT TO DO NOW
Establish where your domain is registered and where DNS is held, and confirm you can reach both.
Ten minutes, and it prevents the situation entirely.
IF A DEVELOPER HOLDS YOUR DOMAIN
Resolve it while the relationship is good.
