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IBM NS1 Connect Managed DNS offers DNS management and traffic steering for optimized performance. Enhance your DNS Strategy today.
IBM NS1 Connect is a managed authoritative DNS and traffic steering service for AWS, multi-cloud, and hybrid environments, operating on a global anycast network with 26 PoPs across 6 continents and a 100% uptime SLA for DNS resolution, using real-time data from Amazon CloudWatch and application health signals.
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Overview
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Overview of IBM NS1 Connect Managed DNS
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What is Traffic Steering
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Simplify HTTPS Management
IBM NS1 Connect is a managed authoritative DNS and traffic steering service for applications deployed across AWS, multi-cloud, and hybrid environments. The service operates on a global anycast network spanning 26 points of presence (PoPs) across 6 continents and provides a 100% uptime SLA for DNS resolution.
It integrates with AWS services including Amazon EC2, Amazon EKS, Elastic Load Balancing (ALB/NLB), Amazon CloudFront, AWS Global Accelerator and Amazon CloudWatch.
NS1 Connect enables DNS-based traffic routing using real-time data such as Real user Metrics (RUM), third party QoE data, CloudWatch metrics, health checks, latency, geographic location, and application performance signals.
The platform supports primary and secondary DNS configurations across AWS, other cloud providers, and on-premises infrastructure.
Key Capabilities
Available and Adaptable
- Global anycast DNS network with 26 PoPs across 6 continents for distributed query handling - 100% uptime SLA for DNS resolution.
- Traffic steering using real-time metrics, health checks, latency, and RUM data.
- Multi-cloud and multi-CDN routing across AWS, other cloud providers, and on-prem environments.
Agile and Secure
- API-First integration with infrstructure-as-a-service (Kubernetes, Ansible, Piulimi) Kubernetes ExternalDNS, AWS services.
- Observability integrations including Amazon CloudWatch, Datadog, Splunk, AppDynamics, Catchpoint, ThousandEyes, Pingdom.
- Security features including DNSSEC, TSIG, IP allow-listing, RBAC, SAML/SSO, AWS IAM read-only integration.
- ISO/IEC 27001 certification. SOC 2 Type II available via AWS Vendor Insights.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does NS1 Connect integrate with Amazon Route 53?
AWS and IBM offer two complementary architecture patterns that help customers expand their use of Amazon Route 53 while meeting advanced performance and resiliency requirements. With IBM Cloud Sync (an optional add-on), zones, records, traffic-steering metadata, and health checks synchronize bidirectionally between NS1 Connect and Route 53 without DNS zone-transfer (XFR). Cloud Sync also backs up NS1 Connect DNS configurations to a customer-owned Amazon S3 bucket for fast restore.
Which AWS services are used for traffic steering decisions?
NS1 Connect ingests Amazon CloudWatch metrics directly into Filter Chains, so DNS answers reflect the live health and performance of Amazon EKS, EC2, ELB, CloudFront, and other AWS resources. In addition, the Filter Chain engine ingests telemetry from third-party observability and RUM providers (Datadog, Catchpoint, ThousandEyes, AppDynamics), enabling consistent multi-cloud and multi-provider decisioning. Cloud Sync backs up NS1 Connect DNS configurations to a customer-owned Amazon S3 bucket.
What scale does the service support?
Service tiers support query volumes from tens of millions per month to custom volumes at higher scales. NS1 Essentials handles 30-80M queries/month; NS1 Standard handles 50M-1B queries/month; NS1 Premium is custom-priced and scales beyond 1B/month.
Can NS1 Connect be used as primary or secondary DNS?
Yes. It can function as either a primary authoritative DNS provider or as a secondary provider.
What security features are included?
The platform is ISO 27001 certificatied with SOC 2 Type II available on request. It supports DNSSEC, TSIG, IP allow-listing, RBAC, SAML/SSO authentication and AWS IAM integration.
Does NS1 Connect support multi-CDN routing?
Yes. It can route traffic across Amazon CloudFront and third-party CDNs based on performance using real-time RUM, CloudWatch, Catchpoint and ThousandEyes signals, including cost-aware and contract-aware shaping.
Does NS1 support multi-cloud and hybrid environments?
Yes. Traffic routing policies can be applied across AWS, other public clouds, and on-premises infrastructure. Customers commonly run NS1 Connect as the global DNS decisioning layer in front of workloads spanning multiple providers, with per-zone or per-record steering policies. Where Amazon Route 53 is also in use, IBM Cloud Sync (optional add-on) keeps zones, records, and steering metadata aligned bidirectionally without DNS zone-transfer (XFR).
How does it fit DevOps workflows?
NS1 Connect provides API access and integrates with Terraform, Ansible, Pulumi, and Kubernetes ExternalDNS integration for automatic DNS record management; webhooks and APIs for CI/CD pipelines.
Is a free trial available?
Yes. A 30-day free trial is available through AWS Marketplace.
Highlights
- Global anycast network: Primary and secondary DNS built with a fully redundant architecture at 26 locations to meet a 100% uptime SLA.
- Real-time DNS traffic steering using Real User Metrics (RUM), Amazon CloudWatch metrics, third party QoE data, latency, and health checks.
- DevOps ready integrations with EC2, EKS, ALB/NLB, CloudFront, Terraform, Ansible, Pulumi, Global Accelerator, Datadog, Splunk, ThousandEyes.
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Try this product free according to the free trial terms set by the vendor.
Pricing is based on the duration and terms of your contract with the vendor, and additional usage. You pay upfront or in installments according to your contract terms with the vendor. This entitles you to a specified quantity of use for the contract duration. Usage-based pricing is in effect for overages or additional usage not covered in the contract. These charges are applied on top of the contract price. If you choose not to renew or replace your contract before the contract end date, access to your entitlements will expire.
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Dimension | Description | Cost/12 months |
|---|---|---|
Essentials | Includes 30M queries 1000 records 1 Filter Chain 2 Monitors | $1,188.00 |
Essentials Small Bundle | Includes 50M queries 1000 records 1 Filter Chain 2 Monitors | $2,388.00 |
Essentials Large Bundle | Includes 80M queries 1000 records 1 Filter Chain 2 Monitors | $4,188.00 |
Standard-50 | 50M Queries, 1000 Records, 1 Traffic Steering Filter Chains, 2 Monitors, 50 HTTPS Redirects, Spike Protection, Zone Backup/Restore | $4,188.00 |
Standard-150 | 150M Queries, 1000 Records, 3 Traffic Steering Filter Chains, 7 Monitors, 50 HTTPS Redirects, Spike Protection, Zone Backup/Restore | $9,426.00 |
Standard-250 | 250M Queries, 2000 Records, 25 Traffic Steering Filter Chains, 25 Monitors, 50 HTTPS Redirects, Spike Protection, Zone Backup/Restore | $21,106.80 |
Standard-500 | 500M Queries, 5000 Records, 50 Traffic Steering Filter Chains, 50 Monitors, 50 HTTPS Redirects, Spike Protection, Zone Backup/Restore | $31,096.80 |
Standard-1000 | 1Bn Queries, 10000 Records, 100 Traffic Steering Filter Chains, 100 Monitors, 50 HTTPS Redirects, Spike Protection, Zone Backup/Restore | $46,546.80 |
Dimension | Description | Cost/unit |
|---|---|---|
Overage Rate Total Queries (Requests) | Overage Rate Total Queries (Requests) | $50.00 |
Overage Rate DNS Records | Overage Rate DNS Records | $75.00 |
Overage Rate Filter Chains (Resource Units) | Overage Rate Filter Chains (Resource Units) | $103.50 |
Overage Rate Monitors (Jobs) | Overage Rate Monitors (Jobs) | $3.45 |
Overage Rate China Requests | Overage Rate China Requests | $172.00 |
Steering Standard Interaction Overage | Steering Standard Interaction Overage | $20.39 |
GSLB Standard Interaction Overage | GSLB Standard Interaction Overage | $20.39 |
Steering Advanced Interaction Overage | Steering Advanced Interaction Overage | $32.39 |
GSLB Advanced Interaction Overage | GSLB Advanced Interaction Overage | $32.39 |
Enterprise Request Overage | Enterprise Request Overage | $8.27 |
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Support
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Self Service on All tiers including Free Trial
Connect with your peers at IBM NS1 Connect Community. https://ibm.biz/Bdbz3K Review our comprehensive IBM NS1 Connect Documentation. https://ibm.biz/Bdbz3b
IBM Customer Support Engineer: Essentials, Standard and Premium Tiers
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Sentiment is AI generated from actual customer reviews on AWS and G2
Functionality
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AI generated from product descriptions
Global Anycast Network Infrastructure
Operates on a global anycast network with 26 points of presence (PoPs) across 6 continents, providing fully redundant architecture with 100% uptime SLA for DNS resolution.
Real-time Traffic Steering
Enables DNS-based traffic routing using real-time data including Real User Metrics (RUM), Amazon CloudWatch metrics, third-party QoE data, latency measurements, health checks, and application performance signals.
Multi-cloud and Hybrid Environment Support
Supports primary and secondary DNS configurations across AWS, other cloud providers, and on-premises infrastructure with multi-CDN routing capabilities.
API-First Infrastructure Integration
Provides API-first integration with infrastructure-as-code tools including Terraform, Ansible, Pulumi, Kubernetes ExternalDNS, and CI/CD pipeline webhooks for automated DNS record management.
Security and Compliance Features
Includes DNSSEC, TSIG, IP allow-listing, RBAC, SAML/SSO authentication, AWS IAM integration, ISO/IEC 27001 certification, and SOC 2 Type II compliance.
AI-Powered Data Management
F5 AI Data Fabric enables generation of insights, management, and governance for data from different applications and products across multiple data lakes and data sources.
Multi-Cloud Network Connectivity
Global hub-and-spoke transit orchestration for connecting all cloud properties including public, private, network and edge clouds.
Integrated Security Stack
Unified software stack combining router, load balancer, network firewall, web application firewall (WAF), API security and API gateway capabilities.
Layer 3-7 DDoS Protection
L3-L7 DDoS defense capabilities for protecting applications and APIs deployed across distributed environments.
Unified Management Portal
Single SaaS-based console for SecOps, NetOps, and DevOps to manage and deploy virtual networks, connections, distributed applications, and API security.
Zone Configuration
Support for Primary zone, Secondary zone, Active Directory integrated zone, and stub zones
DNS Policy Management
DNS policies for Query Resolution, Recursion, Zone Transfer, and Traffic Management
Extended Scripting Capabilities
Extended Windows PowerShell support with required PowerShell modules pre-loaded
Standard contract
No
No
No
Customer reviews
Arkajit D.
Powerful Dynamic DNS Routing, But a Learning Curve for Complex Policies
Reviewed on May 16, 2026
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
What I like best about IBM NS1 Connect is how much operational control it gives over traffic routing and DNS performance without adding unnecessary complexity to network management workflows.
One situation where it became especially valuable for us was during high-traffic fintech onboarding campaigns and transaction-heavy operational windows where traffic spikes could impact application responsiveness across regions. Instead of relying on static DNS behavior, NS1 Connect allowed us to route traffic dynamically based on latency, health checks, and infrastructure availability. That flexibility helped maintain much more stable user experiences during peak usage periods.
What stood out immediately was the speed and responsiveness of DNS changes. During infrastructure incidents or deployment rollouts, traffic policies could be adjusted very quickly without waiting through slower propagation cycles that we had experienced with older DNS setups. For customer-facing systems where uptime and response consistency directly affect onboarding and transaction completion rates, that operational agility made a real difference.
From a usability perspective, the platform balanced enterprise-grade functionality with a relatively clean operational experience, which helped engineering and infrastructure teams collaborate more effectively during incident handling and rollout planning.
Overall, IBM NS1 Connect delivered strong value by improving traffic reliability, operational flexibility, and infrastructure responsiveness across critical production systems.
One situation where it became especially valuable for us was during high-traffic fintech onboarding campaigns and transaction-heavy operational windows where traffic spikes could impact application responsiveness across regions. Instead of relying on static DNS behavior, NS1 Connect allowed us to route traffic dynamically based on latency, health checks, and infrastructure availability. That flexibility helped maintain much more stable user experiences during peak usage periods.
What stood out immediately was the speed and responsiveness of DNS changes. During infrastructure incidents or deployment rollouts, traffic policies could be adjusted very quickly without waiting through slower propagation cycles that we had experienced with older DNS setups. For customer-facing systems where uptime and response consistency directly affect onboarding and transaction completion rates, that operational agility made a real difference.
From a usability perspective, the platform balanced enterprise-grade functionality with a relatively clean operational experience, which helped engineering and infrastructure teams collaborate more effectively during incident handling and rollout planning.
Overall, IBM NS1 Connect delivered strong value by improving traffic reliability, operational flexibility, and infrastructure responsiveness across critical production systems.
What do you dislike about the product?
As our fintech infrastructure expanded across multiple environments and regions, configuring advanced routing policies, failover logic, and traffic optimization rules required much more planning and operational understanding than initially expected. The platform offers a high degree of flexibility, but that flexibility also increases the complexity of managing large-scale DNS workflows safely.
Another challenge we experienced was around operational visibility during highly customized routing scenarios. The monitoring and analytics capabilities are strong overall, but when troubleshooting complex traffic behavior across multiple providers, regions, and failover policies, identifying the exact cause of routing anomalies occasionally required deeper manual analysis than expected.
From a UI/UX perspective, the platform is functional and infrastructure-focused, but some administrative workflows still feel more engineered toward experienced network teams than broader operational users. Teams unfamiliar with DNS operations faced a noticeable learning curve during onboarding, especially around advanced policy configuration and automation workflows.
The integrations with cloud and infrastructure ecosystems were valuable, but maintaining consistency across evolving deployment environments and automation pipelines required ongoing operational governance.
Another challenge we experienced was around operational visibility during highly customized routing scenarios. The monitoring and analytics capabilities are strong overall, but when troubleshooting complex traffic behavior across multiple providers, regions, and failover policies, identifying the exact cause of routing anomalies occasionally required deeper manual analysis than expected.
From a UI/UX perspective, the platform is functional and infrastructure-focused, but some administrative workflows still feel more engineered toward experienced network teams than broader operational users. Teams unfamiliar with DNS operations faced a noticeable learning curve during onboarding, especially around advanced policy configuration and automation workflows.
The integrations with cloud and infrastructure ecosystems were valuable, but maintaining consistency across evolving deployment environments and automation pipelines required ongoing operational governance.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
IBM NS1 Connect solved a major operational problem for us around maintaining application availability, intelligent traffic routing, and fast failover across distributed production environments.
In one healthtech workflow, we were managing patient-facing appointment scheduling and teleconsultation systems that experienced highly uneven traffic spikes during specific hours and seasonal campaigns. Before implementing NS1 Connect, traffic routing was relatively static, so when one region or infrastructure cluster became overloaded, users started experiencing slower response times and intermittent service instability. IBM NS1 Connect helped us introduce dynamic traffic steering based on endpoint health and latency conditions, which improved platform responsiveness significantly during peak usage periods.
Another operational benefit came during infrastructure maintenance and unexpected outages. Previously, rerouting traffic during incidents required more manual intervention and slower DNS propagation handling. With NS1 Connect, failover decisions became much more automated and responsive, reducing disruption for end users accessing critical healthcare services.
We also used the platform in fintech-related environments supporting onboarding systems and transaction-heavy customer workflows across multiple cloud regions. During high-volume onboarding campaigns, traffic loads shifted unpredictably between regions, and maintaining low latency became important for customer conversion and operational reliability. NS1 Connect helped distribute traffic more intelligently across infrastructure endpoints instead of relying on rigid DNS policies.
A major advantage operationally was improved visibility into traffic behavior and infrastructure health. Engineering teams could proactively monitor routing conditions, endpoint performance, and failover events before issues escalated into customer-facing incidents.
In one healthtech workflow, we were managing patient-facing appointment scheduling and teleconsultation systems that experienced highly uneven traffic spikes during specific hours and seasonal campaigns. Before implementing NS1 Connect, traffic routing was relatively static, so when one region or infrastructure cluster became overloaded, users started experiencing slower response times and intermittent service instability. IBM NS1 Connect helped us introduce dynamic traffic steering based on endpoint health and latency conditions, which improved platform responsiveness significantly during peak usage periods.
Another operational benefit came during infrastructure maintenance and unexpected outages. Previously, rerouting traffic during incidents required more manual intervention and slower DNS propagation handling. With NS1 Connect, failover decisions became much more automated and responsive, reducing disruption for end users accessing critical healthcare services.
We also used the platform in fintech-related environments supporting onboarding systems and transaction-heavy customer workflows across multiple cloud regions. During high-volume onboarding campaigns, traffic loads shifted unpredictably between regions, and maintaining low latency became important for customer conversion and operational reliability. NS1 Connect helped distribute traffic more intelligently across infrastructure endpoints instead of relying on rigid DNS policies.
A major advantage operationally was improved visibility into traffic behavior and infrastructure health. Engineering teams could proactively monitor routing conditions, endpoint performance, and failover events before issues escalated into customer-facing incidents.
Adaptable S.
Fast DNS Management, Needs UI Improvement
Reviewed on May 09, 2026
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
I like that IBM NS1 Connect is very fast, especially when it comes to DNS queries, which get propagated quickly. The real-time traffic control is also a strong feature. I appreciate the API-first approach since their REST APIs are clean and automation-friendly. It integrates well with tools like Terraform and Ansible, which makes DNS management safer and faster in CI/CD workflows, particularly beneficial in large environments.
What do you dislike about the product?
I think they have to work on their UI or UX for the DNS manager form because sometimes I think there is a better option or alternative in terms of UI, UX of DNS management in the market. So they have to work on their UI UX for their website.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I use IBM NS1 Connect for fast DNS management. The DNS queries propagate quickly, and its real-time traffic control is great. The API-first approach and integration with tools like Terraform and Ansible make DNS management safer and faster, especially in CI/CD workflows.
Insurance
Intuitive UI/UX and Strong Integrations That Simplify Automation
Reviewed on May 07, 2026
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
I appreciate the intuitive UI/UX and the strong integrations, which simplify automation and help users get up to speed quickly. It is especially useful for domain validation, and the availability of a free version makes it accessible for companies to start using it easily.
What do you dislike about the product?
The main area for improvement is pricing. The free version lacks support, and the number of deprecated features or versions can be confusing and limiting for users and companies evaluating the platform.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
IBM NS1 Connect helps address problems related to DNS management such as certificate renewals, DNS-based domain validation, and traffic validation. By automating and centralizing these processes, it reduces manual effort, minimizes errors during certificate renewal, and ensures traffic is validated and routed correctly, improving reliability and operational efficiency.
Abbas R.
Reliable DNS Management with Impressive Traffic Routing
Reviewed on Apr 30, 2026
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
I like the API-first approach of IBM NS1 Connect. It's very developer-friendly and integrates well into automated workflows, making it a strong fit for modernized structural setups like our Joonweb website builder. The DNS resolution is fast and consistent, thanks to their global network. I've noticed improved uptime and better handling of traffic spikes compared to traditional DNS providers like AWS.
What do you dislike about the product?
The initial setup of IBM NS1 Connect was a little difficult for me as I had to go through some logs and faced some minor issues. I needed to use IBM support and YouTube to help get the setup done.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I use IBM NS1 Connect for managing DNS and traffic routing for my project, juneweb.com. It's robust, ensuring availability and low latency. I like its developer-friendly API and global network, which improve uptime and traffic handling compared to AWS.
Rion S.
Flexible DNS Management with Technical Simplicity
Reviewed on Apr 29, 2026
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
I like the flexibility and control IBM NS1 Connect gives me over my domain data, with lots of record types. Even though it’s technical, it's not overly complex, which makes it more approachable without being too simplistic for advanced users. The simplicity of the technical aspects doesn’t distract or make it hard to use, with a simple layout that offers a lot of control. I appreciate that the dashboard has just a couple of buttons and allows setting records with multiple answers for specific regions. The integrations with services like AWS as a backup and unexpected features like performance monitoring give it a premium suite feel. The ability to set records with ease and the provision of ample setup time were quite beneficial. I also find it quite nice that there was a free trial available.
What do you dislike about the product?
I think an aspect that doesn’t work is the confusing IBM and otherwise billing system. They sign you up for a trial but they don’t even mention anymore there is a free account, so you’re think 'Am I going to be charged? Did they get rid of the free tier?' Only to be downgraded automatically for you in an email you might miss.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I use IBM NS1 Connect for flexibility and better control over my domain data with various record types, avoiding restrictive provider DNS. The simplicity of the dashboard provides lots of control, supporting advanced features like geographic-specific records, AWS backup, and unexpected integrations like performance monitoring.