---
title: "Creating a Custom Zone for the API Proxy"
canonical: "https://docs.infoblox.com/space/NAIG/37585158/Creating%20a%20Custom%20Zone%20for%20the%20API%20Proxy"
format: markdown
---
> ⚠️ ### Note
> ⚠️ 
> ⚠️ This procedure creates a custom DNS zone on the Grid Master. To create the custom DNS zone on a Grid member, see <span style="color: #0000ff">*[Setting](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)*</span>[ ](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)<span style="color: #0000ff">*[up](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)*</span>[ ](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)<span style="color: #0000ff">*[a](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)*</span>[ ](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)<span style="color: #0000ff">*[Grid](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)*</span>[ ](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)<span style="color: #0000ff">*[Member](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)*</span>[ ](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)<span style="color: #0000ff">*[as](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)*</span>[ ](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)<span style="color: #0000ff">*[the](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)*</span>[ ](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)<span style="color: #0000ff">*[API](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)*</span>[ ](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)<span style="color: #0000ff">*[Proxy](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)*</span>[.](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NAIG/pages/37716393)

To use the API Proxy through NIOS, you configure the Grid's Amazon API support by defining a custom DNS zone for your API Proxy. The new zone contains an A record and at least one CNAME alias. An A (address) record is a DNS resource record that maps a domain name (in this case, the API Proxy's FQDN) to an IPv4 address. You then use the CNAME records to assign each AWS service endpoint to the API Proxy's FQDN.  
You must define a forward-mapping zone for the API Proxy.  
Consider a use case where you want to use the API Proxy to send API directives to two different AWS regional service endpoints:

`ec2.us-west-1.amazonaws.com `

`ec2.us-west-2.amazonaws.com`

To use the Proxy to issue API calls to more than one AWS service endpoint, you need to use fully-qualified domain  
names for your API Proxy configuration. You begin by creating a new zone that will be authoritative for all API Proxy operations in your Grid.

1. Log in to Grid Manager, and do the following:
2. From the **Data** **Management** tab, select the **DNS** tab, expand the Toolbar, and then click **Add** -> **Zone** -> **Add** **Authoritative** **Zone**.
3. In the *Add* *Authoritative* *Zone* wizard, click **Add** **an** **authoritative** **forward-mapping** **zone** and then click **Next**.
4. Specify the following:
  - **Name:** Enter the domain name for the new zone. Omit the trailing period (" . ") that signifies the root zone.  
As an example, enter the name "api-proxy" to ensure that the new zone is easily identifiable.
  - **Comment:** Enter a descriptive comment about the zone.
5. Click **Next** to continue in the wizard:
  - Select **Use this set of nameservers**, and then click the **Add** icon and choose **Add Grid Primary**. If you have only a single appliance, such as the Grid Master or a single Cloud Platform appliance, clicking the Add icon opens the *Add Grid Primary* panel.
  - In the *Add Grid Primary* panel, select the name servers for the new zone. If no member is displayed, click **Select** to specify the Grid member or Grid Master. As the Grid Primary for this zone, you select the appliance acting as the AWS API Proxy. When there are multiple members, Grid Manager displays the *Member Selector* dialog box, from which you select the primary name server for the zone.
6. Click **Add** to add the selected appliance to the list of primary name servers for the zone.  
For information about selecting a primary DNS server, refer to Specifying a Primary Server in the *[Infoblox NIOS Documentation](https://infoblox-docs.refined.site/)*.
7. Save the configuration. Click **Restart** if it appears at the top of the page.