Groups

What are groups

Every host in NovaDNS has its own unique update token, which is perfect for devices you configure individually. However, many IoT devices — IP cameras, smart home hubs, NVRs — use a shared DynDNS username and password that applies to all units on the same router or system. Groups exist to serve this pattern.

A group has a single username and password. Any host assigned to the group will accept updates authenticated with those group credentials, regardless of which specific hostname is being updated. The DynDNS client passes the target hostname in the hostname parameter, so each host in the group still updates independently and maintains its own IP record.

Creating a group

Groups are created and managed from the Groups section of the dashboard.

1. Open the dashboard and click Groups in the sidebar.
2. Click New group.
3. Enter a name for the group (e.g. ip-cameras or home-sensors).
4. Optionally add a description to help identify the group's purpose later.
5. Save — NovaDNS generates a username and password for the group immediately.

The generated credentials are shown in the group settings. Copy them into your devices before navigating away — the password can be regenerated at any time, but the current value is not redisplayed after you leave the page.

Adding hosts to a group

A host can belong to at most one group at a time. You assign the group from the host's own settings panel.

1. Open the dashboard and find the host you want to assign.
2. Click the host to open its settings sheet.
3. Locate the Group dropdown.
4. Select the group you created from the list.
5. Save the host settings.

Repeat for each host you want to include. A single group can contain an unlimited number of hosts on Starter and above plans. Once assigned, the host is immediately accessible via the group's credentials.

How credentials work

When NovaDNS receives a DynDNS update request via /nic/update, it checks the provided hostname parameter against all hosts that the supplied credentials can update. A host is reachable by credentials if:

• The credentials match the host's individual token (email + host token), or
• The credentials match the group credentials of the group the host belongs to.

In practice, a device configured with the group username and password issues a request like:

$ curl \
  "https://group-username:group-password@novadns.io/nic/update \
  ?hostname=camera1.novaip.link"

NovaDNS resolves camera1.novaip.link, confirms it belongs to a group whose credentials match the supplied username and password, and updates the record. Each device in the group still updates its own hostname independently — they are not linked in any other way.

Use cases

Groups are best suited to situations where you cannot or do not want to configure per-host tokens individually.

Credential rotation

You can regenerate the group password at any time from the group settings page. Click Regenerate credentials and confirm the action. The new credentials take effect immediately — all hosts in the group will require the updated password from that point on.

Rotation does not affect a host's individual update token. Devices that were configured with the host's own token continue working without any changes.

We recommend rotating group credentials whenever a team member who had access to them leaves, or on a regular schedule (e.g. every 90 days) as part of your security hygiene.

Plan availability

Groups are available on all plans.

Upgrade your plan from the Billing section of the dashboard settings at any time.