DDNS Command Line Arguments Reference

This document provides detailed usage instructions for DDNS command line arguments. Command line arguments can override settings from configuration files and environment variables, having the highest priority.

Basic Usage

Use -h to view the parameter list:

# ddns [options]
ddns -h

Or using Python source code:

# python run.py [options]
python -m ddns -h

Parameter List

List Parameter Usage

For list-type parameters that support multiple values (such as --ipv4, --ipv6, --index4, --index6, --proxy, etc.), you can specify multiple values using the following two methods:

Method 1: Repeat Parameter Names (Recommended)

ddns --ipv4 example.com --ipv4 www.example.com --ipv4 api.example.com
ddns --index4 public --index4 0 --index4 "regex:192\\.168\\..*"
ddns --proxy SYSTEM --proxy DIRECT

Method 2: Space-Separated

ddns --ipv4 example.com www.example.com api.example.com
ddns --index4 public 0 "regex:192\\.168\\..*"
ddns --proxy SYSTEM DIRECT

Parameters with Spaces

If parameter values contain spaces, use quotes:

ddns --line "China Telecom" "China Unicom" "China Mobile"
ddns --index4 "url:http://ip.example.com/api?type=ipv4" public

Unsupported Usage

# ❌ Comma-separated not supported
ddns --ipv4 "example.com,www.example.com"
ddns --ipv4=example.com,www.example.com

Parameter Details

Parameter	Type	Description	Example
`-h, --help`	Flag	Show help message and exit	`--help`
`-v, --version`	Flag	Show version information and exit	`--version`
`-c, --config`	String List	Specify configuration file path, supports multiple config files and remote HTTP(S) URLs	`--config config.json` or `--config config1.json --config config2.json` `--config https://ddns.newfuture.cc/tests/config/debug.json`
`--new-config`	Flag/String	Generate a new config file (optional file path)	`--new-config` `--new-config=config.json`
`--debug`	Flag	Enable debug mode	`--debug`
`--dns`	Choice	DNS Providers include: 51dns, alidns, aliesa, callback, cloudflare, debug, dnscom, dnspod_com, dnspod, edgeone, he, huaweidns, noip, tencentcloud	`--dns cloudflare`
`--endpoint`	String	Custom API endpoint URL (useful for self-hosted services)	`--endpoint https://api.private.com`
`--id`	String	API Access ID, email, or Access Key	`--id user@example.com`
`--token`	String	API token or secret key	`--token abcdef123456`
`--ipv4`	String List	List of domain names for IPv4, supports repeated parameters or space-separated	`--ipv4 test.com 4.test.com` or `--ipv4 test.com --ipv4 4.test.com`
`--ipv6`	String List	List of domain names for IPv6, supports repeated parameters or space-separated	`--ipv6 test.com` or `--ipv6 test.com ipv6.test.com`
`--index4`	List	Methods to retrieve IPv4 address, supports: number, default, public, url:, regex:, cmd:, shell:	`--index4 public 0` or `--index4 public --index4 "regex:192\\.168\\..*"`
`--index6`	List	Methods to retrieve IPv6 address, supports: number, default, public, url:, regex:, cmd:, shell:	`--index6 0 public` or `--index6 0 --index6 public`
`--ttl`	Integer	DNS record TTL time in seconds	`--ttl 600`
`--line`	String	DNS resolution line (e.g. ISP line)	`--line 电信` `--line telecom`
`--proxy`	String List	HTTP proxy settings, supports: `http://host:port`, `DIRECT`(direct), `SYSTEM`(system proxy)	`--proxy SYSTEM DIRECT` or `--proxy http://127.0.0.1:1080 --proxy DIRECT`
`--cache`	Flag/String	Enable cache or specify custom cache path	`--cache` `--cache=/path/to/cache`
`--no-cache`	Flag	Disable cache (equivalent to `--cache=false`)	`--no-cache`
`--ssl`	String	SSL certificate verification: true, false, auto, or file path	`--ssl false` `--ssl=/path/to/ca-certs.crt`
`--no-ssl`	Flag	Disable SSL verification (equivalent to `--ssl=false`)	`--no-ssl`
`--log_file`	String	Log file path. If not set, logs are output to the console	`--log_file=/var/log/ddns.log`
`--log_level`	String	Logging level: DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR, CRITICAL	`--log_level=ERROR`
`--log_format`	String	Log format string (compatible with Python `logging` module)	`--log_format="%(asctime)s:%(message)s"`
`--log_datefmt`	String	Date/time format string for logs	`--log_datefmt="%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"`

Task Subcommand Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description	Example
`--install`, `-i`	Integer (Optional)	Install scheduled task with update interval in minutes (default: 5). Automatically overwrites existing tasks	`--install`, `--install 10`
`--uninstall`	Flag	Uninstall the installed scheduled task	`--uninstall`
`--status`	Flag	Show scheduled task installation status and running information	`--status`
`--enable`	Flag	Enable the installed scheduled task	`--enable`
`--disable`	Flag	Disable the installed scheduled task	`--disable`
`--scheduler`	Choice	Specify scheduler type. Supports: auto (automatic), systemd, cron, launchd, schtasks	`--scheduler systemd`, `--scheduler auto`

Important Notes:

The --install command automatically overwrites scheduled tasks without needing to check or uninstall existing tasks first.

This design simplifies the task management process and avoids manual uninstallation procedures.

The task subcommand supports all main DDNS configuration parameters (such as --dns, --id, --token, --ipv4, --ipv6, etc.), which will be saved and passed to the scheduled task for execution.

Command line only parameters: --debug, --new-config, --no-cache, --no-ssl, --help, --version.

Note: Where --debug, --new-config, --no-cache, --no-ssl, --help, --version are command line only parameters.

DNS Provider Values

DDNS supports the following DNS providers:

51dns (alias for dnscom): DNS.COM service
alidns: Alibaba Cloud DNS
aliesa: Alibaba Cloud ESA (Edge Security Acceleration)
callback: Custom callback/webhook
cloudflare: Cloudflare DNS
debug: Debug provider (prints IP without updating DNS)
dnscom: DNS.COM service (same as 51dns)
dnspod: DNSPod (China)
dnspod_com: DNSPod International
he: Hurricane Electric DNS
huaweidns: Huawei Cloud DNS
noip: No-IP Dynamic DNS
tencentcloud: Tencent Cloud DNS
edgeone: Tencent Cloud EdgeOne

IP Detection Methods

IPv4/IPv6 Detection (`--index4`, `--index6`)

number (0, 1, 2...): Use IP of the Nth network interface
default: System's default external IP
public: Get public IP from external services with automatic failover
url:ADDRESS: Get IP from specific URL
regex:PATTERN: Extract IP using regex pattern
cmd:COMMAND: Get IP from command output
shell:COMMAND: Get IP from shell command

Examples:

# Use public IP detection
ddns --dns cloudflare --index4 public

# Use multiple detection methods (fallback)
ddns --dns cloudflare --index4 public --index4 "regex:192\\.168\\..*"

# Use custom URL for IP detection
ddns --dns cloudflare --index4 "url:https://api.ipify.org"

# Use command output for IP
ddns --dns cloudflare --index4 "cmd:hostname -I | awk '{print $1}'"

Usage Examples

Basic Configuration File Usage

# Use default configuration file
ddns

# Use specified configuration file
ddns -c /path/to/config.json

# Use multiple configuration files
ddns -c cloudflare.json -c dnspod.json

# Use remote configuration file
ddns -c https://ddns.newfuture.cc/tests/config/debug.json

# Use remote configuration with proxy
ddns -c https://config.example.com/ddns.json --proxy http://proxy:8080

# Generate new configuration file
ddns --new-config config.json

Command Line Configuration

# Simplest configuration - DNSPod
ddns --dns dnspod --id 12345 --token mytokenkey --ipv4 example.com

# Cloudflare with API token
ddns --dns cloudflare --token your_api_token --ipv4 example.com

# Enable debug mode
ddns --dns cloudflare --token API_TOKEN --ipv4 example.com --debug

# Multiple domains (space-separated)
ddns --dns cloudflare --token API_TOKEN \
     --ipv4 example.com www.example.com --ipv6 example.com

# Multiple domains (repeated parameters)
ddns --dns cloudflare --token API_TOKEN \
     --ipv4 example.com --ipv4 www.example.com --ipv6 example.com

Provider-Specific Examples

# Alibaba Cloud DNS
ddns --dns alidns --id your_access_key --token your_secret_key --ipv4 example.com

# Huawei Cloud DNS  
ddns --dns huaweidns --id your_access_key --token your_secret_key --ipv4 example.com

# No-IP
ddns --dns noip --id your_username --token your_password --ipv4 example.com

# Custom Callback (GET request)
ddns --dns callback --id "https://api.example.com/ddns?domain=__DOMAIN__&ip=__IP__" --ipv4 example.com

Advanced Configuration

# Complete configuration with proxy, TTL, and custom IP detection (space-separated)
ddns --dns cloudflare --token API_TOKEN \
     --ipv4 example.com www.example.com \
     --index4 public "regex:2001:.*" \
     --ttl 300 --proxy http://127.0.0.1:1080 DIRECT \
     --cache=/var/cache/ddns.cache \
     --log_level=INFO --log_file=/var/log/ddns.log

# Complete configuration (repeated parameters)
ddns --dns cloudflare --token API_TOKEN \
     --ipv4 example.com --ipv4 www.example.com \
     --index4 public --index6 "regex:2001:.*" \
     --ttl 300 --proxy http://127.0.0.1:1080 --proxy DIRECT \
     --cache=/var/cache/ddns.cache \
     --log_level=INFO --log_file=/var/log/ddns.log

# ISP line configuration (for Chinese providers)
ddns --dns dnspod --id 12345 --token mytokenkey \
     --ipv4 telecom.example.com --line 电信

# Use remote configuration file
ddns -c https://ddns.newfuture.cc/tests/config/debug.json --debug

# Remote configuration with proxy
ddns -c https://config.example.com/ddns.json \
     --proxy http://proxy.company.com:8080

# Disable cache and SSL verification
ddns --dns alidns --id ACCESS_KEY --token SECRET_KEY \
     --ipv4 example.com --no-cache --no-ssl

Important Notes

Command Line Parameter Priority: Command line arguments have the highest priority and will override settings in configuration files and environment variables.
Quote Usage: For parameter values that contain spaces or special characters, please use quotes, for example: --log_format="%(asctime)s: %(message)s".

List Parameter Configuration: For multi-value parameters (such as --ipv4, --ipv6, --index4, --index6, --proxy, etc.), two specification methods are supported:

# ✅ Method 1: Repeat parameter names (recommended)
ddns --ipv4 example.com --ipv4 sub.example.com --ipv4 api.example.com
ddns --index4 public --index4 0 --index4 "regex:192\\.168\\..*"
ddns --proxy http://127.0.0.1:1080 --proxy DIRECT

# ✅ Method 2: Space-separated
ddns --ipv4 example.com sub.example.com api.example.com
ddns --index4 public 0 "regex:192\\.168\\..*"
ddns --proxy http://127.0.0.1:1080 DIRECT

# ✅ Parameter values with spaces use quotes
ddns --line "China Telecom" "China Unicom"

# ❌ Incorrect usage - not supported
ddns --ipv4 "example.com,sub.example.com"    # Comma-separated not supported
ddns --ipv4=example.com,sub.example.com      # Equals + comma not supported

Debug Mode: The --debug parameter is only effective as a command line argument; debug settings in configuration files will be ignored.
Regular Expressions: When using regular expressions, special characters need to be properly escaped. It's recommended to use quotes, for example: --index4 "regex:192\\.168\\..*".

Task Management

DDNS supports managing scheduled tasks through the task subcommand, which automatically detects the system and selects the appropriate scheduler to install scheduled update tasks.

Key Features

Smart Installation: The --install command automatically overwrites existing tasks, simplifying the installation process
Cross-Platform Support: Automatically detects system and selects the best scheduler
Complete Configuration: Supports all DDNS configuration parameters

Task Subcommand Usage

# View help
ddns task --help

# Check task status
ddns task --status

# Install scheduled task (default 5-minute interval)
ddns task --install

# Install scheduled task with custom interval (minutes)
ddns task --install 10
ddns task -i 15

# Specify scheduler type for installation
ddns task --install 5 --scheduler systemd
ddns task --install 10 --scheduler cron
ddns task --install 15 --scheduler auto

# Enable installed scheduled task
ddns task --enable

# Disable installed scheduled task
ddns task --disable

# Uninstall installed scheduled task
ddns task --uninstall

Supported Schedulers

DDNS automatically detects the system and chooses the most appropriate scheduler:

Linux: systemd (preferred) or cron
macOS: launchd (preferred) or cron
Windows: schtasks

Scheduler Selection Guide

Scheduler	Supported Systems	Description	Recommendation
`auto`	All systems	Automatically detects system and selects the best scheduler	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
`systemd`	Linux	Modern Linux standard timer with complete functionality	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
`cron`	Unix-like	Traditional Unix scheduled tasks with good compatibility	⭐⭐⭐⭐
`launchd`	macOS	macOS native task scheduler	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
`schtasks`	Windows	Windows Task Scheduler	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Parameter Description

Parameter	Description
`--status`	Show scheduled task installation status and running information
`--install [minutes]`, `-i [minutes]`	Install scheduled task with update interval (default: 5 minutes). Automatically overwrites existing tasks
`--uninstall`	Uninstall installed scheduled task
`--enable`	Enable installed scheduled task
`--disable`	Disable installed scheduled task
`--scheduler`	Specify scheduler type. Supports: auto, systemd, cron, launchd, schtasks

Installation Behavior:

The --install command always executes installation directly, without prior checking or uninstalling.

Any existing DDNS scheduled task in the system will be automatically replaced with the new configuration.

This design simplifies task management and avoids the hassle of manual uninstallation, enabling one-click task updates.

Configuration Parameter Support: The task subcommand supports all DDNS configuration parameters, which will be passed to the scheduled task for execution.

Permission Requirements

Different schedulers require different permissions:

systemd: Requires root privileges (sudo)
cron: Regular user privileges
launchd: Regular user privileges
schtasks: Administrator privileges required

Task Management Examples

# Check current status
ddns task --status

# Quick install (automatically overwrites existing tasks)
ddns task --install

# Install 10-minute interval scheduled task with specified config file
ddns task --install 10 -c /etc/ddns/config.json

# Install scheduled task with direct DDNS parameters (no config file needed)
ddns task --install 5 --dns cloudflare --id user@example.com --token API_TOKEN --ipv4 example.com

# Install scheduled task with advanced configuration parameters
ddns task --install 10 --dns dnspod --id 12345 --token secret \
          --ipv4 example.com --ttl 600 --proxy http://proxy:8080 \
          --log_file /var/log/ddns.log --log_level INFO

# Specify scheduler type for installation
ddns task --install 5 --scheduler systemd --dns cloudflare --id user@example.com --token API_TOKEN --ipv4 example.com

# Force use cron scheduler (for Linux systems without systemd)
ddns task --install 10 --scheduler cron -c config.json

# Force use launchd on macOS
ddns task --install 15 --scheduler launchd --dns dnspod --id 12345 --token secret --ipv4 example.com

# Use schtasks on Windows
ddns task --install 5 --scheduler schtasks --dns cloudflare --id user@example.com --token API_TOKEN --ipv4 example.com

# Install systemd timer on Linux with sudo
sudo ddns task --install 5 -c /etc/ddns/config.json

# Update task configuration (automatic overwrite)
ddns task --install 15 --dns cloudflare --id user@example.com --token NEW_TOKEN --ipv4 example.com

# Enable installed task
ddns task --enable

# Disable task (doesn't delete, just stops execution)
ddns task --disable

# Completely uninstall scheduled task
ddns task --uninstall

Using with Configuration Files

The task subcommand works perfectly with configuration files, supporting multiple configuration methods:

# Use local configuration file
ddns task --install 10 -c config.json

# Use multiple configuration files
ddns task --install 5 -c cloudflare.json -c dnspod.json

# Use remote configuration file
ddns task --install 15 -c https://config.example.com/ddns.json

# Configuration file + command line parameter override
ddns task --install 10 -c config.json --debug --ttl 300

# Specify scheduler type + configuration file
ddns task --install 5 --scheduler cron -c config.json

# Use remote configuration file + specify scheduler
ddns task --install 10 --scheduler systemd -c https://config.example.com/ddns.json

Scheduler Usage Examples

Choose the appropriate scheduler based on different systems and requirements:

# Automatic selection (recommended, let system choose the best scheduler)
ddns task --install 5 --scheduler auto

# Linux system choices
ddns task --install 5 --scheduler systemd  # Preferred choice, full functionality
ddns task --install 5 --scheduler cron     # Backup choice, good compatibility

# macOS system choices
ddns task --install 5 --scheduler launchd  # Preferred choice, system native
ddns task --install 5 --scheduler cron     # Backup choice, good compatibility

# Windows system choices
ddns task --install 5 --scheduler schtasks # Only choice, Windows Task Scheduler

Debugging Installation Issues

# Enable debug mode to view detailed installation process
ddns task --install 5 --debug

# View task status and configuration
ddns task --status --debug

# View status of specified scheduler
ddns task --status --scheduler systemd --debug

Configuration file + command line parameter override

ddns task --install 10 -c config.json --debug --ttl 300


### Debugging Installation Issues

```bash
# Enable debug mode to see detailed installation process
ddns task --install 5 --debug

# View task status and configuration
ddns task --status --debug

Configuration Priority

DDNS uses the following priority order (highest to lowest):

Command line arguments (highest priority)
JSON configuration file
Environment variables (lowest priority)

This means command line arguments will override any settings in configuration files or environment variables.

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DDNS Command Line Arguments Reference

Basic Usage

Parameter List

List Parameter Usage

Method 1: Repeat Parameter Names (Recommended)

Method 2: Space-Separated

Parameters with Spaces

Unsupported Usage

Parameter Details

Task Subcommand Parameters

DNS Provider Values

IP Detection Methods

IPv4/IPv6 Detection (`--index4`, `--index6`)

Usage Examples

Basic Configuration File Usage

Command Line Configuration

Provider-Specific Examples

Advanced Configuration

Important Notes

Task Management

Key Features

Task Subcommand Usage

Supported Schedulers

Scheduler Selection Guide

Parameter Description

Permission Requirements

Task Management Examples

Using with Configuration Files

Scheduler Usage Examples

Debugging Installation Issues

Configuration file + command line parameter override

Configuration Priority

See Also

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DDNS Command Line Arguments Reference

Basic Usage

Parameter List

List Parameter Usage

Method 1: Repeat Parameter Names (Recommended)

Method 2: Space-Separated

Parameters with Spaces

Unsupported Usage

Parameter Details

Task Subcommand Parameters

DNS Provider Values

IP Detection Methods

IPv4/IPv6 Detection (--index4, --index6)

Usage Examples

Basic Configuration File Usage

Command Line Configuration

Provider-Specific Examples

Advanced Configuration

Important Notes

Task Management

Key Features

Task Subcommand Usage

Supported Schedulers

Scheduler Selection Guide

Parameter Description

Permission Requirements

Task Management Examples

Using with Configuration Files

Scheduler Usage Examples

Debugging Installation Issues

Configuration file + command line parameter override

Configuration Priority

See Also

IPv4/IPv6 Detection (`--index4`, `--index6`)