certbot-dns-poweradmin

PowerAdmin DNS Authenticator plugin for Certbot

This plugin automates the process of completing a dns-01 challenge by creating, and subsequently removing, TXT records using the PowerAdmin API.

Version Compatibility

Installation

pip install certbot-dns-poweradmin

PowerAdmin Configuration

Your PowerAdmin installation needs to have the API enabled. The plugin uses API v2 by default. API v1 is deprecated and was removed in Poweradmin 4.5.0.

You'll need an API key with permissions to:

• List zones
• Create DNS records
• Delete DNS records

Usage

1. Create a credential file (e.g., /etc/letsencrypt/poweradmin.ini):

dns_poweradmin_api_url = https://poweradmin.example.com
dns_poweradmin_api_key = your-api-key-here
dns_poweradmin_api_version = v2

The api_version is optional and defaults to v2. Setting it to v1 is deprecated: it works only with Poweradmin below 4.5.0, logs a warning, and will be removed in the next major release of this plugin. Poweradmin 4.5.0 and later answer 410 Gone on every API v1 request, so use v2 there.

2. Secure the credential file:

chmod 600 /etc/letsencrypt/poweradmin.ini

3. Run certbot:

certbot certonly \
  --authenticator dns-poweradmin \
  --dns-poweradmin-credentials /etc/letsencrypt/poweradmin.ini \
  -d example.com

Arguments

Examples

Get a certificate for a single domain:

certbot certonly \
  --authenticator dns-poweradmin \
  --dns-poweradmin-credentials /etc/letsencrypt/poweradmin.ini \
  -d example.com

Get a wildcard certificate:

certbot certonly \
  --authenticator dns-poweradmin \
  --dns-poweradmin-credentials /etc/letsencrypt/poweradmin.ini \
  -d example.com \
  -d "*.example.com"

With custom propagation time:

certbot certonly \
  --authenticator dns-poweradmin \
  --dns-poweradmin-credentials /etc/letsencrypt/poweradmin.ini \
  --dns-poweradmin-propagation-seconds 300 \
  -d example.com

Docker

FROM certbot/certbot
RUN pip install certbot-dns-poweradmin

Build and run:

docker build -t certbot/dns-poweradmin .

docker run --rm \
  -v /etc/letsencrypt:/etc/letsencrypt \
  -v /var/lib/letsencrypt:/var/lib/letsencrypt \
  certbot/dns-poweradmin certonly \
  --authenticator dns-poweradmin \
  --dns-poweradmin-credentials /etc/letsencrypt/poweradmin.ini \
  -d example.com

Troubleshooting

Plugin not found by certbot

If certbot plugins doesn't show dns-poweradmin, ensure both certbot and the plugin are installed in the same Python environment:

# Check where certbot is installed
which certbot

# If using system certbot but plugin in venv, either:
# Option 1: Install certbot in the same venv
pip install certbot certbot-dns-poweradmin

# Option 2: Use certbot from the venv
python -m certbot plugins

Virtual environment usage

When using a virtual environment, install both certbot and the plugin together:

python3 -m venv certbot-env
source certbot-env/bin/activate
pip install certbot certbot-dns-poweradmin

# Run certbot from the venv
certbot plugins  # should show dns-poweradmin

API connection issues

• Use the base URL of your PowerAdmin installation as dns_poweradmin_api_url (e.g. https://poweradmin.example.com), including the https:// scheme and without the /api path — the plugin appends /api/v1 or /api/v2 itself
• The URL must not redirect (e.g. http:// to https://); the plugin refuses redirects and asks you to configure the final URL directly
• Check that your API key has the required permissions

Sponsors

We thank stepping stone AG for their support of this project.

License

Apache License 2.0