How to fix Error: Error creating Route53 record: InvalidChangeBatch in Terraform

TerraformINTERMEDIATEHIGH

The InvalidChangeBatch error occurs when Route53 rejects your Terraform resource record set changes due to conflicts, validation issues, or mismatched values. This guide covers the most common causes and solutions.

What this error means

The InvalidChangeBatch error is returned by AWS Route53 when you attempt to create, update, or delete DNS records through Terraform, but the requested changes violate Route53's validation rules. This is a client-side error returned by the AWS API, indicating that your change batch request is malformed or conflicts with existing records in your hosted zone. Route53 validates every change batch against several rules: duplicate records, conflicting record types, invalid domain names, mismatched values during deletion, and DNS naming conventions (like CNAME restrictions at zone apex). When any validation fails, Route53 rejects the entire batch and returns this error.

How to fix "Error: Error creating Route53 record: InvalidChangeBatch"

1List existing Route53 records in your hosted zone

First, check what records actually exist in Route53. Use the AWS CLI to inspect your hosted zone:

bash

aws route53 list-resource-record-sets --hosted-zone-id YOUR_ZONE_ID

Compare this output against the records you're trying to create in your Terraform configuration. Look for:
- Records with the exact same name and type as what you're creating
- Conflicting record types (CNAME mixed with A records)
- Values that differ from what Terraform expects to delete

This will reveal if the record already exists or has been modified outside Terraform.

2Verify the hosted zone ID in your Terraform configuration

Ensure your zone_id references the correct Route53 hosted zone:

hcl

resource "aws_route53_record" "example" {
  zone_id = aws_route53_zone.main.zone_id  # Must point to your actual zone
  name    = "example.com"
  type    = "A"
  ttl     = 300
  records = ["192.0.2.1"]
}

If using a hosted zone created outside Terraform, get the correct ID:

bash

aws route53 list-hosted-zones-by-name --dns-name example.com

Using the wrong zone ID will cause InvalidChangeBatch errors when the record name doesn't exist in that zone.

3Check for conflicting record types

Route53 doesn't allow CNAME records to coexist with other records at the same domain name. If you see a conflict error:

For zone apex (example.com):
- Don't create CNAME records - use alias records instead
- Alias records have alias block instead of records

hcl

# Wrong - CNAME at apex not allowed
resource "aws_route53_record" "apex" {
  zone_id = aws_route53_zone.main.zone_id
  name    = "example.com"
  type    = "CNAME"
  ttl     = 300
  records = ["target.example.com"]  # ❌ INVALID
}

# Correct - use alias for apex
resource "aws_route53_record" "apex" {
  zone_id = aws_route53_zone.main.zone_id
  name    = "example.com"
  type    = "A"
  alias {
    name                   = aws_cloudfront_distribution.main.domain_name
    zone_id                = aws_cloudfront_distribution.main.hosted_zone_id
    evaluate_target_health = false
  }
}

For subdomains (www.example.com):
- If a CNAME exists, remove it before adding A, MX, or TXT records
- Or import the CNAME and let Terraform manage it

bash

terraform import aws_route53_record.www ZONEID_www.example.com._CNAME

4Import existing records instead of recreating them

If the record already exists in Route53 but isn't in your Terraform state, import it:

bash

# Format: terraform import aws_route53_record.NAME ZONEID_RECORDNAME_TYPE

# Example: import A record for example.com
terraform import aws_route53_record.example Z1234567890ABC_example.com_A

# Example: import CNAME record for www.example.com
terraform import aws_route53_record.www Z1234567890ABC_www.example.com_CNAME

Get your zone ID with:

bash

aws route53 list-hosted-zones-by-name --dns-name example.com --query 'HostedZones[0].Id' --output text | cut -d'/' -f3

After importing, verify Terraform detects no changes:

bash

terraform plan

5Check TTL and record value format for delete operations

When deleting records, Terraform must match the exact values that currently exist. If the error occurs during destroy:

bash

# View what Terraform thinks should be deleted
terraform state show aws_route53_record.example

Ensure the values match Route53 exactly:
- TTL must match (default is usually 300)
- Record values must be identical
- For weighted/failover records, the set identifier must match

If values don't match, refresh Terraform state:

bash

terraform refresh
terraform plan  # See what it now detects

If this doesn't resolve it, you may need to manually delete the record in AWS and re-import:

bash

aws route53 change-resource-record-sets --hosted-zone-id ZONE_ID \
  --change-batch file://delete-change.json

Then re-import:

bash

terraform import aws_route53_record.example ZONE_ID_name_TYPE

6Validate domain name length and format

Route53 has strict DNS naming requirements:

hcl

resource "aws_route53_record" "example" {
  zone_id = aws_route53_zone.main.zone_id
  # name: Each label must be 63 chars or less
  # Total length including dots max 255 chars
  name    = "very-long-label-exceeding-63-characters-will-fail.example.com"  # ❌ BAD
  name    = "valid-label-under-63-chars.example.com"  # ✅ GOOD
  type    = "A"
  ttl     = 300
  records = ["192.0.2.1"]
}

Check for common issues:
- No empty labels (double dots: example..com)
- No trailing dots in the name variable (Route53 auto-adds them)
- All labels are lowercase alphanumeric, hyphens (no underscores in most cases)

If you see "DomainLabelTooLong" or "DomainLabelEmpty" in the error, fix the domain name format.

7Use allow_overwrite for records that may be managed elsewhere

If a record exists in Route53 and you want Terraform to take over, use the allow_overwrite parameter:

hcl

resource "aws_route53_record" "example" {
  zone_id         = aws_route53_zone.main.zone_id
  name            = "example.com"
  type            = "A"
  ttl             = 300
  records         = ["192.0.2.1"]
  allow_overwrite = true  # Allow overwriting existing records
}

This tells Terraform to replace the record if it differs, rather than failing with InvalidChangeBatch. Use with caution if the record is managed outside Terraform.

How to fix Error: Error creating Route53 record: InvalidChangeBatch in Terraform

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How to fix "Error: Error creating Route53 record: InvalidChangeBatch"

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