diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7187540cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+# DNSControl 
+
+DNSControl is a system for maintaining DNS zones.  It has two parts:
+a domain specific language (DSL) for describing DNS zones plus
+software that processes the DSL and pushes the resulting zones to
+DNS providers such as Route53, CloudFlare, and Gandi.  It can talk
+to Microsoft ActiveDirectory and it generates the most beautiful
+BIND zone files ever.  It run anywhere Go runs (Linux, macOS,
+Windows).
+
+At Stack Overflow, we use this system to manage hundreds of domains
+and subdomains across multiple registrars and DNS providers.
+
+You can think of it as a DNS compiler.  The configuration files are
+written in a DSL that looks a lot like JavaScript.  It is compiled
+to an intermediate representation (IR).  Compiler back-ends use the
+IR to update your DNS zones on services such as Route53, CloudFlare,
+and Gandi, or systems such as BIND and ActiveDirectory.
+
+# Benefits
+
+* Editing zone files is error-prone.  Clicking buttons on a web
+page is irreproducible.
+* Switching DNS providers becomes a no-brainer.  The DNSControl
+language is vendor-agnostic.  If you use it to maintain your DNS
+zone records, you can switch between DNS providers easily. In fact,
+DNSControl will upload your DNS records to multiple providers, which
+means you can test one while switching to another. We've switched
+providers 3 times in three years and we've never lost a DNS record.
+* Adopt CI/CD principles to DNS!  At StackOverflow we maintain our
+DNSControl configurations in Git and use our CI system to roll out
+changes.  Keeping DNS information in a VCS means we have full
+history.  Using CI enables us to include unit-tests and system-tests.
+Remember when you forgot to include a "." at the end of an MX record?
+We haven't had that problem since we included a test to make sure
+Tom doesn't make that mistake... again.
+* Variables safe time!  Assign an IP address to a constant and use
+the variable name throughout the file. Need to change the IP address
+globally? Just change the variable and "recompile."
+* Macros!  Define your SPF records, MX records, or other repeated
+data once and re-use them for all domains.
+* Control CloudFlare from a single location.  Enable/disable
+Cloudflare proxying (the "orange cloud" button) directly from your
+DNSControl files.
+* Keep similar domains in sync with transforms and other features.
+If one domain is supposed to be the same
+* It is extendable!  All the DNS providers are written as plugins.
+Writing new plugins is very easy.
+
+# Installation
+
+`go get github.com/StackExchange/DNSControl`
+
+or get prebuilt binaries from our github page.