diff --git a/acme/api/linker.go b/acme/api/linker.go
index d4490470..a605ffc3 100644
--- a/acme/api/linker.go
+++ b/acme/api/linker.go
@@ -3,13 +3,29 @@ package api
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"net"
 	"net/url"
+	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/smallstep/certificates/acme"
 )
 
 // NewLinker returns a new Directory type.
 func NewLinker(dns, prefix string) Linker {
+	_, _, err := net.SplitHostPort(dns)
+	if err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "too many colons in address") {
+		// this is most probably an IPv6 without brackets, e.g. ::1, 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334
+		// in case a port was appended to this wrong format, we try to extract the port, then check if it's
+		// still a valid IPv6: 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334:8443 (8443 is the port). If none of
+		// these cases, then the input dns is not changed.
+		lastIndex := strings.LastIndex(dns, ":")
+		hostPart, portPart := dns[:lastIndex], dns[lastIndex+1:]
+		if ip := net.ParseIP(hostPart); ip != nil {
+			dns = "[" + hostPart + "]:" + portPart
+		} else if ip := net.ParseIP(dns); ip != nil {
+			dns = "[" + dns + "]"
+		}
+	}
 	return &linker{prefix: prefix, dns: dns}
 }
 
diff --git a/acme/api/linker_test.go b/acme/api/linker_test.go
index 4790dec8..74c2c8b0 100644
--- a/acme/api/linker_test.go
+++ b/acme/api/linker_test.go
@@ -31,6 +31,86 @@ func TestLinker_GetUnescapedPathSuffix(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equals(t, getPath(CertificateLinkType, "{provisionerID}", "{certID}"), "/{provisionerID}/certificate/{certID}")
 }
 
+func TestLinker_DNS(t *testing.T) {
+	prov := newProv()
+	escProvName := url.PathEscape(prov.GetName())
+	ctx := context.WithValue(context.Background(), provisionerContextKey, prov)
+	type test struct {
+		name                  string
+		dns                   string
+		prefix                string
+		expectedDirectoryLink string
+	}
+	tests := []test{
+		{
+			name:                  "domain",
+			dns:                   "ca.smallstep.com",
+			prefix:                "acme",
+			expectedDirectoryLink: fmt.Sprintf("https://ca.smallstep.com/acme/%s/directory", escProvName),
+		},
+		{
+			name:                  "domain-port",
+			dns:                   "ca.smallstep.com:8443",
+			prefix:                "acme",
+			expectedDirectoryLink: fmt.Sprintf("https://ca.smallstep.com:8443/acme/%s/directory", escProvName),
+		},
+		{
+			name:                  "ipv4",
+			dns:                   "127.0.0.1",
+			prefix:                "acme",
+			expectedDirectoryLink: fmt.Sprintf("https://127.0.0.1/acme/%s/directory", escProvName),
+		},
+		{
+			name:                  "ipv4-port",
+			dns:                   "127.0.0.1:8443",
+			prefix:                "acme",
+			expectedDirectoryLink: fmt.Sprintf("https://127.0.0.1:8443/acme/%s/directory", escProvName),
+		},
+		{
+			name:                  "ipv6",
+			dns:                   "[::1]",
+			prefix:                "acme",
+			expectedDirectoryLink: fmt.Sprintf("https://[::1]/acme/%s/directory", escProvName),
+		},
+		{
+			name:                  "ipv6-port",
+			dns:                   "[::1]:8443",
+			prefix:                "acme",
+			expectedDirectoryLink: fmt.Sprintf("https://[::1]:8443/acme/%s/directory", escProvName),
+		},
+		{
+			name:                  "ipv6-no-brackets",
+			dns:                   "::1",
+			prefix:                "acme",
+			expectedDirectoryLink: fmt.Sprintf("https://[::1]/acme/%s/directory", escProvName),
+		},
+		{
+			name:                  "ipv6-port-no-brackets",
+			dns:                   "::1:8443",
+			prefix:                "acme",
+			expectedDirectoryLink: fmt.Sprintf("https://[::1]:8443/acme/%s/directory", escProvName),
+		},
+		{
+			name:                  "ipv6-long-no-brackets",
+			dns:                   "2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334",
+			prefix:                "acme",
+			expectedDirectoryLink: fmt.Sprintf("https://[2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334]/acme/%s/directory", escProvName),
+		},
+		{
+			name:                  "ipv6-long-port-no-brackets",
+			dns:                   "2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334:8443",
+			prefix:                "acme",
+			expectedDirectoryLink: fmt.Sprintf("https://[2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334]:8443/acme/%s/directory", escProvName),
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			linker := NewLinker(tt.dns, tt.prefix)
+			assert.Equals(t, tt.expectedDirectoryLink, linker.GetLink(ctx, DirectoryLinkType))
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestLinker_GetLink(t *testing.T) {
 	dns := "ca.smallstep.com"
 	prefix := "acme"