A CNAME (Canonical Name) record is a type of DNS record that maps one domain name (an alias) to another domain name (the canonical or true name). Instead of pointing to an IP address like an A Record, a CNAME points to another hostname.
Connecting a third-party service to your subdomain? Check if your alias is resolving correctly.
CNAMEs are incredibly useful when you run multiple services from a single server, or when you use external platforms. For example, if you want shop.example.com to be hosted on Shopify, you don't point it to a specific IP address (because Shopify's IPs change). Instead, you create a CNAME pointing to shops.myshopify.com. The DNS resolver follows the alias, finds the A record for Shopify, and connects the user.
No. This is a fundamental DNS rule (RFC 1034). A CNAME cannot co-exist with any other record types for the same name. Since the root domain (example.com) requires an SOA and NS record, it cannot have a CNAME. If you need alias functionality at the root, you must use an ALIAS or ANAME record if your DNS provider supports it.
No. An MX Record must always point directly to a hostname that resolves to an A or AAAA record. Pointing an MX record to a CNAME is against SMTP protocol and will cause email delivery failures.
No, CNAME records must point to another domain name. If you need to point a hostname to an IP address, you must use an A Record (for IPv4) or an AAAA record (for IPv6).