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CNAME

Canonical Name Record

CNAME creates an alias: name A points to name B (not to an IP). Whatever B resolves to applies to A.

Syntax

alias TTL IN CNAME target_name

Example

www.example.com.    300    IN    CNAME    example.com.

When to use

When: point www to apex, or a subdomain to a CDN/external service.

Common mistakes

Common mistakes: CNAME at the apex is forbidden by RFC. CNAME cannot coexist with A/MX/TXT at the same label.

Check CNAME records for any domain:

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