What is domain CNAME?

A Canonical Name or CNAME record is a type of DNS record that maps an alias name to a true or canonical domain name. CNAME records are typically used to map a subdomain such as www or mail to the domain hosting that subdomain’s content.

What is DNS CNAME example?

CNAME stands for Canonical Name. A common example is when you have both example.com and www.example.com pointing to the same application and hosted by the same server. To avoid maintaining two different records, it’s common to create: An A record for example.com pointing to the server IP address.

Does the name of the CNAME matter?

It doesn’t matter who you host your DNS with; there are even free providers that will host it for you. At this point whether you need CNAME or A records is dependent on the server addresses the company gives you.

Can a domain point to a CNAME?

Restrictions on CNAME Records A CNAME cannot be placed at the root domain level, because the root domain is the DNS Start of Authority (SOA) which must point to an IP address. CNAME records must point to another domain name, never to an IP address.

What is SOA DNS entry?

The DNS ‘start of authority’ (SOA) record stores important information about a domain or zone such as the email address of the administrator, when the domain was last updated, and how long the server should wait between refreshes.

Is Alias and CNAME the same?

Understanding the differences These are the main differences: The A record maps a name to one or more IP addresses when the IP are known and stable. The CNAME record maps a name to another name. The ALIAS record maps a name to another name, but can coexist with other records on that name.

What is a root domain?

While the term “root domain” was originally created in the context of DNS (domain-name servers), it typically refers to the combination of a unique domain name and a top-level domain (extensions) to form a complete “website address.” Your website’s root domain is the highest page in your site hierarchy (probably your …

What is AA record in DNS?

The A in A record stands for Address. Additionally, multiple names could point to the same address, in which case each would have its own A record pointing to that same IP address. The DNS A record is specified by RFC 1035.

What is Domain Name System (DNS)?

The Domain Name System is a bit like a postal service. There are millions of DNS servers carrying DNS records information to users about the websites they are visiting. Each server in the delivery chain needs to be up-to-date with the latest information within the DNS records.

What is a DNS CNAME record?

What is a DNS CNAME record? The ‘canonical name’ (CNAME) record is used in lieu of an A record, when a domain or subdomain is an alias of another domain. All CNAME records must point to a domain, never to an IP address

Do CNAMEs have to be unique to one domain name?

It also warns you that CNAMEs must be unique to other records. The DNS A record is specified by RFC 1035. A CNAME record must always point to another domain name and never directly to an IP address.

What DNS records do I need to add when buying a domain?

Your MX or mail exchange DNS record always exists when you buy a domain, but you need to add your client-server mail name (e.g., is it Private Email, Gmail, Protonmail, or something else?) to the record, so the domain knows which client to use. You need to have these records configured to receive mail to your domain.