CNAME Record
A DNS record that creates an alias from one domain to another.
CNAME (Canonical Name) records point one domain name to another domain name, rather than to an IP address. It creates an alias.
How CNAME Works:
- User requests blog.yourdomain.com
- DNS finds CNAME pointing to yourblog.ghost.io
- DNS then resolves yourblog.ghost.io to its A record
- User's browser connects to that IP
CNAME Structure:
Type: CNAME
Host: blog
Value: yourblog.ghost.io
TTL: 3600
Common CNAME Uses:
WWW subdomain:
Host: www
Value: yourdomain.com
Third-party services:
Host: mail
Value: ghs.googlehosted.com
Host: shop
Value: shops.myshopify.com
Critical Limitation: You cannot create a CNAME record at the root domain (@). This is because CNAME replaces all other records at that host, which would break email (MX records) and other essential records.
For root domain aliasing, some DNS providers offer workarounds like ALIAS or ANAME records.
Why It Matters
CNAME records are essential when using third-party services. They allow you to connect subdomains to external platforms without knowing their IP addresses, and if those IPs change, your connection still works.
Practical Example
You host your blog on Ghost. Ghost tells you to create a CNAME record pointing blog.yourdomain.com to yoursite.ghost.io. Now visitors to blog.yourdomain.com see your Ghost-hosted blog.
Related Terms
Explore More Terms
Browse our complete glossary of domain name terminology.