CNAME records: what they are and how to add one

A CNAME (canonical name) record makes one name an alias of another. Whatever the target name resolves to, the alias resolves to as well.

www.yourdomain.co.uk.   3600   IN   CNAME   yourdomain.co.uk.

Common uses

• www as an alias of the bare domain
• Connecting a subdomain to a third-party service, such as shop pointing at a hosted shop platform or status at a status page provider
• Verification records some services ask for

The rules

• No CNAME at the bare domain. The root (@) must use A records, because a CNAME can’t coexist with the MX and NS records the root needs.
• Nothing else on the same name. A name with a CNAME can’t also have an MX, TXT or A record.
• The target is a name, not an IP address. Use an A record for addresses.
• Mind the trailing dot. Enter the target as the service instructs; a fully qualified target ends with a dot.

Adding a CNAME in DirectAdmin

1. Open Account Manager › then DNS Management and select your domain.
2. Choose Add Record, type CNAME.
3. Name: the alias, such as shop.
4. Value: the target name, such as shops.example-platform.com. (with the trailing dot for an external name).
5. Save.

Checking it

dig shop.yourdomain.co.uk CNAME +short

If a CNAME won’t save, there’s usually already another record with that name. Remove or rename it first.