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CNAME Records

A CNAME record makes one name an alias of another. A lookup for the alias returns the target’s records. Use it to point a subdomain at a hostname with an existing address, such as a load balancer or a platform-as-a-service endpoint.

FieldExampleNotes
NameblogRelative to the zone.
TypeCNAME
Contentwww.example.com.The target hostname. End it with a trailing dot.
TTL14400Seconds. Default 4 hours.

Console (zone-file view):

blog CNAME www.example.com. 14400

CLI:

zcp dns record-create --domain examplecom --name blog --type CNAME --content www.example.com.

API: POST with { "name": "blog", "type": "CNAME", "content": "www.example.com.", "ttl": 14400 }.

dig blog.example.com +short
# www.example.com.
# 203.0.113.10

The answer shows the alias, then the target’s address.

  • Not at the apex. A CNAME cannot sit at the zone root (@). The apex already has SOA and NS records, and a CNAME cannot coexist with other records at the same name. Use an A or AAAA record for the apex.
  • Alone at its name. A name with a CNAME cannot also hold an A, MX, TXT, or any other record. Pick one.
  • Trailing dot. End the target with a dot (www.example.com.) so ZCP treats it as an absolute name and does not append your zone.

See also: A and AAAA, Worked examples, Record types