{"id":567,"date":"2026-10-26T03:48:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T03:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sitefitters.com\/learn\/glossary\/cname-record\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T03:48:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T03:48:49","slug":"cname-record","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sitefitters.com\/fr\/learn\/glossary\/cname-record\/","title":{"rendered":"CNAME record"},"content":{"rendered":"
Learn<\/a> \/ Glossary<\/a> \/ Domains & DNS<\/a><\/div>

CNAME Record Explained.<\/em><\/h1>
In one sentence<\/small>A CNAME record is a DNS record that makes one domain name an alias of another, so it follows wherever the other name points.<\/div><\/div><\/section>

What It Is<\/h2>

A CNAME record, short for canonical name, says that one name is really another name. For example, www.yourbusiness.com can be a CNAME for yourbusiness.com, so both lead to the same place. Instead of pointing to a number, it points to another name, like a forwarding note that says to ask for a different person at the front desk.<\/p>

Why It Matters for Your Business<\/h2>

Many online services ask you to add a CNAME so a subdomain on your domain points to their system. A salon might create book.smithsalon.com as a CNAME pointing to its booking provider. If that provider changes its servers, the salon does not need to update anything, because the CNAME follows the provider’s name automatically.<\/p>

Good to Know<\/h2>

Under the standard DNS rules, the bare root domain (yourbusiness.com with nothing in front) cannot be a normal CNAME. Use an A record there, unless your DNS provider offers a special alias feature. Also, a name that has a CNAME should not have other records, such as MX, on the same name, because they can conflict.<\/p>

Related terms<\/h4>
DNS record<\/a>Subdomain<\/a>A record<\/a>DNS<\/a><\/div><\/div>