DNS – Type CNAME Records

  DNS

This article discusses type CNAME DNS records in detail. For a general guide to DNS records and their settings in the customer administration panel, see the article DNS – Domain Records.

In this article, you will learn:

Type CNAME Records

CNAME records are used to direct a subdomain to an existing domain or subdomain. The most common uses include directing subdomains to a web host that requires or supports this type of routing, or to services such as FTP, SMTP, POP/IMAP.

Since CNAME practically changes one subdomain to another (sub)domain, records of another type cannot be listed for a subdomain that already has a CNAME record, and vice versa.

A CNAME record must also lead to a (sub)domain with an A or AAAA record. Multiple CNAME records cannot be chained together.

Service Addresses

To use a CNAME record to simplify access to various WEDOS services, follow these directions:

  • FTP: You can find your FTP address using the guide Webhosting – FTP Access.
  • SMTP, POP/IMAP: To find mailserver addresses, follow the guide Emails – SMTP, POP3, IMAP.
  • Webmail: Enter webmail.wedos.net.
  • WebFTP: Enter webftp.wedos.net.
  • phpMyAdmin: Enter pma.wedos.net.

You can find an example of usage in the chapter Type CNAME Record Examples.

Services Outside WEDOS

If the service whose IPv6 address you want to learn is not with WEDOS, look for the service manual or contact its provider’s support.

Type CNAME Record Entry

For general instructions on setting up DNS records in the customer administration panel, see the article DNS – Domain Records.

If the domain uses another provider’s DNS servers, automatic or manual changes to WEDOS records will not affect its behavior.

The CNAME record must be a subdomain. The Name field must therefore contain the * character, or the name of a specific subdomain, it cannot be empty.

In the Data field, enter the name of the domain or subdomain you want your subdomain to use. Leave the protocol (http, https) out of the name.

Name                             TTL    Type   Data
(* character or subdomain name) 300 CNAME (domain or subdomain name)

Type CNAME Record Examples

The data shown below are only examples! Find out the actual data according to the instructions in the chapter Service Addresses.

Example: Webhosting ftp as a subdomain ftp.domain.tld:

WEDOS ftp subdomain CNAME for FTP server 123456.w78.wedos.net
ftp subdomain CNAME for FTP server 123456.w78.wedos.net

Example: POP, IMAP and SMTP servers as pop, imap and smtp subdomains:

CNAME subdomains for selected WEDOS mail servers
CNAME subdomains for selected WEDOS mail servers

Example: Directing all subdomains to someprovider.tld.

WEDOS CNAME subdomain wildcard
CNAME subdomain wildcard

Common Issues

Common issues with CNAME records include:

Cannot Create Subdomain Record

Issue: I get an error saying that a new record cannot be created because a CNAME record already exists for the subdomain.

Cause: If a CNAME record exists for a subdomain, you cannot create a record of a different type for it, and conversely, you cannot create a CNAME for a subdomain with an existing record of a different type.

Solution: Delete the conflicting records.

FAQ

Question: My old hosting had a CNAME record with the name www and the data www.provider.tld. How do I change this entry for WEDOS hosting?
Answer: WEDOS does not use this type of routing. Delete the record and replace it with an A record with the name * and data corresponding to the IP address of your hosting.

Question: What if I have a CNAME record with the name * and I want to add a subdomain with a different CNAME or a different type of record?
Answer: The record named * refers only to those subdomains which do not have another DNS record. You can add a specific subdomain with any type of record, including CNAME.

Děkujeme za zpětnou vazbu!