ALIAS and ANAME records
ALIAS (also called ANAME, or CNAME flattening) lets the root of a domain point at a host name, which a real CNAME can't do. Your DNS host looks up the target's addresses itself and answers with them as ordinary A and AAAA records. It isn't a standard record type: it exists only inside DNS hosts that offer it.
| Record type | ALIAS |
|---|---|
| Used for | Websites |
| How common | Common |
| Defined in | No standard: a DNS host feature |
Format
<name> <ttl> IN ALIAS <target name>
| Field | What it means | Accepted values |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Usually the domain itself (@). | Any name, most often @. |
| TTL | How long resolvers may cache the A and AAAA answers. | Seconds. Some hosts fix it to the target's TTL. |
| Target | The host name whose addresses should be returned. | A full host name, such as example.netlify.app. |
Check an ALIAS record
Type or paste a record in zone-file form (name, TTL, type, value) or just its value. Each part is explained as you type.
A valid ALIAS record.
| Part | What it means |
|---|---|
| Name@ | @ means the domain itself (the root, or apex), such as example.com. |
| TTL300 | Resolvers may keep this answer for 5 minutes before asking again. Changes can take that long to reach everyone. |
| ClassIN | Internet. Every record you'll write uses IN. |
| TypeALIAS | Points the name at another host's addresses (provider feature). |
| Targetexample.netlify.app. | Your DNS host looks up this name's addresses and answers with them as A and AAAA records. Works at the root, unlike CNAME. |
- NoteALIAS (also ANAME) isn't a standard record type. Only DNS hosts that offer it accept it, and it never appears in lookups: resolvers just see A and AAAA records.
Examples
Root domain on a hosting platform
@ 300 IN ALIAS example.netlify.app.
Visitors to example.com get the platform's current addresses, as A and AAAA records.
How it looks from outside
example.com. 300 IN A 192.0.2.44
A lookup never shows ALIAS. Resolvers only see the A and AAAA records your DNS host created from it.
Names for the same idea
| DNS host | What it's called |
|---|---|
| Cloudflare | CNAME flattening (add a CNAME at @ and it's flattened automatically) |
| Route 53 | Alias record (only to AWS resources such as CloudFront, load balancers and S3) |
| DNSimple, Namecheap, Porkbun | ALIAS record |
| DNS Made Easy, Constellix | ANAME record |
Things to know
- Because your DNS host does the lookup, the address visitors get can be based on where your DNS host is, not where they are. For services that send each visitor to a nearby server, that can mean a slightly further one.
- It only makes A and AAAA records. Other records at the root (MX, TXT) work as usual, unlike with a CNAME.
- If you move to a DNS host without ALIAS support, you'll need A records with fixed addresses instead.
TTL
Follow your DNS host's default; the answers are refreshed from the target's own TTL. How TTL works
Common mistakes
- Expecting to see ALIAS in a lookup. It always appears as A and AAAA.
- Using it where a normal CNAME works. On subdomains, a CNAME is standard and works everywhere.
- Moving DNS hosts and copying ALIAS into a host that doesn't support it.
At your DNS host
- Cloudflare: add a CNAME at @; it's flattened for you.
- Route 53: choose Alias, then the AWS resource. It can't point at a name outside AWS.
- Namecheap and Porkbun: pick ALIAS in the record type menu.
Questions
Is ALIAS a real DNS record type?
No. It has no type number and resolvers never see it. It's a feature of DNS hosts that turns a host name into A and AAAA answers on the fly.
What's the difference between ALIAS and CNAME?
A CNAME tells the resolver to go and look up another name; it can't sit at the root or next to other records. ALIAS is resolved by your DNS host, which answers with addresses, so it works at the root and next to MX and TXT records.
Is there a standard alternative?
Yes: an HTTPS record in alias mode (priority 0) at the root does the same for browsers that support it. Keep A and AAAA records too for everything else.
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