What Is CNAME?
A CNAME (Canonical Name) record is a type of DNS record that maps one domain name to another. Instead of pointing directly to an IP address (like an A record does), a CNAME creates an alias that says 'this domain is actually hosted at that other domain.'
For example, you might set up a CNAME record so that www.yourbrand.com points to yourbrand.com, or so that blog.yourbrand.com points to your Substack or WordPress hosting. The CNAME tells DNS to look up the target domain's A record to find the actual IP address.
CNAME records cannot coexist with other record types on the same hostname (with some exceptions). This means you typically can't use a CNAME on your root domain (yourbrand.com) — only on subdomains (www.yourbrand.com, blog.yourbrand.com). Some DNS providers like Cloudflare offer 'CNAME flattening' to work around this limitation.
blog.yourbrand.com → yourbrand.substack.com, or shop.yourbrand.com → shops.myshopify.com
Why This Matters for Startups
You'll use CNAME records when connecting your domain to hosted services. Common scenarios: pointing your custom domain to Shopify, Webflow, Vercel, or Netlify; setting up a blog subdomain; connecting email services. Most platforms provide step-by-step CNAME setup instructions. If you're using Cloudflare as your DNS provider, CNAME flattening lets you use CNAME even on your root domain, which simplifies many hosting configurations.
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