What this check shows
A CNAME record makes one hostname an alias of another hostname. It is commonly used for CDNs, SaaS verification, hosted applications and service migrations.
DNSRadar compares the canonical target returned by each resolver so you can detect an old target, a missing alias or inconsistent provider configuration.
When to use it
- CDN and SaaS onboarding
- Changing an application hostname
- Verifying third-party service aliases
- Diagnosing stale CNAME targets
How to read the result
- The target is a hostname and must resolve through its own A or AAAA records.
- A CNAME normally cannot coexist with other record types at the same owner name.
- Different targets across resolvers usually indicate cached data or inconsistent authoritative servers.
Questions
Can a root domain use a CNAME?
Traditional DNS rules do not allow a CNAME at the zone apex when other required records exist; some providers offer ALIAS or ANAME behavior instead.
Why does the CNAME resolve but the website fail?
The target may resolve correctly while TLS, HTTP routing or the target service itself is misconfigured.
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