What Is DNS ALIAS Record?

An ALIAS record (also called ANAME) is a non-standard DNS record type that works like a CNAME but can be used at the apex domain. It resolves the target hostname to an IP address at the DNS server level, then returns that IP as if it were an A record.

Why It Matters

The DNS spec prohibits CNAME records at the apex domain, but many modern services (CDNs, redirect services, load balancers) give you a hostname rather than a static IP to point your DNS to. This creates a problem: you need CNAME-like behavior at the apex, but the standard doesn’t allow it.

ALIAS records solve this by performing the CNAME resolution at the DNS server level, returning the resolved IP address as a standard A record to the client. The client never sees the CNAME — it just gets an IP address, which is fully compliant with the DNS spec.

How It Works

You create an ALIAS record: example.com → redirect.domainforward.com
When a client queries example.com, your DNS provider resolves redirect.domainforward.com to its current IP address
Your DNS provider returns that IP as a standard A record response
The client connects to the IP address

This happens transparently — the client doesn’t know an ALIAS record was involved.

Provider Support

ALIAS records are not a universal standard, so support varies:

Cloudflare — Calls it “CNAME flattening” (automatic at the apex)
Route 53 (AWS) — Calls it “ALIAS record”
DNSimple — Calls it “ALIAS record”
Netlify DNS — Calls it “ALIAS record”
GoDaddy — Not supported
Namecheap — Not supported

If your DNS provider doesn’t support ALIAS records, use A records instead.

How Domain Forward Handles This

Domain Forward supports both ALIAS and A record setups. If your DNS provider offers ALIAS records, you can point your apex domain to our redirect hostname. Otherwise, use our provided A record IPs. Our DNS setup guide covers both approaches.

Related Features

Dns Setup