What is a CNAME record?

A CNAME record is a DNS alias that points one name at another name rather than at a numeric address, so the second name’s records do the actual work. It is how you let a service manage an address on your behalf:

• The common use - pointing www at your bare domain, or a subdomain at a hosted service such as a shop or newsletter platform, so their changes flow through automatically.
• Why it helps - when the target’s address changes, you do not have to update anything; the alias keeps following it.
• The apex rule - a CNAME is not allowed on the bare domain itself, which is why hosts offer ALIAS, ANAME or ‘CNAME flattening’ to get the same effect there safely.

Use a CNAME when you want a name to follow a service’s address automatically rather than pinning it to a fixed number.