---
title: "ANAME / Apex Alias"
type: "page"
post_id: "34"
slug: "aname-apex-alias"
canonical: "https://www.zoneedit.com/aname-apex-alias/"
markdown_url: "https://www.zoneedit.com/aname-apex-alias.md"
json_url: "https://www.zoneedit.com/aname-apex-alias.json"
txt_url: "https://www.zoneedit.com/aname-apex-alias.txt"
published: "2026-06-26T12:59:09+00:00"
modified: "2026-08-06T17:48:22+00:00"
author: "markjr"
categories:
tags:
site_name: "ZoneEdit"
publisher: "Zoneedit.com"
language: "en-US"
generator: "easyPress AI Discoverability"
generator_version: "2.0.12"
---
ANAME / Apex Alias

Point your root domain at a hostname.
=====================================

An ANAME (apex alias) lets `example.com` resolve to a changing third-party hostname — a CDN, load balancer, or website builder — without giving up mail and other records at the root.

[Create an ANAME](https://www.zoneedit.com/signup/) [See pricing](https://www.zoneedit.com/pricing/)



Why a CNAME at the root breaks
------------------------------

DNS does not allow a CNAME at the zone apex to coexist with other records. Because your root needs an SOA, NS, and usually MX, a plain CNAME there is invalid — which is why you cannot simply `CNAME example.com` to a provider hostname.

An ANAME solves this: ZoneEdit resolves the target hostname and answers the apex with its current address, while your MX and other apex records keep working.



A vs CNAME vs ANAME
-------------------

 A recordCNAMEANAME / apex aliasWorks at the root (apex)YesNoYesFollows a changing targetNo (fixed IP)YesYesCoexists with MX at apexYesNoYesTypical useStatic IPSubdomainsRoot pointed at a hostname

Common use cases
----------------

### CDN at the apex

Serve your root domain through a CDN hostname that changes IPs over time.



### Website builders & platforms

Point a naked domain at a platform endpoint that only gives you a hostname.



### Load balancers

Alias the root to a balancer DNS name without hardcoding addresses.



### Changing third-party targets

Keep the apex correct when the upstream provider rotates infrastructure.







Set it up
---------

1. Add an ANAME at the apexCreate the apex-alias record and enter the target hostname your provider gave you.

2. Keep your MX and TXT recordsMail and verification records at the root continue to work alongside the ANAME.

3. Verify resolutionConfirm the apex answers with the target’s current address.





Frequently asked
----------------

Is this the same as ALIAS or CNAME flattening?The concept is the same — a root-domain alias, sometimes called ALIAS, apex alias, or CNAME flattening. ZoneEdit implements it as an ANAME.

What about www?You can point `www` with a normal CNAME and the root with an ANAME, or redirect one to the other with forwarding.



[Create an ANAME](https://www.zoneedit.com/signup/)