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CNAME Lookup

Check the CNAME record of a hostname, follow the alias chain hop by hop to its final target, and catch dangling CNAMEs that point at something that no longer exists.

Look up a CNAME

Enter a hostname to follow its CNAME chain to the final target and that target's addresses. Free, no signup.

What a CNAME record is

A CNAME (canonical name) record makes one name an alias of another. When a resolver meets shop.example.com CNAME shops.provider.net, it restarts the lookup at shops.provider.net and returns that name's addresses. That is why SaaS services ask for CNAMEs: when they move their servers, your alias follows. Two rules come with it. A name with a CNAME may hold no other records (RFC 1034 section 3.6.2 and RFC 2181 section 10.1), and therefore the apex of a domain, which always has SOA and NS records, cannot be a CNAME.

How to read the result

The chain table shows every hop, from the name you entered to the next name, with the TTL of each CNAME record. The facts give the final target and the addresses it resolves to. A name that is not an alias is reported as such, with its own addresses. One or two hops are normal for CDNs and hosted platforms; every extra hop is another lookup, and another party whose change can break your name.

Dangling CNAMEs and subdomain takeover

A CNAME that points at a cloud resource you have deleted, such as a storage bucket, an app service, or a hosted site or status page, keeps pointing there after the resource is gone. On many platforms, anyone can then create a resource with the same name and serve their own content on your subdomain, with your domain in the address bar. That enables convincing phishing and can expose cookies scoped to your domain. The fix is ordering: delete or change the DNS record before you delete the cloud resource, and review your CNAMEs whenever a project ends. This lookup flags a chain whose target returns no address.

CNAMEs at the zone apex

Because the apex holds SOA and NS records, a CNAME there is not allowed (RFC 1912 section 2.4); where a DNS host accepts it anyway, mail and other services at the domain can break in hard-to-trace ways. DNS providers solve the wish to alias the apex in their own way, called ALIAS, ANAME or CNAME flattening: the provider resolves the target itself and publishes ordinary A and AAAA records at the apex. To a lookup, a flattened apex looks like a name with A records and no CNAME.

Common problems

Adding a TXT record for domain verification at a name that already has a CNAME, which the rules forbid; put the TXT somewhere else or ask the service for another method. Pointing an MX or NS record at a CNAME, which RFC 2181 section 10.3 forbids. A chain that loops back to itself, which resolvers answer with an error. And a CNAME target typed without its final dot in a zone file, so example.com is appended and the alias points at a name that does not exist.

What This Checks

  • CNAME record of a hostname
  • The full alias chain, hop by hop, with TTLs
  • Final target and the addresses it resolves to
  • Dangling CNAMEs whose target returns no address
  • CNAME loops and CNAMEs at a zone apex

Common Fix Path

  • Remove a CNAME before deleting the cloud resource it points at
  • Use A/AAAA or a provider ALIAS at the apex
  • Keep alias chains short and free of loops
  • Move verification TXT records off names that are CNAMEs

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a CNAME lookup show?
It shows whether a hostname is an alias and of which name. This tool follows the whole chain, one hop at a time, to the final target and then shows the addresses that target resolves to.
Can a CNAME point to another CNAME?
Yes. Resolvers follow chains, and CDNs often use two or three hops. Keep chains short: each hop is another lookup and another dependency, and a chain that loops back on itself fails.
Can I use a CNAME at the root domain?
No. The root (apex) of a domain carries SOA and NS records, and a CNAME may not share a name with other records. Use A and AAAA records there, or your DNS provider's ALIAS, ANAME or CNAME flattening feature.
Can a CNAME exist next to other records at the same name?
No. A name with a CNAME may not have A, MX, TXT or any other records (RFC 1034 and RFC 2181). This is the usual reason a verification TXT record cannot be added at a subdomain that is already a CNAME.
What is a dangling CNAME?
A CNAME whose target no longer exists, typically a deleted cloud resource. On many platforms someone else can claim that target name and serve content on your subdomain. Remove the CNAME before you delete the resource it points at.
Should I use a CNAME or an A record?
Use a CNAME when a provider gives you a hostname and may change its addresses; your alias follows them. Use A and AAAA records at the apex, and where you control the server address yourself.

Machine-Readable Evidence

AI assistants and automation can cite the stable explanation page, then fetch the live check result for a specific domain.

GET https://intodns.ai/api/dns/lookup?domain=www.example.com&type=CNAME

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