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🧠 What’s a CNAME Record?

A CNAME (Canonical Name) record is a type of DNS record that points one domain or subdomain to another domain name, instead of to an IP address.

Where an A Record says:

“firstday.ca → 35.182.184.239” (an IP)

A CNAME says:

“www.firstday.ca → **firstday.ca`” (another domain)

The CNAME doesn’t know the IP — it just says:

“Go ask this other domain where to go.”

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🧭 Real-World Example (with firstday.ca)

Let’s say your root domain (firstday.ca) is already pointing to Rebel’s server via A Record:

A Record: @ → 35.182.184.239

Now you want www.firstday.ca to work too. Instead of creating another A Record, you can:

CNAME Record: www → @

So now:

• firstday.ca loads the site via the A Record
• www.firstday.ca simply follows @ (the root) using the CNAME

✅ Easier to manage
✅ Only one A Record to maintain
✅ Safer when changing IPs later — you only need to update one place

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🤔 When Are CNAME Records Used?

Situation	Why a CNAME is useful
You want www.firstday.ca to follow firstday.ca	Avoids duplicate A Records for both
You’re connecting to a platform (e.g. Shopify, Wix, Squarespace)	They’ll ask for a CNAME to their platform
Setting up custom subdomains (e.g. shop.firstday.ca)	Subdomain follows another hostname like shops.myplatform.com

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🔍 What Does a CNAME Look Like?

Field	Value
Type	CNAME
Host/Name	The subdomain you’re creating (e.g. www)
Value	The domain you’re pointing to (e.g. firstday.ca)
TTL	Leave as default (e.g. 3600)

💡 @ cannot be used as the value in a CNAME — just write the full domain (e.g. firstday.ca).

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📍 How to Check or Add a CNAME in Plesk

1. Go to Domains → DNS Settings
2. Look for a CNAME record with www or the subdomain
3. If it’s missing, click Add Record
   • Record type: CNAME
   • Domain name: www
   • Canonical name: firstday.ca
4. Save changes — you’re done!

✅ Safe to do
❌ Don’t create a CNAME and A Record with the same name (e.g., both for www) — it can break things

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⚠️ Common Issues Agents May See

Problem	What’s Going On
www.firstday.ca doesn’t load	CNAME missing or points to the wrong place
CNAME points to a domain with no A Record	The CNAME works, but the final destination doesn’t resolve
Customer tries to use both A and CNAME for same name	Causes DNS conflict — only one allowed
Connecting to Shopify/Wix but it won’t verify	CNAME may be wrong or missing

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🔧 Tools to Help You Check CNAMEs

You can use these tools without logging into the customer’s hosting panel:

Tool	Use it for…
DNSChecker.org	Check if CNAME is live worldwide
MXToolbox	See full DNS records (CNAME, A, MX, etc.)
Kloth.net	Run a DIG lookup for CNAME
Google Dig	Fast browser-based DNS lookup

Example:
Type www.firstday.ca, choose CNAME, click Search
→ You should see it point to firstday.ca

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🧪 Testing: What Should Happen?

If everything is set up right:

• Visiting www.firstday.ca will show the same site as firstday.ca
• CNAME will follow the A Record of the domain it’s pointing to
• DNS tools will confirm:
  → CNAME: www.firstday.ca → firstday.ca
  → A: firstday.ca → 35.182.184.239

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✅ Final Takeaways for Agents

• A CNAME points a subdomain to another domain name, not to an IP
• Most often used for www → firstday.ca
• Use CNAMEs for connections to third-party platforms
• Never mix a CNAME and A Record on the same name (e.g. both for www)
• Use tools like DNS Checker or MXToolbox to confirm setup

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