Editing a CNAME on a .cm: who does it, ANTIC or your host?

In short: ANTIC, which runs .cm, does not edit CNAME, A, MX or TXT records. It keeps just one technical detail: which DNS servers answer for your name. The records themselves (a CNAME for Google, MX for your email, A for your website…) are edited wherever your DNS zone is hosted, usually your web host. Neither you nor anyone else can do it "directly with ANTIC".

The question we often get

"Google (or Microsoft, Shopify, a marketing tool…) asks me to add a CNAME record to my .cm domain. Do I have to go through ANTIC? Does ANTIC give me access to do it myself?"

The short answer is no, and it is not a .cm weakness: this is how every domain name in the world works, from .com to .fr to .cm.

One picture to understand it: the directory and the switchboard

Imagine your domain name is your company's name.

• The registry (ANTIC for .cm) keeps the official directory. For each name, it records the holder and the number of the switchboard to call. Nothing more.
• The DNS server is that switchboard. It routes every call: "the website? this way", "email? that way", "Google wants to verify? here is the answer".

A CNAME, an A or an MX record are instructions given to the switchboard. To change them, you don't call the directory: you talk to whoever runs the switchboard.

Who does what?

"But ANTIC does have an API?"

Yes, and that is exactly why we can be so clear. The .cm registry uses EPP, the standard protocol of domain registries. EPP only knows three things:

• the domain: its holder, contacts, dates, DNS servers and lock;
• contacts: the holder, the administrative contact, the technical contact;
• name servers: their name and, when needed, their IP address.

There is no command to create or edit a CNAME, an MX or a TXT record. That is not a registry's job.

Two important points:

1. The holder has no access to this API. Only registrars accredited by ANTIC can connect, with their own credentials. That is how .cm is regulated.
2. Your registrar cannot edit a CNAME there either, since the feature does not exist. It can only change your name's DNS servers.

Where to edit your CNAME records, in practice

Whoever you bought your .cm from, it all depends on who hosts your DNS zone, meaning the DNS servers declared for your name.

Step 1: find out who hosts your zone

Look at your domain's name servers (or "DNS servers", "nameservers"):

• in your registrar's customer area, on the domain's page;
• or with a free online "NS" or "Whois" lookup tool: type your .cm name and it shows lines such as ns1.example.com.

The servers' names tell you where to go: ns1.yourhost.com means your web host, xxx.ns.cloudflare.com means Cloudflare, and so on. That is where, and only where, your CNAME records are edited.

Step 2: open that provider's DNS tool

The menu name depends on the tool, but the principle is always the same:

In every case you fill in the same details: the type (CNAME), the name (for example www or shop), the target (the address given by Google, your store…) and possibly the cache time (TTL), which you can leave at its default.

A good habit: if you can't find the menu, search for "DNS" or "zone" in your provider's help. Still nothing? Your provider may not give access to its zone: the solution is right below.

What if your DNS servers are ZoomLab's?

• With hosting from us: your zone is on our cPanel server. The username and link are in your customer area (My services), then Zone Editor, as described above.
• With only the domain name from us: send us the requested record (copy the instruction you received exactly) and our support team handles it. You can also hand your zone to the DNS service of your choice by entering its servers in your customer area, under Domains.

Your host gives no access to DNS? Hand it to a specialist service

Some hosting providers are closed: no zone editor, no advanced settings area, or only a few fixed options (website and email, nothing else). You then can't add the CNAME that Google or your online store asks for.

The standard solution, used all over the world, is to hand your DNS zone to a specialist DNS service. Your website and email stay with your host: only the "switchboard" changes hands, and this time you hold the keys.

Which services?

• Cloudflare: free plan, very widely used, simple interface; it detects your existing records when you add the domain.
• Hurricane Electric Free DNS or ClouDNS: free plans, more technical.
• DNSimple: a well-known service, but paid (with a trial period).

All of them accept .cm names: a DNS service doesn't depend on the extension.

The steps, in 4 moves

1. Note all your current records: the website address (A), email (MX), verification and security (TXT: SPF, DKIM…). Your host can give them to you, or an online DNS lookup tool shows them.
2. Create an account with the chosen service and add your domain. Copy all the records you noted (check the ones the service detected on its own), then add the CNAME you need.
3. Change your domain's DNS servers to the ones the service gives you (for example two names ending in ns.cloudflare.com). For a .cm, your registrar passes this change on to the ANTIC registry: either you do it from its customer area, or you ask it to.
4. Wait a few hours for propagation, then check that the website, email and new CNAME all work.

Careful with Cloudflare: its "orange cloud" (proxy mode) routes traffic through Cloudflare. Keep it on for the website if you like, but set the records for email, cPanel, FTP and anything a tool asks you to verify to "DNS only" (grey cloud).

What if they refuse to change your DNS servers?

It's your right as the holder: your registrar must apply the DNS servers you choose. If it refuses or doesn't answer, you can transfer your domain to another accredited registrar, which will do it. Transferring a .cm is free to do; here is how to transfer it to ZoomLab.

The most common DNS records, in one sentence each

• A / AAAA: the address of the server that shows your website.
• CNAME: an alias, "this name is another name" (for example, www.mysite.cm points to mysite.cm, or shop.mysite.cm to your online store).
• MX: the server that receives your email.
• TXT: a verification or security text (Google, Microsoft, SPF, DKIM, DMARC).

Pitfalls to avoid

• Changing DNS servers without copying the zone: your old records don't follow. Note them all (website, email, verifications) before switching, or your website or email will stop working.
• Putting a CNAME at the root (plain mysite.cm): the DNS standard forbids it, because it would clash with MX and other records. Use an A record, or a CNAME on a subdomain such as www.
• Being impatient: a change takes from a few minutes to a few hours to be visible everywhere (this is "propagation").
• Typing the name twice: in many editors you only enter www, not www.mysite.cm.mysite.cm. Follow the format the tool asks for.

Frequently asked questions

Can ANTIC add a CNAME for me?

No. ANTIC manages the directory of .cm names and their list of DNS servers, not the records themselves. A CNAME is set wherever your DNS zone is hosted.

Can I get direct access to ANTIC's API to manage my domain?

No. Only registrars accredited by ANTIC have access. And even with that access, the API cannot edit a CNAME: it is used to register, renew and transfer a name and to change its DNS servers.

Is my domain less mine if I don't manage everything with ANTIC?

No. You remain the legal holder, listed in the registry. DNS is a technical service: you can hand it to whoever you like, and switch whenever you want by changing your name's DNS servers.

My host gives me no access to DNS: what do I do?

Hand your DNS zone to a specialist service such as Cloudflare (free): copy your existing records there, add your CNAME, then have your domain's DNS servers replaced with the service's. Your website and email stay with your host.

How long does it take for a CNAME to work?

Usually a few minutes, sometimes a few hours depending on the cache time (TTL) of the old record. If nothing changes after 24 hours, check that you edited the zone with the right provider.

Google asks me for a TXT or CNAME record to verify my domain: what do I do?

Copy the exact value Google gives you, then add it in the DNS tool of whoever hosts your zone (cPanel Zone Editor, Plesk DNS Settings, Cloudflare DNS menu…). Verification usually succeeds within minutes.

Need a hand?

A record to add, unsure where your DNS zone lives? Write to us with your domain name and the instruction you received: we tell you what to do, or we do it for you. And if you want hosting where everything is managed in one place, compare our plans.