For people new to DNS the difference between CNAME and A records is not immediately obvious. On the surface both seem to send your domain somewhere, but under the hood they use very different mechanisms and the choice affects both reliability and speed.
An A record (Address record) is the most basic DNS record type and binds a domain name to a specific IPv4 address. When the browser asks for "sayt.uz" the DNS server returns something like "185.45.122.10" and the browser connects directly to that server. A CNAME (Canonical Name) works differently: it points one name to another name, and the DNS resolver then performs a new lookup for that target name.
When an A record fits
If you run a server with a static IP and want your domain to point directly at it, an A record is ideal. It requires the fewest DNS lookups โ the browser asks once and gets an answer โ which improves page load times.
Another important case is the root domain, for example "sayt.uz" without any prefix. DNS standards forbid using CNAME on the root because it must coexist with SOA and NS records, and CNAME cannot share a host with other records. So the apex domain always uses an A record.
The benefits of CNAME
CNAMEs shine when working with subdomains. Say you run "blog.sayt.uz" on an external platform. The provider may rotate IP addresses, but if you used a CNAME to "hosting.example.com" the IP change is transparent โ everything keeps working without intervention.
CDNs such as Cloudflare or Fastly almost always recommend a CNAME setup. They operate thousands of IP addresses and route the user to the nearest one, and if you hardcode a single IP with an A record you lose that intelligent routing.
CNAME limitations and pitfalls
The biggest CNAME limitation is that if a host carries a CNAME, no other record can exist on the same host. If you put a CNAME on "shop.sayt.uz" you cannot add an MX record there and mail for that subdomain will not work.
A frequent mistake is building overly long CNAME chains. When a resolver sees a CNAME it restarts the lookup, and if the next target is also a CNAME the cycle continues. Every step adds latency, so chains should be limited to two or three hops.
ALIAS and ANAME hybrids
For users who want a CDN on the apex domain, some providers offer special ALIAS or ANAME record types. They look like CNAME on the surface but the DNS server resolves the target to an IP at response time.
This mechanism is not part of the DNS standard and not every provider supports it. If yours does, ALIAS is the most convenient way to put a CDN in front of your root domain.
Sayt.uz practice
Roughly 64 percent of Sayt.uz domains use an A record on the root pointing directly at hosting, while 36 percent go through Cloudflare or a similar CDN. At the subdomain level CNAME is far more common โ 71 percent of subdomains attach to an external service via CNAME, particularly "shop", "blog" and "mail".
Our DNS panel is free across all plans, with unlimited A, CNAME and ALIAS records. A .uz domain costs 119 000 soum per year and hosting starts from 39 000 soum per month with automatic DNS provisioning. Advanced CDN configuration with our specialists is offered from 180 000 soum.