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🚀 Faable DeployCustom DomainsApex Domains

Apex domains

An apex domain is the bare name — example.com, with nothing in front of it. The DNS standard does not allow a CNAME record at the root of a zone, so the CNAME instruction shown in your Faable dashboard cannot be used there. This page covers the three ways round it and how to choose.

If your hostname has something in front of it — www.example.com, app.example.com — none of this applies. Follow Custom Domain and use the CNAME.

Why the CNAME does not work at the root

A CNAME means “this name is an alias for that one”, and the standard (RFC 1034 §3.6.2 ) says a name with a CNAME cannot hold any other record. The zone root has to hold NS and SOA records to exist at all, so a CNAME there would contradict them. Most DNS providers simply refuse to save it.

This is a property of DNS, not a Faable limitation — you will hit the same wall with any host.

Option 1 — ALIAS / ANAME (best, if your provider has it)

Some providers offer a synthetic record that behaves like a CNAME at the apex: they resolve the target for you and answer with its addresses. It is variously called ALIAS, ANAME or CNAME flattening.

Create it pointing at the same target the dashboard shows for the CNAME:

.    IN    ALIAS    <domain_id>.faable.link.

Providers that support it include Cloudflare (automatic CNAME flattening at the root), Route 53 (alias records), DNSimple and Namecheap. See Cloudflare and Namecheap.

This is the option to prefer: the target is a hostname, so if Faable’s addresses ever change your domain follows automatically.

Option 2 — an A record

If your provider has no ALIAS — GoDaddy is the common case, see GoDaddy — point the root at Faable’s address with a plain A record.

Resolve the address your domain should use:

dig <domain_id>.faable.link A +short | tail -1

Take <domain_id>.faable.link from your Faable dashboard. Then create:

.    IN    A    <the address you just resolved>

Faable accepts this and verifies the domain normally.

An `A` record writes a **literal IP address** into your zone. An `ALIAS` or `CNAME` follows Faable's address automatically; an `A` record does not. If our addresses ever change, an apex on an `A` record stops resolving until you edit it by hand. Prefer Option 1, or Option 3.

Option 3 — serve on www and redirect the root

Often the simplest answer: put the app on www.example.com with a normal CNAME, and have your DNS provider redirect the bare domain to it.

Most providers offer this as Domain Forwarding, URL Redirect or a redirect rule. Use a permanent (301) redirect to https://www.example.com.

Nothing to maintain, nothing pinned to an address, and visitors typing example.com still land on your app.

Apply the redirect **only** to the bare domain. A redirect on the hostname you gave to Faable is an HTTP redirect rather than a DNS record, so Faable cannot verify it and no certificate will be issued.

Which to choose

Your providerUse
Cloudflare, Route 53, DNSimple, NamecheapOption 1 — ALIAS / flattening
GoDaddy, or anything without ALIASOption 3 — www plus a 301
You need the bare domain to serve directlyOption 2 — A record

Verify

dig example.com A +short

The address should match the one you resolved from <domain_id>.faable.link. Faable re-checks every domain automatically; once the record resolves, the domain verifies and the SSL certificate is issued shortly after.

Remember that both the apex and www are separate names. If you want both to work, configure both.

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