Cloudflare Create zone apex record: A Guide for Website Owners
Learn how to create a Cloudflare zone-apex DNS record for your root domain, choose A, AAAA, or CNAME, and use the value supplied by your host.
Facts that can change should include a source and check date. Benchmark claims should state the plan, region, method, and test period.
To create a Cloudflare zone apex record for a root domain such as example.com, open DNS Records → Add record, enter @ as the record name, choose A, AAAA, or CNAME based on the value supplied by the provider hosting your site or application, set proxy status and TTL according to your needs, and save. Do not copy an example target from the documentation; use the address or hostname your hosting provider gave you.
Understand the zone apex#
Cloudflare defines the zone apex as the domain or subdomain added to Cloudflare. If the zone is example.com, the apex is example.com. If a subdomain was added as a zone, that added subdomain is the zone apex.
For the apex record, Cloudflare documents @ as the record name. The record type and value depend on what the provider hosting your website or application supplies:
| Record type | Use it for | Value |
|---|---|---|
A | An IPv4 address | The IPv4 address supplied by your hosting provider |
AAAA | An IPv6 address | The IPv6 address supplied by your hosting provider |
CNAME | A destination hostname | The fully qualified domain name supplied by your hosting provider |
Create the record in Cloudflare#
- Obtain the exact IPv4 address, IPv6 address, or fully qualified domain name from the provider hosting your website or application.
- In the Cloudflare dashboard, go to DNS Records and select Add record.
- Enter
@in the record name field. - Select
A,AAAA, orCNAMEto match the target information you received. - Enter the supplied address or hostname. Set the proxy status and TTL according to your needs.
- Save the record.
The record type must match the format of the destination. An IPv4 address belongs in an A record, an IPv6 address belongs in an AAAA record, and a fully qualified domain name belongs in a CNAME record.
Using a CNAME at the zone apex#
Cloudflare specifically documents CNAME flattening as its method for supporting a CNAME at the zone apex. If a previous DNS provider used an ANAME or ALIAS record, Cloudflare says those records can be recreated as CNAME records in Cloudflare. This behavior and instruction are specific to Cloudflare and should not be assumed for every DNS provider.
If you do not know which record type or target to use, ask the provider hosting the website or application for the exact DNS value before saving the record.
Sources
- Cloudflare: Create zone apex record Checked 2026-10-04
- Cloudflare dns documentation Checked 2026-10-04