What could cause a CNAME verification failure?
Possible reasons for CNAME verification failure are:
Incorrect CNAME Record Setup:
A CNAME record maps one domain name to another. If the CNAME record is incorrectly set (wrong target domain or syntax error), the verification will fail. Double-check that the record points to the correct destination and follows the proper format.
DNS Propagation Delay:
DNS changes (including CNAME records) can take time to spread across the internet. Depending on your DNS provider, propagation can range from a few minutes to up to 48 hours. During this time, some servers may still be using outdated information, leading to verification failure.
Typo in the CNAME Record:
Small errors in the CNAME record, like a missing dot or incorrect subdomain, can prevent proper resolution. It's important to ensure that the target domain is correctly entered, including any required trailing periods for fully qualified domain names (FQDNs).
DNS Caching:
DNS records are often cached by both the DNS resolver and web browsers to reduce load times. If the old CNAME record is cached, the verification system may still be seeing outdated information. Clearing the cache or waiting for the cache to expire can resolve this issue.
Domain Name Server Issues:
If there’s an issue with the DNS provider or server (e.g., server downtime, misconfigurations), it may cause the CNAME record not to resolve properly. Check if the DNS provider is experiencing any issues or outages and consider using a different DNS service if necessary.
Incorrect TTL (Time to Live):
TTL determines how long DNS information is cached. If the TTL is set too high, changes to DNS records might not be reflected quickly enough, causing a delay in the verification process. A lower TTL value ensures that changes propagate more quickly. Ideally, set TTL to a lower value (e.g., 300 seconds) during setup and adjust afterward.
Conflicting DNS Records:
Conflicting records can prevent proper CNAME resolution. DNS standards dictate that only one type of record (A, CNAME, etc.) can exist for a given subdomain, so ensure no conflicts are present. For example, if there's an A record for www.abc.com , it will conflict with a CNAME for the same subdomain.