# Edit DNS records at Amazon Route 53

Where to find DNS records in Amazon Route 53, what the fields are called, and how to connect a subdomain to yaya.

Source: https://yaya.page/support/articles/domains/dns-route-53
Last updated: 2026-10-23

## Before you start
- Any plan. Connecting a domain you own is free on Free, Launch and Grow.
- An AWS login that can edit Route 53, and a published yaya site.
- The **DNS steps** from **Website** > **Domain** in yaya. Keep that page open.

Route 53 records only take effect when the domain's name servers are the four name servers of your hosted zone. Check this first.

## Sign in and find the DNS page
1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console and open the Route 53 console.
2. Choose **Hosted zones** in the navigation pane.
3. Choose the name of the hosted zone for your domain.

The list shows each record in the zone.

## What the screen calls the fields
- **Record name**: the subdomain. Leave the record name empty for the root.
- **Record type**: A, CNAME, TXT and so on.
- **Value** (or **Route traffic to**): where the record points.
- **TTL (seconds)**: for a name already in use, AWS suggests 300 seconds first.

A trailing dot is optional in a CNAME value.

## Add the CNAME record for a subdomain or www
1. Copy the CNAME target from yaya.
2. Choose **Create record** in the hosted zone.
3. Choose **Simple routing** if the form asks for a routing policy.
4. Type `www` (or your subdomain) in **Record name**.
5. Choose **CNAME** as the **Record type**.
6. Paste the target in **Value**.
7. Choose **Create records**.

## The bare domain
Route 53 does not allow a CNAME on a name that matches the hosted zone.

Route 53 has an Alias record. It points to AWS resources, such as a CloudFront distribution, or to another record in the same zone. The AWS pages list no outside target such as yaya. Choose one of these:
- Connect `www.example.com` in yaya. Then send the bare domain to `www` with a web redirect from another service. The Route 53 pages describe DNS records only. They do not describe web redirects.
- Move DNS to yaya. Change the name servers at your registrar. See [Move your DNS to yaya](/support/articles/domains/move-dns-to-yaya).

## Add the TXT ownership record
1. Choose **Create record**.
2. Type `_cf-custom-hostname.www` in **Record name**. Use your own host after the dot. For the bare domain, type `_cf-custom-hostname`.
3. Choose **TXT** as the **Record type**.
4. Paste the value from yaya in **Value**. Put it in quotation marks, as AWS shows for TXT text.
5. Choose **Create records**.

## Delete or replace a conflicting record
A CNAME cannot share a name with another record. To change a record, select its row and edit it in the **Edit record** pane, then choose **Save changes**.

To remove a record, select it and choose **Delete**. You cannot delete NS or SOA records.

Leave MX and TXT mail records as they are. See [Keep your email working](/support/articles/migrate/keep-your-email-working).

## Check the result in yaya
1. Open **Website** > **Domain**.
2. Click **Check again**.

AWS says changes usually reach all Route 53 name servers within 60 seconds. Other networks can take longer. yaya sets up HTTPS on its own. There is no deploy step.

## Fix common problems
**Route 53 will not save my CNAME.** The record name matches the hosted zone. Use `www` or another subdomain.

**My records do not seem to work.** The domain uses other name servers. Make the registrar list the name servers of this hosted zone.

**The card stays on "Waiting on DNS".** See [Fix a domain that won't verify](/support/articles/domains/fix-a-domain-that-wont-verify).

Provider's own guide: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/Route53/latest/DeveloperGuide/resource-record-sets-creating.html