If you’re using Namecheap, and want to connect it to your deployed website on netlify you cannot use the ALIAS/ANAME method for the apex domain (root domain) because Namecheap doesn’t support those record types. Instead, you’ll use the A record fallback for your apex domain and a CNAME for the www subdomain.

Here’s exactly how to set it up in Namecheap:

Step 1: Configure DNS Records in Namecheap

1. Log in to your Namecheap account
2. Go to Domain List → Click Manage next to exmple.com
3. Go to the Advanced DNS tab
4. Delete any existing A records for @ or CNAME records for www (especially if pointing to parking pages)
5. Add these records:

Type	Host	Value	TTL
A Record	@	75.2.60.5	Automatic
CNAME Record	www	apex-loadbalancer.netlify.com	Automatic

Important:

• The @ symbol represents your apex domain (exmple.com)
• Do not add https:// or trailing slashes in the Value fields

6. Click Save All Changes

Step 2: Add Domain to Netlify

1. In your Netlify dashboard, go to Site settings → Domain management → Custom domains
2. Click Add custom domain
3. Add exmple.com (apex)
4. Add www.exmple.com (www)
5. Wait for DNS propagation (usually 15-60 minutes, can take up to 24 hours)

Step 3: Set www as Primary (Recommended)

Netlify warned you that using the apex domain limits CDN benefits. To fix this:

1. In Netlify’s Domain management, set www.exmple.com as your primary domain
2. Set exmple.com to redirect to www.exmple.com
   • Netlify usually offers a toggle to “Redirect apex to www” or you can configure this in your _redirects file or netlify.toml

Step 4: Enable HTTPS

1. Once DNS propagates (check status in Netlify dashboard), go to HTTPS section
2. Click Verify DNS configuration
3. Netlify will automatically provision an SSL certificate via Let’s Encrypt for both domains

Verification

You can check if it’s working by running:

dig exmple.com +short
# Should return: 75.2.60.5

dig www.exmple.com +short
# Should return: apex-loadbalancer.netlify.com

Note: If you were previously using Namecheap’s “URL Redirect” feature, make sure that’s disabled, as it conflicts with proper DNS records.

The changes typically take effect within 30 minutes, but allow up to 24 hours for full global propagation.