Full DNS vs CNAME — which should I pick?
When you connect a domain to WebEgg, you choose how it’s connected. Two options, both work, one is noticeably faster. Here’s the short version: pick Full DNS unless your registrar won’t let you change nameservers.
The short answer
| Question | Full DNS | Just CNAME |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | ~5 min | ~1 min |
| SSL certificate | Instant, auto-renewed | Same, sometimes slower to provision (~5–30 min) |
| Image loading speed | ~30% faster (WebP/AVIF at the edge) | Fast (we still compress on upload) |
| DDoS protection | Included | Included (via Cloudflare Pages edge) |
| Works with Wix-locked domains | No | Yes |
| Reversible | Yes — switch nameservers back anytime | Yes — delete the CNAME anytime |
If you don’t recognize what nameservers are or you’re worried about touching them, the safe answer is Just CNAME — your site will be fast either way.
What’s actually different under the hood
CNAME mode keeps your domain’s DNS at your existing registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Wix, etc.). You add one record there that says “send www.yourdomain.com traffic to WebEgg.” That’s it. Your registrar still manages everything else — email records, any other subdomains, your DNSSEC settings if you have them.
Full DNS mode moves your domain’s entire DNS to Cloudflare (managed by us). The registrar still owns your domain — you keep paying them for renewals — but they no longer answer DNS questions about it. Cloudflare does. That handoff is what unlocks the optimizations.
Will my email break?
No. This is the most-asked question and the answer is “no, we handle it specifically.”
Here’s what happens during a Full DNS upgrade, step by step:
- Before you change anything, we scan your current DNS to find every email-related record —
MX,SPF,DKIM,DMARC, plus any subdomains likemail.yourdomain.comorsmtp.yourdomain.com. - We copy each one into our Cloudflare account, exactly as you had them.
- Then you change your nameservers at your registrar.
- When DNS propagates (5–30 min), the new nameservers start answering — with the same email records you had before.
From Gmail’s / Outlook’s / your customers’ perspective, nothing changes. Email keeps flowing to the same provider. We never touch your inbox — we just move where your routing instructions are stored.
yourname@gmail.com for example), there’s nothing to migrate. The pre-scan will show no MX records and we skip that step.
What if I have a custom email setup like Mailchimp or SendGrid?
Same answer — the pre-scan picks up SPF records (which list services allowed to send email as you), and the DKIM TXT records that those services give you to authenticate outgoing mail. We auto-detect the standard selectors for these providers:
- Google Workspace —
google._domainkey - Microsoft 365 / Outlook —
selector1._domainkey,selector2._domainkey - Mailchimp —
k1._domainkey - Resend —
resend._domainkey - Mailgun, SendGrid, Amazon SES, Zoho, Fastmail — their standard selectors
If your provider uses an unusual selector, the upgrade flow will warn you that we couldn’t auto-detect DKIM. You can either copy the record manually into the new zone, or just use CNAME mode instead.
How do I actually pick?
When you click Connect a custom domain on your dashboard, you’ll see two cards side by side. Click the one you want. The Full DNS card kicks off the pre-scan + zone creation; the CNAME card just shows you the record to add at your registrar. You can also switch later — existing customers see an “Advanced settings” link on each domain row in the dashboard with an “Upgrade to Full DNS” button.
What if I change my mind?
To go from Full DNS → CNAME: change your nameservers back to your registrar’s defaults (they usually have a “Use registrar nameservers” button), then add the CNAME record we give you on the dashboard. Takes ~10 minutes total.
To go from CNAME → Full DNS: use the “Advanced settings” link on your domain row in the dashboard. We’ll guide you the same way as a new setup. Your CNAME stays active the entire time, so there’s no downtime — the nameserver change just happens in parallel.
Per-registrar setup walkthroughs
The dashboard’s Full DNS flow includes step-by-step instructions for the 8 most common registrars (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Squarespace, Hostinger, Wix, Cloudflare, name.com, Other). You’ll see them automatically after you click Set up Full DNS.
Still stuck?
Email support@webegg.ai with your domain name and a screenshot of your registrar’s DNS panel. We’ll respond same day.