CNAME record

Commanders Act tracking can be improved by using a first party approach in addition to the third party one. This configuration is required for some of our products.

What a CNAME is

A CNAME, or Canonical Name, is an entry within the Domain Name System (DNS) that specifies where someone can find your web pages. You'll use the CNAME to associate your custom domain with our products.

Running a domain name is a multi-sided process thanks to the many DNS management possibilities offered by web hosting providers. Most of the hosts today offer multiple options for control over your domain's DNS settings, among them being the CNAME Records.

How the CNAME creation process works

First, you'll need a corresponding CNAME record for the subdomain you decided to associate with Phoenix. For example, if you selected phoenix.mydomain.com, you will associate your it with site123.commander5.com.

Second, each hosting service has a slightly different way to create CNAME records. When in doubt, check with the particular company you're using for instructions:

• OVH : https://docs.ovh.com/gb/en/microsoft-collaborative-solutions/exchange_20132016_how_to_add_a_cname_record/

• GANDI : https://docs.gandi.net/en/domain_names/faq/record_types/cname_record.html

• NAME.COM : https://www.name.com/support/articles/115004895548-Adding-a-CNAME-Record

• DNS MADE EASY : https://help.dnsmadeeasy.com/managed-dns/dns-record-types/cname-record/

• 1&1 IONOS : https://www.ionos.com/help/domains/configuring-cname-records-for-subdomains/configuring-a-cname-record-for-a-subdomain/

Phoenix setup

TagCommander > Phoenix allows you to replicate first party cookies over time, even for Safari (ITP) users. The prerequisite consist in creating a CNAME on your domain name to make it work. Follow this step-by-step process in order to setup your Phoenix CNAME correctly.

1. Ask our support ([e-mail]) to know your dedicated Phoenix domain. It will look like this: site123.commander5.com.

2. Choose your phoenix replication domain. This domain will be use to save your first party cookies into the browser cookie pool. For example : phnx6798.mywebsite.com.

3. Add a line into your DNS records file to: - Link phnx6798.mywebsite.com with site123.commander5.com. ("phnx6798" is an example, our support team will communicate to you the alias you could put, it will be a random string different for each customer) - Tell the DNS servers that a new subdomain exists and where to find it. You will have a new entry like the following one:

   phnx6798 10800 IN CNAME site123.commander5.com.

   The final dot (.) at the end is important. If you leave this out, your record will not work!

4. Generating the https certificate CommandersAct offers 2 ways to generate it :

   • Automaticly generated by CommandersAct via Let's Encrypt standard (recommended method) : nothing to do on your side, just go to step 5.

   • Generated manualy by you : Send back to our support team the the https certificate and the private key associated to the phnx6798.mywebsite.com domain. With this method you have to update your certificate each year and send it again to our support team.

5. Register your CNAME information into CommandersAct domains management interface (See screenshot)

6. (If you choose to manually generate the certificate)

   We perform additional tests to check your configuration.

7. (If you choose to manually generate the certificate) You receive an email from us when Phoenix is ready.

Register your CNAME information into CommandersAct domain management interface