Connect a Namecheap Domain to Railway, Render & Replit Apps (ALIAS & CNAME)
Cloud PaaS platforms like Railway and Render assign dynamic load-balancer hostnames rather than fixed IPv4 addresses—here is how Namecheap’s native ALIAS record solves root-domain routing.
Last verified: November 15, 2026 · 5 min read
Why Namecheap ALIAS records beat standard A records on Railway & Render
Unlike GoDaddy (which lacks root ALIAS/ANAME flattening on basic DNS), Namecheap BasicDNS includes a native "ALIAS Record" type—letting you point Host "@" directly to your Railway (*.up.railway.app) or Render (*.onrender.com) target hostname while keeping MX email records intact.
| Platform | Root (@) Record | Subdomain (www / api) Record |
|---|---|---|
| Railway | ALIAS → <service>.up.railway.app | CNAME → <service>.up.railway.app |
| Render | A → 216.24.57.1 (or ALIAS → <app>.onrender.com) | CNAME → <app>.onrender.com |
| Replit Deployments | A + TXT verification from Replit UI | CNAME → <repl>.replit.app |
Recommended Verified Offer for This Setup
12% OFF .IO Domain Registration for SaaS & AI Projects
Register a developer-trusted .IO domain with free lifetime WHOIS privacy and instant Custom DNS support for Vercel, Railway, or Cloudflare.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put my backend API on api.yourdomain.com while keeping the frontend on Vercel?
Yes! That is the cleanest microservices pattern: point @ and www to Vercel, and add a single CNAME record for Host "api" pointing to your Railway or Render service.