A method and apparatus for managing CNAME records such that CNAME records at the root domain are supported while complying with the RFC specification (an IP address is returned for any Address query for the root record). The authoritative DNS infrastructure acts as a DNS resolver where if there is a CNAME at the root record, rather than returning that record directly, a recursive lookup is used to follow the CNAME chain until an A record is located. The address associated with the A record is then returned. This effectively “flattens” the CNAME chain. This complies with the requirements of the DNS specification and is invisible to any service that interacts with the DNS server.