---
title: How do I point a subdomain to a service outside of Vercel?
description: Information on how to make a subdomain available to a service outside of Vercel.
url: /kb/guide/pointing-subdomains-to-external-services
canonical_url: "https://vercel.com/kb/guide/pointing-subdomains-to-external-services"
published: 2025-11-03
last_updated: 2025-11-10
authors: Matthew Sweeney, Justin Vitale, William Li
related:
  - /docs/concepts/projects/custom-domains
install_vercel_plugin: npx plugins add vercel/vercel-plugin
---
<!-- docsgraph:related -->
## Related pages

> **For AI agents:** Follow these links to understand how this page connects to the rest of the Vercel ecosystem. For the full cross-link map (inbound, outbound, prerequisites, and semantic neighbors), see the .graph.md link below.

- [Working with Domains](https://vercel.com/docs/domains/working-with-domains?from=related) — Learn how domains work and the options Vercel provides for managing them.
- [Set Up Custom Domain](https://vercel.com/docs/domains/set-up-custom-domain?from=related) — Add and configure a custom domain for your Vercel project using the CLI.
- [Managing DNS Records](https://vercel.com/docs/domains/managing-dns-records?from=related) — Learn how to add, verify, and remove DNS records for your domains on Vercel with this guide.
- [Working with DNS](https://vercel.com/docs/domains/working-with-dns?from=related) — Learn how DNS works in order to properly configure your domain.
- [Working with Nameservers](https://vercel.com/docs/domains/working-with-nameservers?from=related) — Learn about nameservers and the benefits Vercel nameservers provide.
- [How do I add a custom domain to my Vercel project?](https://vercel.com/kb/guide/how-do-i-add-a-custom-domain-to-my-vercel-project?from=related) — Learn how to add a custom domain to your Vercel project.
- [Does using Vercel's Nameserver's lock you in?](https://vercel.com/kb/guide/does-using-vercel-s-nameserver-s-lock-you-in?from=related) — Learn about how using Vercel's Nameservers doesn't lock you to anything.
- [How do I send and receive emails with my Vercel purchased domain?](https://vercel.com/kb/guide/using-email-with-your-vercel-domain?from=related) — Information on how to send and receive emails with a domain purchased from Vercel.
- [How can I manage my Vercel DNS records?](https://vercel.com/kb/guide/how-to-manage-vercel-dns-records?from=related) — Add, edit, and delete Vercel DNS records from the dashboard, CLI, or REST API, and fix the Invalid Configuration error o
- [Why is my Vercel domain not verified?](https://vercel.com/kb/guide/why-is-my-vercel-domain-unverified?from=related) — Information on why a Vercel domain may not be verified and how to verify it.

Full cross-link map for this page: [/kb/guide/pointing-subdomains-to-external-services.graph.md](/kb/guide/pointing-subdomains-to-external-services.graph.md)
<!-- /docsgraph:related -->


If your domain is managed by Vercel, meaning it is using Vercel nameservers, then you are able to point a subdomain to an external service by adding DNS records with the Vercel CLI.

## Adding an A Record

Locate the `value` and the `name` arguments requested by the external provider and use them in the DNS UI, replacing `name` with the name provided, and `127.0.0.1` with the value:

## Adding a CNAME Record

Locate the `value` and the `name` arguments requested by the external provider and use them in the DNS UI, replacing `name` with the name provided, and `cname.example.com` with the value:

## Other Records

Any record, except for nameservers, can be added by using the [DNS UI](https://vercel.com/docs/concepts/projects/custom-domains#dns-records).

## Common Errors

When working with DNS records, minor syntax errors can be easy to make, which can be difficult to debug. Below is a list of common errors made when adding DNS records and the steps required to resolve them.

### Using the domain as part of the "name" argument:

To solve this problem, remove the record and add it again **without** the domain as the "name" argument: