cname.dev lets you map any domain or subdomain to an IP and port without DNS changes. Free reverse proxy and domains API for developers and self-hosters.
cname.dev acts as a reverse proxy layer that sits between the public internet and a user's origin server. Instead of pointing a domain directly at a server's IP through a standard DNS A or CNAME record, a user registers a domain-to-IP-and-port mapping with cname.dev, and incoming requests for that hostname are routed through the service's own proxy entry point, publicly documented as map.cname.dev, to the destination the user specified.
Because the mapping lives inside cname.dev's own system rather than in the domain's DNS zone, updating where a hostname points does not require editing DNS records or waiting for propagation. This is well suited to servers with dynamic or frequently changing IP addresses, such as home internet connections, where traditional DNS updates would be slow or require a separate dynamic DNS client.
The service is most commonly associated with self-hosters, homelab operators, and hobbyist server administrators, including small game server operators, who want a stable, memorable hostname for a service running behind a changing IP address without paying for a static IP allocation.
Its public and private domains API also makes it usable in more automated setups, where a script on the origin server can update the mapping whenever the server's IP changes, similar in spirit to how dynamic DNS clients operate for traditional DNS-based setups.
cname.dev publishes a Better Stack-powered public status page that tracks uptime for three components: the public dashboard and homepage, the domains API, and the domain-mapping proxy itself. The API and proxy components have shown occasional short interruptions and at least one longer multi-hour incident in mid-July 2026, according to that page.
Beyond the status page, cname.dev discloses very little about who operates the service, when it was founded, or where it is based. Teams considering it for anything beyond hobby or low-stakes use should weigh this lack of public company information, and the absence of a published SLA, against the convenience the service offers.
It is a dynamic reverse proxy service that maps a domain or subdomain to any IP address and port, so incoming traffic reaches your server without you needing to update DNS records directly.
Yes, based on publicly available information cname.dev is offered as a free service with no published paid tiers.
No. The service is designed specifically to let you map a hostname to an IP and port without editing your domain's own DNS zone.
Yes, its status page references both a public and a private domains API for managing mappings programmatically.
The company or individual behind cname.dev is not publicly disclosed on the site or its status page.
It can work for small or hobby projects, but the lack of public company information, an SLA, and recorded outages mean production or business-critical use should be evaluated carefully.
It is the documented proxy entry point that receives requests for mapped domains and forwards them to the registered destination IP and port.
Yes, a public status page at status.cname.dev tracks uptime for the dashboard, API, and proxy components.