CNAME records and subdomain delegation
You can set up a subdomain for a Sitecore Search integration by using Sitecore certificates or your own certificates.
When you create a subdomain, you avoid common web tracking barriers and enhance the reliability of visitor tracking on your website.
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Avoid tracking blocks - ad blockers and intelligent tracking prevention (ITP) technologies commonly block cookies from third-party domains, affecting services like Search that rely on cookies for anonymous visitor tracking. To circumvent this, you can create a subdomain, like rfk.yourdomain.com, allowing Search to store cookies under your domain. This approach prevents Search cookies from being flagged as third-party, ensuring uninterrupted tracking and reporting through your dedicated subdomain.
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Simplify authentication - with Search running on your subdomain, it's automatically trusted, removing extra authentication steps.
Choosing a subdomain strategy depends on the level of control and management, you want to retain of your DNS (Domain Name System) configuration. The following sections provide an overview of CNAME records and subdomain delegation.
CNAME records
One strategy is to use a CNAME record, a type of DNS record that maps an alias name to a true or canonical domain name. Here, you create a subdomain, like <yournickname>.rfk.<yourdomain>.com, and then use a CNAME record to point the subdomain to a Search domain. Sitecore Searchprovides the CNAME records.
This is a relatively simple setup. You can choose this method when you want to maintain control over your broad DNS settings. You direct visitor traffic from a branded subdomain to Search without changing the overall structure of your domain's DNS.
Here's an example of this strategy as configured in Search:
Subdomain delegation
Another strategy is to use subdomain delegation, where you allow Search to manage your subdomain. You can create a subdomain, like <yournickname>.rfk.<yourdomain>.com and then point it to name servers provided by Search.
This is a relatively advanced setup. You can choose this method when you want Search to fully control the DNS records for your subdomain. By allowing this, Search can precisely control and customize the subdomain's DNS settings, without impacting the DNS management of your main domain.
Here's an example of this strategy as configured in Search:
