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How to Buy a Domain on AWS Route 53

AWS Route 53 can be both your domain registrar and your DNS provider. If you already use AWS, it’s a reliable option—but it has a few “AWS-specific” details that surprise first-timers (mainly hosted zone fees and how apex DNS works).

This guide walks you through registering a domain with Route 53 in a way that’s easy to follow and friendly for branded short links (like Snipzr).

Before you start (2 minutes)​

What you need​

Understand the real costs (important)​

When you register a domain with Route 53, AWS automatically:

Cost saver

If you want to minimize ongoing costs, you can keep the domain registered in Route 53 but host DNS on Cloudflare’s free DNS and then delete the Route 53 hosted zone to stop the monthly hosted zone charge.
AWS explains how to update nameservers to another DNS provider, and confirms Route 53 stops billing the monthly hosted zone charge after you delete the hosted zone. Sources:

A few Route 53 registration limitations worth knowing​

AWS states:

Step-by-step: Register the domain in Route 53​

1) Open Route 53 domain registration​

  1. Go to Route 53: https://console.aws.amazon.com/route53/
  2. In the left menu, open Domains → Registered domains
  3. Click Register domains
    Source (AWS): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/Route53/latest/DeveloperGuide/domain-register.html

2) Search for your domain​

Type the name you want and click Search.

3) Proceed to checkout and choose term + auto-renew​

On the Pricing step:

tip

Keep auto-renew on for operational safety—then set a calendar reminder anyway.

4) Enter contact information (take this seriously)​

You’ll enter registrant/admin/tech/billing contact details.

AWS highlights that the registrant contact has important rights as the registered name holder, and you should list someone you trust (or your company-managed alias).
Source (AWS): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/Route53/latest/DeveloperGuide/domain-register.html

5) Choose privacy protection (when available)​

During registration you can choose whether to hide contact information from WHOIS queries (privacy protection).
Source (AWS): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/Route53/latest/DeveloperGuide/domain-register.html
Privacy protection details: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/Route53/latest/DeveloperGuide/domain-privacy-protection.html

Important TLD caveats:

6) Submit the request and verify the registrant email​

After you submit:

If you don’t complete required verification, AWS states ICANN generally requires suspending the domain so it’s not accessible. ICANN’s contact verification page also explains registrars must suspend or delete domains that are not timely verified.
Sources:

What Route 53 does automatically after registration​

When you register a domain with Route 53, AWS states it automatically:

This is convenient—but remember: the hosted zone has ongoing cost (monthly hosted zone + DNS query charges).
Pricing: https://aws.amazon.com/route53/pricing/

Shortlink SaaS setups commonly ask you to add a CNAME record to point your branded domain/subdomain at their service.

note

If you moved DNS to Cloudflare to save cost, you’ll add your DNS records in Cloudflare, not in Route 53. Cloudflare provides the authoritative DNS in that setup. Cloudflare DNS setup docs:

Recommended with Route 53: use a subdomain (best balance of simple + reliable)​

If Snipzr gives you a CNAME target, the simplest Route 53-friendly setup is:

  • Use a subdomain like go.yourbrand.com
  • Create a CNAME record for that subdomain pointing to Snipzr’s provided hostname

This avoids the “zone apex” limitation described below and is easiest to debug.

Why apex (yourbrand.com) is trickier in Route 53​

In DNS, a CNAME can’t legally coexist with other data at the same name (standards guidance in RFC 1034), and the zone apex must have SOA and NS records—so an apex CNAME is not supported in standard DNS.
Sources:

Route 53 offers Alias records that can be used at the zone apex, but Alias records are intended for routing to supported AWS targets (and other Route 53 record scenarios), and AWS explicitly notes you can’t use an alias at the apex to route to a CNAME record.
Source (AWS): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/Route53/latest/DeveloperGuide/resource-record-sets-choosing-alias-non-alias.html

tip

If your shortlink provider requires a hostname target (CNAME-style) and you want the absolute shortest links at the apex, you’ll usually choose a DNS provider that supports CNAME flattening / ALIAS / ANAME. With Route 53, the simplest and most compatible approach is to use a subdomain CNAME.

Cost-saving setup: keep registration in Route 53, move DNS to Cloudflare (optional)​

If your main goal is branded short links (Snipzr) and you’d like to reduce ongoing AWS DNS costs, a common setup is:

  • Registrar: AWS Route 53 (you keep the domain here)
  • Authoritative DNS: Cloudflare DNS (often free)
  • Short links: Snipzr

Cloudflare explicitly states it offers free DNS services on all plans, and you do not need to move away from your registrar—you only change the authoritative nameservers at your registrar.
Source (Cloudflare):

Step-by-step (simple and safe)​

  1. Add your domain to Cloudflare
  1. Copy the Cloudflare nameservers
  1. Update nameservers in Route 53 to Cloudflare
  1. Wait for nameserver changes to take effect
  1. Only after DNS is working in Cloudflare: delete the Route 53 hosted zone
caution

Do not delete your Route 53 hosted zone until your domain’s nameservers are pointing to Cloudflare (or another DNS provider) and you’ve verified DNS is working. AWS warns deleting a hosted zone is irreversible and can expose you to risk if you don’t have DNS hosted elsewhere. Source (AWS):

Common pitfalls (and quick fixes)​

“My domain isn’t working yet”​

Two common causes:

  • You haven’t clicked the registrant email verification link yet (domain can be suspended).
    AWS: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/Route53/latest/DeveloperGuide/domain-click-email-link.html
  • DNS changes are made, but cached resolvers haven’t refreshed yet (TTL-related). Route 53 pushes changes quickly, but caching is outside AWS control.
    AWS-designed-to-propagate under normal conditions within ~60s (classic FAQ quote is widely repeated), but TTL/caching dominates real-world timing. (For debugging, check your record values and TTLs.)

“I’m being charged monthly and I didn’t expect that”​

That’s the hosted zone + DNS queries. AWS explains the hosted zone is auto-created and billed monthly.
Source: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/Route53/latest/DeveloperGuide/domain-register.html
Pricing: https://aws.amazon.com/route53/pricing/

“Privacy protection isn’t available”​

That usually means the TLD doesn’t support it due to registry rules/regulations.
Source (AWS): https://docs.aws.amazon.com/Route53/latest/DeveloperGuide/privacy-protection-troubleshooting.html

Next​

Continue to the setup guide: