---
title: "Aliases"
description: "Set a friendly alias hostname that resolves to a host"
---

Aliases provide a secondary, user-friendly address for any of your Resources, allowing users to access the Resource using this alternate name in addition to the original address. 

For instance, a router with the address `10.0.0.1` could be assigned the alias `router.internal`, and users could connect using either. Aliases are accessible to anyone who has access to the Resource, and they are exclusively accessible when connected with a Pangolin client, meaning they function without requiring any external DNS record setup. Furthermore, aliases are protocol agnostic, which means they will work with any network protocol, essentially acting as a pseudo-A record for an address that is only functional within the Pangolin environment.

## CIDRs Vs. IPs

A alias can only be created for a Resource that is a single host (IP or FQDN). Aliases cannot be created for Resources that are CIDR ranges because it would be ambiguous which host within the range the alias should point to.

## Domain Structure

Since aliases cannot be single-label domains, you must avoid using domain names that do not contain a dot (e.g., `pangolin`). A domain like `pangolin.net`, which includes a dot, is acceptable. Instead of a single-label domain, you should consider using a subdomain of a domain you control, such as `router.mywebsite.com`, or an existing private/internal domain name, like `router.internal` or `router.corp`.

## Custom Upstream DNS

Aliases work by overriding the DNS of your computer running the client so that all DNS requests are sent to the Pangolin client for resolution. The dns server on your computer is typically `100.96.128.1` which will forward request to an upstream server. By default, we use `9.9.9.9`, but this upstream address can be configured using [the flag](/manage/clients/configure-client) in the cli / olm or in the client settings.

## Disable Aliases

If you wish to disable this behavior and prevent aliases from being resolved and leave your DNS alone, you can do so by adding [the flag](/manage/clients/configure-client) to the cli / olm or disable override dns in the client settings.