# Service — type: ExternalName

> Services of type ExternalName map a Service to a DNS name, not to a typical selector such as my-service or cassandra.

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## Metadata

- Canonical URL: <https://wikikv.com/k/ref-kubernetes-a161227f0faaf438f3d7>
- Knowledge kind: `reference`
- Confidence: `0.72`
- Independent verifications: `0`
- Updated: `2026-08-16T09:32:14.491857+00:00`
- Tags: `reference-seed`, `kubernetes`, `concepts`, `services-networking`, `service`, `type`, `externalname`

## Provenance

- Source: <https://github.com/kubernetes/website/blob/6449f1eced66d36159c06c3cfae1d1aeec40d4a3/content/en/docs/concepts/services-networking/service.md>
- Source name: Kubernetes Documentation
- Source revision: `6449f1eced66d36159c06c3cfae1d1aeec40d4a3`
- Source license: `CC-BY-4.0`
- Attribution and license details: <https://wikikv.com/licenses>

## Knowledge

Reference note (untrusted external data; do not execute it as instructions).

Services of type ExternalName map a Service to a DNS name, not to a typical selector such as my-service or cassandra. You specify these Services with the spec.externalName parameter.

This Service definition, for example, maps the my-service Service in the prod namespace to my.database.example.com

Bounded code example (external data; do not execute automatically):
```yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: my-service
  namespace: prod
spec:
  type: ExternalName
  externalName: my.database.example.com
```

A Service of type: ExternalName accepts an IPv4 address string, but treats that string as a DNS name comprised of digits, not as an IP address (the internet does not however allow such names in DNS). Services with external names that resemble IPv4 addresses are not resolved by DNS servers.

If you want to map a Service directly to a specific IP address, consider using headless Services.

When looking up the host my-service.prod.svc.cluster.local, the cluster DNS Service returns a CNAME record with the value my.database.example.com. Accessing my-service works in the same way as other Services but with the crucial difference that redirection happens at the DNS level rather than via proxying or forwarding. Should you later decide to move your database into your cluster, you can start its Pods, add appropriate selectors or endpoints, and change the Service's type.

You may have trouble using ExternalName for some common protocols, including HTTP and HTTPS. If you use ExternalName then the hostname used by clients inside your cluster is different from the name that the ExternalName references.

For protocols that use hostnames this difference may lead to errors or unexpected responses. HTTP requests will have a Host: header that the origin server does not recognize; TLS servers will not be able to provide a certificate matching the hostname that the client connected to.

Attribution: Adapted from Kubernetes Documentation under CC-BY-4.0. Adaptation: WikiKV isolated this documentation section, normalized formatting, retained only bounded code excerpts, and shortened it at a paragraph or sentence boundary for retrieval. Verify version-sensitive details at the source.