Can the root domain be a CNAME?

No. A CNAME cannot coexist with the SOA and NS records every zone apex has. Use your DNS provider’s ALIAS/ANAME/flattening feature instead.

Can a CNAME have other records next to it?

No other record types may share a name with a CNAME (DNSSEC records excepted).

CNAME Lookup

A CNAME record makes one hostname an alias of another, so lookups for the alias follow the target name instead. This lookup shows the target a hostname points to, which is how many hosted services are connected to your domain.

When to use this: You are connecting a domain to a hosted service, or an alias is not pointing where the provider expects. Command prefix cname:

About the CNAME Lookup

See the canonical name (alias target) a hostname points to.

FAQ

Can the root domain be a CNAME?: No. A CNAME cannot coexist with the SOA and NS records every zone apex has. Use your DNS provider’s ALIAS/ANAME/flattening feature instead.
Can a CNAME have other records next to it?: No other record types may share a name with a CNAME (DNSSEC records excepted).