About

An alias hostname (CNAME) allows you to serve your Kaltura application from your organization’s domain instead of a default Kaltura domain.

This is useful in the following scenarios:

• Resolve third-party cookie issues – When Kaltura is used within an LMS or other integration and loaded from a different domain, browsers may block its cookies. This can cause issues such as login failures, media not loading, or actions not being saved.
• Set up a custom (vanity) domain – You can use an alias hostname to give your Video Portal or LMS Video a branded URL (for example, videos.company.com or kaf.university.edu).

In both cases, configuring an alias hostname ensures Kaltura is served from your domain.

Set up an alias hostname

Step 1 – Identify your Kaltura instance URL

Make sure you know your Kaltura instance URL. You can contact your Kaltura representative or check if you have the following options:

• For Video Portal: <partner ID>.mediaspace.kaltura.com
• For LMS Video or KAF: <partner ID>.kaf.kaltura.com

Step 2 – Choose a subdomain

Choose a new subdomain that matches the domain used by your LMS or website.

The subdomain must be part of your organization’s domain (not a separate or unrelated domain). This ensures Kaltura is loaded from the same domain as your platform, so cookies are treated as first-party and are not blocked.

Examples:

• If your LMS domain is lms.university.edu, you could use kaf.lms.university.edu
• If your organization’s domain is company.com, you could use videos.company.com

Step 3 – Configure a CNAME

Ask your IT team to create a CNAME DNS record for the subdomain you selected.

In the DNS configuration, they will need to:

• Enter your chosen subdomain (for example, kaf.lms.yourdomain.com)
• Set it to point to your Kaltura instance URL (for example, <partner_id>.kaf.kaltura.com)

This ensures that when users access the subdomain, they are directed to your Kaltura environment.

Step 4 – Configure the hostname in Kaltura

1. Go to your Configuration Management console and open the Hostnames module.



2. Set enabled to 'Yes', then click Save.
3. After saving, click the link to navigate to the hostnames page.



4. On the hostnames page, click + Add Hostname.
5. Enter your chosen subdomain in the window that appears.
6. Click Check Availability / Ownership.

Wait for the hostname status to change to Ready.

For additional details, see our Hostnames module article.

Alternative DNS / certificate option

This option is only required if your organization does not allow Kaltura to manage SSL certificates automatically (for example, via Cloudflare or SSL.com).

In the standard setup, Kaltura handles the SSL certificate for your alias hostname. This means:

• No manual certificate setup
• No renewal management

If your organization requires full control over certificates, you can configure the alias using your own CDN or proxy and manage the SSL certificate there.

Set up DNS and CDN

To set up your custom alias (for example, videos.company.com) using your own CDN, you'll need to:

• Manage your DNS records within your CDN or point your subdomain to the CDN using a CNAME
• Configure the CDN to forward requests to your Kaltura application URL (for example, 12345.mediaspace.kaltura.com or 12345.kaf.kaltura.com)

Tips

• Work with your IT or CDN provider to configure the domain and SSL certificate
• Disable caching for the proxied domain
• Ensure the HOST header (your alias, for example, videos.company.com) is included in forwarded requests

After completing this setup, contact your Kaltura representative to finalize the configuration.