AWS Amplify Custom Domain Fix: CNAMEAlreadyExists & Stale CloudFront Issue

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Are you trying to add your custom domain, kkssd.org, to your Amplify app but keep running into errors? Many users face this problem when the domain seems to be linked to an old or conflicting CloudFront distribution that isn’t visible in their AWS account.

Here’s how you can troubleshoot and resolve this issue:

First, understand that the error message indicates there’s an alias pointing to another CloudFront distribution which does not belong to your current account. This often happens if the domain was previously used with another hosting provider like GoDaddy or if it was migrated from another AWS account. The DNS records may be correctly set up, but AWS still recognizes an existing distribution that conflicts with your current setup.

Since the distribution causing trouble isn’t visible in your CloudFront console or via the AWS CLI, it’s possible the alias is still held in a different AWS account, perhaps the previous host’s account. This causes a conflict that prevents new distributions from being created or associated.

To fix this issue, you should:

Check your DNS records: Ensure that CNAME or A records for kkssd.org are pointing to the correct CloudFront distribution provided by Amplify. Since DNS is managed through Cloudflare, verify that no old records are pointing to the previous CloudFront distribution.
Remove old CloudFront distributions: If you have access to the previous AWS account (like GoDaddy or any former hosting account), log in there and look for CloudFront distributions associated with your domain. Delete or disassociate the domain from any distribution you find.
Clear cached configurations: Sometimes, AWS or DNS caches might hold onto stale information. Make sure to clear your DNS cache locally, and it can also be helpful to wait a few hours for DNS changes to fully propagate.
Verify ACM certificates: Your SSL certificate looks correctly issued for your domain. Just ensure that it’s properly associated with the new CloudFront distribution you create during the Amplify setup.
Contact support if necessary: If the previous steps don’t resolve the issue, reaching out to AWS Support can help. Provide them with your domain details, account ID, and description of the problem so they can identify any lingering configurations.

Resolving conflicts like this can sometimes be tricky, especially when records are managed across different accounts or services. But by ensuring all old references are removed, DNS records are current, and no conflicting distributions exist, you should be able to successfully add your custom domain to your Amplify app.