Alibaba Cloud Tech Share - Quick facts for new users on China’s Web and Alibaba Cloud

Quick facts for new
users on China’s Web and Alibaba Cloud


Basic consideration is whether you want to host in China or
close to the China region (aka HK) or China.
Hosting in China requires you having a ICP license.  This license will require you to have a China
entity and if do not have that HK or another close region is your best
option.  For this post, we will focus on
HK but give suggestions in regards to your potential Chinese audience.


Before moving your site to China be aware of the current
rules and regulations for your site.  Not
only does China have stringent rules for local hosting which requires ICP
license but they also have stringent rules on use of local user data.  On June 1 2017 China will implement a new
CyberSecurity Law.  As the regulations
become more clear it is imperative to be working together with your China Cloud
provider on your liabilities and responsibilities.  This is another reason why HK for now might
be easier less worry free solution for now.


If you are registering a new domain (.com or .net) then jump
onto Alibaba
Cloud Hosting package to get a good price on hosting and use there Beta
Version of their DNS hosting.  If you are
using and existing domain, then you must host the DNS outside of Alibaba
Cloud.  To avoid latency issues with DNS
outside of China using a Chinese DNS host is preferred.  I would look at using DNSPod until Alibaba Cloud allows for
external domain hosting.  If you have a
preferred DNS host, please free to post that in the comments below.


When managing your ECS instance lock it down by a static
IP.  This can be a problem when most
admins do not have a static IP that is easy to use because of location or
moving of location.  One solution that I
prefer to use is purchasing a static IP with an Astrill VPN to allow
configuration only from my VPN server.
This allows for add security to my administration and keep my traffic
out of prying eyes.


With DNS in China being an issue with TTLs rules not being
followed or other glitches keeping to the same static IP for your website over
time is in your best interest.  When
setting up a web server purchasing a static EIP to be used for that site
exclusively is a must.  If you upgrade
your server and need to dump the instance, using the same EIP for the other
instances helps so that you do not need to change DNS records and risk any
downtime.


Engage support early.
Alibaba Cloud has many support engineers in your region and engaging
them early so that you understand the process.
This can be done through the ticket system of the console.  They will also help you to be aware of all
your options for reference whether it’s the document center or forums.  These documents are constantly being updated
so always best to check before talking to support.


Testing site speed close and in China is probably a most for
most developers.  I have gathered a few
of the most popular ones below:
Webpagetest.org (Servers in Yangzhou,
Singapore, Japan and Korea)
Dotcom-tools.com (servers in HK, Shanghai and Japan)
Websitepulse.com (Servers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and HK)
 
When using WordPress or another software please be refrain
from using Google fonts. Some quick alternatives are:
fontsquirrel.com (Free fonts for
commercial use)
dafont.com (Archive of free fonts)
fabricatorz.com (Free fonts for use, distribution and even edit)
typekit.com (Adobe TypeKit, free and subscription based)
 
If you are confused on any service that is linked to a
domain to see whether it is blocked in China you can use viewdns.info to see the
domain status in China.  Please note that
this site not only checks in China but also gives your reference to other
regions in China like Beijing, Shenzhen, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, and
Yunnan.
 
Make use of the free services that will help your site:
·                      Snapshots backups
·                      Cloud Monitor
·                      Server Guard (Limit BETA program)
·                      Anti-DDoS Basic
·                      Free Server Images
Backup often.
Currently Alibaba Cloud includes free limit Snapshots for your
instances.  They are in Beta 2.0 of this
service and it’s great for doing scheduled backups without having to do any
internal server scheduling.  This works
great for both Linux or Windows servers.
Snapshots are all done using Alibaba Cloud OSS technology.  Which means the snapshots are all redundant.
Setting up triggers to monitor your server will help you see
your hardware requirements and keep you online.
Server Guard will help you to lock down your server to the
obvious hacks that are running wild on the net to help keep your server
save.  Please note that this is currently
in limit invite only BETA.
Limited free Anti-DDoS protection for your site.  The next step up starts at $3000 USD so for
basic web users this is the great for non-Enterprise applications.
Alibaba Cloud allows for free server Images.  Great way to keep yearly images of your data
made from pre-saved snapshots.


SEO in China can be tricky.
Preferences are given to local registered domains.  So, when Alibaba Cloud opens its domain
registration services to allow for preregistered domains.  This is something that may want to be
considered.


Developers that maybe using both the International and
Domestic Alibaba Cloud site should use different browsers for administration of
the different sites.  Alibaba Cloud
assumes that you are either domestic or international so cookies make it
difficult to switch between the sites without deleting them before each visit.


If you haven’t looked at Docker or Container services, it’s
now live on Alibaba Cloud and something to be on your geek radar.


Alibaba Cloud and the China ecosystem is constantly
changing.  So, if any other these posts
no longer work please post below.  This
was only a quick summary of my thoughts to help any new users get a start for
their China site.  It can seem
overwhelming at first but after your understand the ground rules it actually
fairly basic.