The notary blockchain went offline on October 17, 2019. Use the contract blockchain instead — it includes all notary blockchain features and offers better performance.
This topic explains how to apply to create or join the notary blockchain of Ant Blockchain (BaaS — Blockchain as a Service).
Depending on your role, follow one of two paths:
| Your role | What you need to do |
|---|---|
| Administrator — you want to create a new blockchain and manage it | Complete both Apply to create a notary blockchain and Apply to join a blockchain |
| Consortium member — you received an invitation to join an existing blockchain | Go directly to Apply to join a blockchain |
Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure that you have:
An activated Alibaba Cloud BaaS account
Access to the Alibaba Cloud console:
Alibaba Cloud account: log on here
RAM user: log on here
Apply to create a notary blockchain
Administrators complete these steps to create a new blockchain. After creation, you must also complete Apply to join a blockchain to obtain certificates and join the network.
Blockchain creation requires administrator review. Plan for processing time before you can proceed.
Log on to the Alibaba Cloud BaaS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Ant Blockchain, then click Notary Blockchain.
Click Apply To Create Blockchain. The application dialog box appears.
Configure the following parameters, then click Apply. After you submit the application, the BaaS platform administrator reviews it. Once approved, the administrator creates the blockchain for you.
Only the Basic edition is available during the preview period. The default effective period is 14 days.
Parameter Description Type The blockchain type Name A display name for the blockchain Region The region where the blockchain is deployed Instance type The hardware configuration for the blockchain nodes Number of nodes The number of nodes in the blockchain network 
In the left-side navigation pane, click Task Progress to monitor the blockchain creation status.
After the blockchain is created, you become its administrator. Complete the steps in Apply to join a blockchain to submit certificate requests and get permission to participate in the blockchain.
Apply to join a blockchain
Both administrators and consortium members must complete this procedure to participate in the blockchain.
Log on to the Alibaba Cloud BaaS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Ant Blockchain, then click Notary Blockchain to open the notary blockchain list.
On the Overview page, click Try For Free.
Before you generate a certificate, note the following: Choose a certificate generation method and submit your application: For details on creating and configuring certificate requests, see the environment setup documentation.
ImportantThe private key generated during automatic certificate generation is unique and is not stored by the platform. If you lose it, it cannot be recovered. Store it securely before proceeding.
Method Steps Automatically Generated Fill in all required fields in the dialog box, then click Apply Manually Generated Click Upload to upload your certificate file, then click Apply 
After the application is submitted, the status changes to Already Applied. Click the More icon in the upper-right corner to access the following options:
Option Description Download the signed certificate Download your approved certificate file Download the SDK Download the SDK for blockchain development Download the business view Download the business view document Reset the certificate Reset and regenerate your certificate 
What's next
| Role | Next step |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Invite users to join the blockchain as consortium members |
| Administrator | Configure data classification to define data formats for the consortium blockchain |
| All users | Access the Ant Blockchain Development Guide to connect to the blockchain network and start building your business systems |