If the instance that hosts your website is deployed in Mainland China, you must apply for an Internet Content Provider (ICP) filing before you run your website. Your instance and its access information will be verified. This topic describes how to check the instance and relevant access information before you apply for an ICP filing if your website is hosted on an Alibaba Cloud instance or an instance from Alibaba Cloud Marketplace deployed in Mainland China.

Check the following items to make sure that the instance and its access information meet the requirements:

Access information of your instance

During the verification process, information about the service provider, access method, instance location, and website IP address will be verified.

If you host your website on your own server or on-premises data center, you need to contact an Internet Service Provider (ISP), such as China Telecom or China Unicom, to apply for an ICP filing.

If you host your website on an Alibaba Cloud instance, you can apply for an ICP filing through the Alibaba Cloud ICP Filing system. Confirm the following information before you apply for an ICP filing:
  • The region where the instance is deployed

    The Alibaba Cloud instance must be deployed in Mainland China.

  • Instance type

    The instance must be of the specified type and meets the purchase requirement. For more information, see Table 1.

  • Number of websites
    The quantity of service identification numbers that can be applied for each supported instance varies based on its type. Make sure that the instance you purchased has sufficient unused service identification numbers for your websites. For more information, see Table 1.
    Note
    • If you use the same Alibaba Cloud account to purchase the instance and apply for an ICP filing, you can directly select the instance during the ICP filing application. You do not need to apply for a service identification number separately. You can directly select the instance or apply for a service identification number for ICP filing. No matter which method you choose, the maximum quantity of service identification numbers supported by an instance does not change.
    • If you use different Alibaba Cloud accounts, we recommend that you log on to the Alibaba Cloud console and apply for a service identification number with the account that is used to purchase the instance. For more information, see Apply for service identification numbers.
    • To apply for an ICP filing, you must apply for a service identification number first. If the service identification number is already in use, you cannot reuse it to apply for another ICP filing. If you cancel an ICP filing or remove a service provider from the ICP filing information, the service identification number is still considered used. You cannot reuse it to apply for an ICP filing for another website.
The following table lists the supported instances and the quantity of service identification numbers supported by each instance type.
Note After you purchase an Alibaba Cloud instance deployed in Mainland China, we recommend that you pay close attention to the expiration date of this instance and renew this instance at your earliest convenience. Otherwise, your website cannot be accessed and may be identified as the website whose ICP filing is invalid after the instance expires. If you do not resolve this issue promptly, the ICP filing will be canceled and your business will be affected.
Table 1. Supported instances and maximum websites
Instance type Purchase requirement Purchase link Quantity of service identification numbers
Elastic Compute Service (ECS)
  • The instance is deployed in Mainland China.
  • The subscription duration must be three months or more (including renewal).
  • You must purchase the public bandwidth.
Note
  • You cannot apply for service identification numbers for pay-as-you-go instances.
  • For more information about the public bandwidth, see Overview of specification changes.
ECS Up to five for each instance
Web Hosting
  • The instance is deployed in Mainland China.
  • The subscription duration must be three months or more (including renewal).
 Web Hosting Up to five for each instance
Simple Application Server
  • The instance is deployed in Mainland China.
  • The subscription duration must be three months or more (including renewal).
 Simple Application Server Up to five for each instance
Elastic Web Hosting
  • The instance is deployed in Mainland China.
  • The subscription duration must be six months or more (including renewal).
 Elastic Web Hosting Up to five for each Alibaba Cloud account
Instance from Alibaba Cloud Marketplace for website building
  • The initial subscription duration must be 12 months or more.
  • The order amount must be RMB 99 or more.
 Alibaba Cloud Marketplace One for each instance
Network Address Translation (NAT) Gateway
  • The instance is deployed in Mainland China.
  • The subscription duration must be one month or more.
 NAT Gateway Up to two for each instance
IPv6 Translation Service
  • The instance is deployed in Mainland China.
  • The subscription duration must be one month or more.
 IPv6 Translation Service Up to two for each instance
Edge Node Service (ENS)
  • The instance is deployed in Mainland China.
  • The subscription duration must be three months or more (including renewal).
 ENS Up to five for each instance
IoT Package
  • The subscription duration must be six months or more.
  • The order amount must be RMB 99 or more.
 IoT Package One for each package

Check other Alibaba Cloud services

If your website uses Alibaba Cloud services such as Object Storage Service (OSS), Alibaba Cloud CDN, Web Application Firewall (WAF), and Anti-DDoS Pro, you need to determine whether to add Alibaba Cloud to the ICP filing information as a service provider based on actual scenarios.
Service Scenario Requirement
OSS If you associate a custom domain name with an OSS endpoint, you need to apply for an ICP filing for this domain name. For more information, see Bind a custom domain name. The domain name must obtain an ICP filing from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). You are not required to add Alibaba Cloud to the ICP filing information as a service provider.
Alibaba Cloud CDN Websites that are hosted on instances or servers deployed in Mainland China must apply for an ICP filing to use Alibaba Cloud CDN. When Alibaba Cloud CDN is used for content acceleration in Mainland China or global regions,The domain name must obtain an ICP filing from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). You are not required to add Alibaba Cloud to the ICP filing information as a service provider.
WAF Websites that are hosted on instances or servers deployed in Mainland China use Alibaba Cloud WAF for protection. The domain name must obtain an ICP filing from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). You are not required to add Alibaba Cloud to the ICP filing information as a service provider.
Anti-DDoS Pro Websites that are hosted on instances or servers deployed in Mainland China use Anti-DDoS Pro for protection.

Check changes in service provider information

If the service provider or the instance IP address changes, you must check following information:
  • You have obtained an ICP filing through Alibaba Cloud. To switch to another Alibaba Cloud instance, perform the following tasks based on the following scenarios.
    • If you have not obtained a commercial ICP filing, you only need to modify the domain name resolution record and direct the domain name to a new instance. You do not need to apply for a new ICP filing.
    • If the province where you obtained a commercial ICP filing requires that the submitted IP address must be the same as the actual IP address, you need to modify the submitted IP address in the Alibaba Cloud ICP Filing system. Contact your local authorities to confirm whether you need to modify the IP address when you apply for a Public Security Network filing or a commercial ICP filing.
    Note If you have obtained an ICP filing through Alibaba Cloud and want to switch to another service provider, you need transfer your ICP filing information to a new service provider. For more information, consult the new service provider.
  • You have obtained an ICP filing for your website through another service provider, and want to change this service provider or direct a sub-domain name to Alibaba Cloud, you must transfer the ICP filing to Alibaba Cloud.
    Note To confirm whether your website has obtained an ICP filing, log on to MIIT ICP Filing Management System, and choose Public Information Query > ICP Filing in the left-side navigation pane.