If the instance that hosts your website is deployed in Mainland China, you must apply for an Internet Content Provider (ICP) filing before you launch your website. During the process of an ICP filing application, Alibaba Cloud verifies the instance and access information. This topic shows you how to check the instance and access information before you apply for an ICP filing if your website is hosted on an Alibaba Cloud instance or a service from Alibaba Cloud Marketplace that is deployed in Mainland China.

Check the following items to ensure that your instance and access information meet the requirements for applying for an ICP filing:

Check the access information

During the application review process, information about the service provider, access method, instance location, and website IP address is verified.

If you host your website on a self-managed server or in a data center, you must 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 in the Alibaba Cloud ICP Filing System. Make sure that the following conditions are met before you apply for an ICP filing:
  • Instance location
    The instance is deployed in an Alibaba Cloud region in Mainland China.
    Note
    • To obtain the detailed endpoint of the instance, consult the after-sales team of Alibaba Cloud on the Smart Online page.
    • If the instance based on which you want to apply for an ICP filing is not an Alibaba Cloud instance, contact your service provider for the application.
  • Instance service type

    The instance is of the specified service type and meets the requirement on the subscription duration. For more information, see Table 1.

  • Number of service identification numbers available for websites
    The number of service identification numbers that can be applied for per supported instance varies based on its service 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 select the instance during the ICP filing application. You do not need to apply for a service identification number. You can directly select the instance or apply for a service identification number for an ICP filing application. No matter which method you choose, the maximum number of service identification numbers that are supported by an instance does not change.
    • If you use different Alibaba Cloud accounts to purchase the instance and apply for an ICP filing, we recommend that you log on to the Alibaba Cloud Management Console and apply for a service identification number by using 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 a service identification number is already in use for a website, you cannot reuse it to apply for an ICP filing for another website. If you deregister the website or remove Alibaba Cloud from the service provider list, the service identification number is still considered used. You cannot reuse it to apply for an ICP filing for another website.
The following table describes the supported instance service types and the number of service identification numbers that are supported by an instance of a specific service type.
Note After you purchase an Alibaba Cloud instance that is deployed in Mainland China, you must pay close attention to the expiration date and renew the instance at your earliest convenience. Otherwise, your website cannot be accessed and may be identified as a website whose ICP filing is invalid after the instance expires. If you do not promptly resolve this issue, the ICP filing will be canceled and your business will be affected.
Table 1. Supported instance service types and the maximum number of service identification numbers allowed
Instance service type Requirement for purchase URL for purchases Number of service identification numbers
Elastic Compute Service (ECS)
  • The instance is deployed in an Alibaba Cloud region in Mainland China.
  • The subscription duration must be three months or more (including renewal).
  • You must purchase an Internet bandwidth package.
Note
  • You cannot apply for service identification numbers if the instance is a pay-as-you-go instance.
  • For more information about how to purchase an Internet bandwidth package, see the Modify public bandwidth section of the Overview of instance upgrade and downgrade topic.
ECS Up to five per instance
Cloud Web Hosting
  • The instance is deployed in an Alibaba Cloud region in Mainland China.
  • The subscription duration must be three months or more (including renewal).
 Cloud Web Hosting Up to five per instance
Simple Application Server
  • The instance is deployed in an Alibaba Cloud region in Mainland China.
  • The subscription duration must be three months or more (including renewal).
 Simple Application Server Up to five per instance
Elastic Web Hosting
  • The instance is deployed in an Alibaba Cloud region in Mainland China.
  • The subscription duration must be six months or more (including renewal).
 Elastic Web Hosting has been offline since December 2019. The instances that you purchased before the offline date can still be used for ICP filing applications. We recommend that you purchase Cloud Web Hosting instances for future use. Up to five per instance
NAT Gateway (NAT)
  • The instance is deployed in an Alibaba Cloud region in Mainland China.
  • The subscription duration must be one month or more.
 NAT Up to two per instance
IPv6 Translation Service
  • The instance is deployed in an Alibaba Cloud region in Mainland China.
  • The subscription duration must be one month or more.
 IPv6 Translation Service Up to two per instance
Edge Node Service (ENS)
  • The instance is deployed in an Alibaba Cloud region in Mainland China.
  • The subscription duration must be three months or more (including renewal).
 ENS Up to five per instance
IoT Platform Default configurations are used. Resource plans of IoT Platform One per resource plan
Service from Alibaba Cloud Marketplace for website building
  • The initial subscription duration must be 12 months or more.
  • The order amount must be CNY 99 or more.
  • You must carefully read the introduction to the service from Alibaba Cloud Marketplace for website building and confirm that the server used by the service is located in Mainland China before the purchase. Otherwise, you cannot proceed with the subsequent application procedure. If you are not sure where the server is located, consult customer service to ensure that the server is located in Mainland China.
Alibaba Cloud Marketplace One per service

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 must determine whether to add Alibaba Cloud to the ICP filing information as a service provider based on your business scenario.
Service Scenario Requirement
OSS To associate a custom domain name with an OSS endpoint, you must apply for an ICP filing for this domain name. For more information, see Map custom domain names. You must obtain an ICP number for the domain name from the MIIT. You are not required to add Alibaba Cloud to the ICP filing information as a service provider.
Alibaba Cloud CDN You must apply for an ICP filing for each website that is hosted on an instance deployed in Mainland China to use Alibaba Cloud CDN. You may use Alibaba Cloud CDN for content delivery acceleration in Mainland China or all over the world. You must obtain an ICP number for the domain name from the MIIT. You are not required to add Alibaba Cloud to the ICP filing information as a service provider.
WAF You must apply for an ICP filing for each website that is hosted on an instance deployed in Mainland China to use WAF. You must obtain an ICP number for the domain name from the MIIT. You are not required to add Alibaba Cloud to the ICP filing information as a service provider.
Anti-DDoS Pro You must apply for an ICP filing for each website that is hosted on an instance deployed in Mainland China to use Anti-DDoS Pro.

Check changes in access information

If the service provider or the instance IP address changes, perform the required operations as instructed in the following content.
  • You have obtained an ICP filing through Alibaba Cloud. To host your website on another Alibaba Cloud instance, perform the following operations based on the specific scenario:
    • If your website does not require a commercial ICP license, you can modify only the resolution record of the domain name 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 license requires that the submitted IP address be the same as the actual IP address, you must modify the submitted IP address in the Alibaba Cloud ICP Filing system. Contact the local authority to check whether you are required to modify the IP address when you apply for a Public Security Bureau (PSB) filing or a commercial ICP license.
    Note If you have obtained an ICP filing through Alibaba Cloud and need to switch to another service provider, you must add the new service provider to the ICP filing information. For more information, consult the new service provider.
  • If you have obtained an ICP filing for your website through another service provider and need to change this service provider or direct a subdomain to Alibaba Cloud, you must add Alibaba Cloud to the ICP filing information as a service provider.
    Note To check whether an ICP filing is issued for your website, log on to the , click the ICP Filing tab, enter the website domain name in the search box, and then click Search.