This topic describes the core tasks for managing domain names in Alibaba Cloud, including lifecycle management, information changes, DNS configuration, domain name transfers, security hardening, and access control.
You can perform all operations in the Alibaba Cloud Domain Names console.
Core scenario guides
Scenario 1: Domain name lifecycle management (renewal, redemption, and expiration)
A typical domain name lifecycle includes a normal period, a renewal grace period, a high-cost redemption period, and a pending deletion period.
Before your domain name expires: You can renew your domain name while it is in a normal state and before it expires. This is a relatively safe and low-cost strategy.
After expiration:
Renewal grace period: the domain name enters a grace period after it expires. During this period, domain name resolution might be paused, but you can still manually renew the domain name at the standard price. This period typically lasts for 30 days after expiration. For .hk domain names, the grace period is only 28 days, after which the domain name is deleted.
Redemption period: After the grace period ends, the domain name enters a redemption period. You must pay a redemption fee, which is much higher than the standard renewal price, to recover the domain name. This period typically lasts from 31 to 60 days after expiration. For domain names from the CNNIC registry, such as .cn, .china, .company, and .network, this period lasts from 31 to 44 days after expiration.
Pending deletion period: After the redemption period ends, the domain name enters a short pending deletion period. Then, the domain name registry deletes it and makes it available for public registration. The original registrant cannot recover the domain name once it enters this stage.
Operation entries:
Manual renewal: Go to the Alibaba Cloud Domain Names console, find the target domain name in the Domain Names, and click Renew in the Actions column.
Batch renewal: On the Domain Names list page, select multiple domain names and click Renew at the bottom.
Scenario 2: Registrant and information changes
Update your domain name information promptly when its ownership is transferred, for example, due to a transaction or business adjustment, or when the registrant's contact information changes.
Operation type | Purpose and scenario |
| |
Change the contact information for the domain name's administrator, billing contact, or technical contact. This operation does not change the domain name's ownership. |
Scenario 3: Domain name resolution and DNS server management
Domain name resolution is the critical process of pointing a domain name to a web server's IP address. Changing DNS servers is a high-risk operation, so proceed with caution.
Distinguishing concepts:
Modify DNS record: This action changes the web server to which a domain name points. This operation is performed on the platform of your current DNS service provider.
Change DNS servers: This action migrates the entire resolution authority for a domain name from one service provider to another.
ImportantBefore changing the DNS servers for a domain name, you must ensure that all DNS records, such as A, CNAME, and MX records, are correctly configured and verified with the new DNS provider. Otherwise, the change can cause a service interruption for your website.
Scenario 4: Domain name transfers
You can transfer the management of a domain name between different registrars or different Alibaba Cloud accounts as needed.
Transfer type | Purpose and scenario description |
Transfer a domain name from another registrar to Alibaba Cloud for management. | |
Transfer a domain name from Alibaba Cloud to another registrar for management. | |
Transfer a domain name from one Alibaba Cloud account to another. For example, transfer a domain name from a personal account to a company account. |
Advanced features and automation
Permission management (RAM)
To enable multi-user collaboration and security control within your enterprise, you can use Resource Access Management (RAM) to grant fine-grained permissions to manage domain names. For example, you can grant a RAM user the permission to manage a specific domain name but deny the permission to manage other domain names. For more information, see Grant a RAM user permissions to manage domain names.
Domain name security
Domain name security lock: In the Domain Names console, you can enable the update prohibition lock and transfer prohibition lock to prevent your domain name from being maliciously modified or transferred due to events such as account theft. This is an important measure to protect your core domain name assets.
DNSSEC: Enable DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) to prevent DNS spoofing and cache pollution and to improve the security of domain name resolution.