How to renew a subscription WAF instance - Web Application Firewall

To prevent service disruption when your Web Application Firewall (WAF) instance expires, renew the instance manually or enable auto-renewal before its expiration date.

Note

Pay-as-you-go WAF instances are billed based on actual usage and do not require renewal.

Instance expiration

Subscription WAF instance expiration rules:

Expiration reminders: The system sends renewal reminders via SMS or email 15, 7, 3, and 1 day before the instance expires.
Impact of expiration: If you do not renew before expiration, WAF retains your existing configuration for 15 days after expiration.
- If you renew within 15 days, your original configuration remains active.
- If you do not renew within 15 days, the system automatically releases your configuration on day 16. Protection stops immediately. To resume WAF service, you must purchase a new instance and reconfigure it.
  
  Important
  For domains integrated via CNAME, Alibaba Cloud deletes the CNAME record when the configuration is released. If you have not updated your domain’s DNS records to point back to the origin server, the domain becomes unreachable.

To avoid service interruption, renew promptly when notified.

Procedure

Log on to the Web Application Firewall 3.0 console. From the top menu bar, select the resource group and region (Chinese Mainland or Outside Chinese Mainland) for the WAF instance.
In the left navigation pane, click Overview.
If the page displays Welcome to Web Application Firewall (WAF), it means no instance has been connected. Click the Go to Console button on the right.
Renew your WAF instance.
- Manual renewal
  1. On the Overview page, in the instance information card on the right, click More > Renew.
  2. In the Renew panel, select a Duration, read and select the Terms of Service, click Purchase Now, and complete the payment.
    After completing the payment, you can view the new expiration date of the WAF instance in the instance information card.
- Auto-renewal
  1. On the Overview page, in the instance information card on the right, click Auto-Renewal.
  2. On the Resource Renewal page, on the Manual Renewal tab, find your WAF instance and click Enable Auto-renewal in the Actions column.
  3. In the Enable Auto-renewal dialog box, select an auto-renewal period and click Enable Auto-renewal.
    After enabling auto-renewal, you can view or modify the renewal information on the Resource Renewal tab. Before your instance expires, Alibaba Cloud sends you a reminder, automatically deducts the payment, and generates a renewal order. You do not need to manually renew the instance.
    Note
    Alibaba Cloud processes auto-renewal payments 9 days before your instance expires. Make sure that your account has a sufficient balance. If you receive an auto-renewal failure notification, you must manually renew the instance before it expires and then enable auto-renewal again.
    Auto-renewal supports payments with coupons. Alibaba Cloud automatically matches and applies eligible coupons. No manual action is required.
    Auto-renewal takes effect the day after you enable it.