Purchase web hosting

Video tutorial

This video demonstrates how to purchase a Web Hosting product. The actual user interface may vary.

Purchase a web hosting instance

This topic uses the purchase of an Exclusive Web Hosting instance as an example. If you need to purchase a Shared Web Hosting instance, go to the Shared Web Hosting purchase page. The procedure is similar to the one described in this topic.

Step 1: Go to the Create Host page

1. Log on to the Cloud Web Hosting management page.
2. In the navigation pane on the left, click Cloud Web Hosting.

3. On the Host List page, click Create Host.

   Configure the settings as described in the following steps. On the Web Hosting purchase configuration page, in the Basic Configurations section, select a data center (for example, China (Hangzhou) or China (Beijing)), a Product Name (for example, an Enhanced or a Standard edition, such as Exclusive Standard Edition), an operating system (Linux or Windows), an IP Address type (dedicated IP), and the Quantity (number of instances and subscription duration). The Current Configuration panel on the right summarizes your selected settings. After confirming the settings, click Buy Now.

Step 2: Select a data center

Step 3: Select a product edition

In the Basic Configurations section, select a Web Hosting product that meets your website's requirements for configuration, such as web space, development language, and database type. For example, you can select the Exclusive Standard Edition.

The following table describes the main differences between Shared Web Hosting and Exclusive Web Hosting.

Step 4: Select an operating system

The following table shows the supported languages and databases for each operating system.

Step 5: Select a subscription duration

The default subscription duration is one year. Available durations are displayed on the page. In the Quantity section of the Web Hosting purchase page, select a subscription duration that meets your needs, for example, 3 years.

Step 6: Complete the purchase

1. On the Web Hosting purchase page, after configuring the purchase information, click Buy Now.

2. On the Confirm Order page, verify your order details, select I have read, understood, and agree to the [Exclusive Web Hosting Standard Edition Online Service Terms], and then click Buy Now.

   Note

   The name of the service terms varies depending on the Web Hosting product that you selected. This step uses the Exclusive Web Hosting Standard Edition as an example. The actual name on the page prevails.

3. On the payment page, select a payment method and payment type, and then click Pay Now.

   After the payment is complete, your Web Hosting instance is created within 5 to 10 minutes.

   If you close the payment page before you pay, the system saves the order for the host on the Unpaid Orders tab of the HiChina Product Orders page. You can go to that tab to complete the payment. For more information, see Where can I find my unpaid orders?.

Initialize the instance

To ensure the security of your Web Hosting instance, Alibaba Cloud does not set an initial password. After purchasing a Web Hosting instance, you must initialize it. This includes setting the Host Management Console login password, FTP login password, and database password.

1. Log on to the Cloud Web Hosting management page.
2. Find the Cloud Web Hosting instance you want to manage and click Manage in the Actions column.

3. On the Initialization page, in the Password Initialization Settings area, set the Host Management Console login password, FTP login password, and database password in sequence. Then, click Save, Next.

   The password must meet the following requirements:

   • Contain at least three of the following character types: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, digits, and special characters: ()`~!@#$%^&-+=|{}[]:;<>,.?/.

   • Be 8 to 20 characters in length.

   Set and confirm the Management Console Login Password, FTP Login Password, and Database Password, and then click Save, Next.

   Note

   Web Hosting does not support retrieving the Host Management Console login password, FTP login password, or database password. Store the passwords securely. If you forget a password, you can reset it. For instructions, see Reset the Host Management Console password and FTP password and Reset the database password for a Web Hosting instance.

4. On the Account Security Settings page, select a verification method and enter the required information as prompted. Then, click Save Settings.

5. On the Setup Complete page, click Go to Management Console Home.

   After entering the Host Management Console, you can view site and database information, configure the environment, and perform operations such as backups and restores.

(Optional) Export the host list

You can export a list of your hosts from Web Hosting. The list contains information about all hosts under your account, including their login names, host types, host domain names, and expiration dates. If you need to view information about all your purchased Web Hosting instances, follow these steps:

1. Log on to the Cloud Web Hosting management page.

2. On the Web Hosting page, select the Web Hosting instances that you want to export based on the expiration time range, and then click the export icon .

   The Export icon is in the upper-right corner of the host list, to the left of the Refresh button.

   After the list is exported, it is automatically downloaded to your local computer. You can open the file to view information about all hosts under your account.

   The exported list includes the following fields: No., Login name, Host type, Host domain name, Binding status, Action, Auto-renewal, Creation date, Expiration date, and Remarks. The Host type includes editions such as Shared Web Hosting Economy Enhanced, Exclusive Web Hosting Standard Enhanced, and Exclusive Web Hosting Advanced. The Action includes Purchase, Upgrade and Renew, and Renew.

References

• Before you launch your website, you must prepare a domain name, a Web Hosting instance, and a website application. To get started quickly, understand the basic website launch process. For more information, see Website launch process.

• Web Hosting provides simple, low-cost website hosting for various website-building scenarios. If you are a small or medium-sized business, an individual webmaster, a website developer, or a student, we recommend that you use Web Hosting to install a website. For more information, see Install a website by using Web Hosting or Install a website.