This topic describes the frequently asked questions (FAQ) about Alibaba Cloud personal test certificates and provides solutions.
How do I check the usage of my personal test certificates?
Each Alibaba Cloud individual or enterprise user (based on real-name verification) can claim a one-time package of 20 free personal test certificates per calendar year.
To view the usage:
Log in to the Certificate Management Service console.
In the navigation pane on the left, choose .
On the Individual Test Certificate (Formerly Free Certificate) tab, you can view the Free Certificate Quota. The quota is displayed in the format of 10/20, where the first number indicates the used quota and the second number indicates the total annual quota.
How do I check when I claimed the free personal test certificate quota?
After you claim the quota, log on to the Certificate Management Service console. On the page, you can view the claim date and the number of certificates claimed.
Why can't I claim free personal test certificates?
If an Alibaba Cloud account under the same real-name verified user has already claimed free certificates, other associated accounts cannot claim them again. You must wait until the quota resets in the next calendar year.
If the same verified user is associated with multiple Alibaba Cloud accounts (UIDs) and one account has already claimed the certificates, the other accounts under that user cannot claim them. The quota resets at the beginning of the next calendar year.
If you cannot claim free personal test certificates on the purchase page, one of the following messages is displayed:
The enterprise has already claimed free certificates this year.
The individual/enterprise entity has already claimed a free scale-out package this year and cannot apply again.
To find out which Alibaba Cloud accounts are linked to your enterprise, contact your enterprise administrator or account manager. For information about the differences between individual and enterprise real-name verification, see Identity verification overview.
If 20 free personal test certificates do not meet your needs, you can purchase personal test certificates (Pro), HTTPS Acceleration Gateway, or commercial certificates. For more information, see Purchase a personal test certificate.
What do I do if I receive a "Certificate quota insufficient" message when creating a free personal test certificate?
Common causes and solutions:
Free quota not claimed.
You must manually claim the free quota for personal test certificates (Free Edition) before you can create and apply for certificates.
Solution: See Claim the free quota for personal test certificates to claim your free quota.
Certificate quota cleared at year-end.
Alibaba Cloud clears the unused free personal test certificate quota (Free Edition) at the end of each calendar year.
Solution: See Claim the free quota for personal test certificates to claim the free quota again.
More than 20 free certificates used.
Each Alibaba Cloud individual or enterprise user (based on real-name verification) can obtain 20 free personal test certificates per calendar year. The free quota is not restored after you revoke or delete a free personal test certificate.
Solution: Purchase a personal test certificate (Pro). For more information, see Purchase a personal test certificate.
Can I use a free personal test certificate claimed in Account A for Account B?
No. A free personal test certificate claimed in Account A cannot be used to apply for certificate issuance in Account B.
You can transfer an issued free personal test certificate from your current account to another account. The following transfer methods are supported:
Download the free personal test certificate to your local machine and upload it to another Alibaba Cloud account. For more information, see Upload a third-party certificate.
How do I renew a personal test certificate (Pro)?
Personal test certificates (Pro) do not support renewal. After a certificate expires, create a new one and deploy it to your service after the certificate authority (CA) issues it.
Can I change the domain name for a personal test certificate?
No. You cannot change the domain name for an issued personal test certificate. To use a different domain name, revoke the original certificate first, then consume one test certificate quota to bind a new domain name and submit a new application. For more information, see Create a personal test certificate and Request a personal test certificate.
After you revoke a personal test certificate (Free Edition), the certificate quota is not refunded. Re-attaching a domain name consumes a new free certificate quota (20 per calendar year).
If you revoke a personal test certificate (Pro Edition) within 28 calendar days of issuance, the certificate quota is refunded. If more than 28 calendar days have passed, you must purchase a new certificate. For more information, see Revoke SSL certificate.
Can I apply for a personal test certificate for an IP address?
No. Personal test certificates can only be applied for domain names.
What do I do if I run into issues while configuring a personal test certificate?
If you need certificate configuration support, or if you encounter configuration issues or cannot access your website after deploying a certificate, you can resolve them through the following channels:
Go to Alibaba Cloud Marketplace and purchase the Certificate Installation and Detection Service. Third-party technical support engineers will help you resolve issues quickly.
Use the one-on-one expert service. Professional technical engineers will help you resolve issues. For more information, see Expert service.
Refer to the FAQ about SSL certificate installation documentation to troubleshoot and resolve related issues.
What do I do if my personal test certificate application remains under review?
Possible cause: Configure domain ownership verification as described in DV certificate domain ownership verification. If the application remains under review after you complete the configuration, the domain bound to the certificate may have failed a security check. For example, the domain may be flagged as a phishing website.
Solution: Check the security status of your domain on the VirusTotal website. If the domain is flagged as malicious, take one of the following actions:
Contact the vendor that flagged the domain and request removal of the flag. Then, submit a new certificate application.
Bind the certificate to a different domain name.
Purchase an OV (organization validated) or EV (extended validation) certificate, which involves manual review by the certificate brand vendor.
Can I apply for a free SSL certificate for a .asia domain?
No. The .asia TLD is classified as a special domain suffix and currently does not support free SSL certificate applications. To deploy HTTPS for a .asia domain, purchase a commercial SSL certificate.
Can I cancel and reapply for a free SSL certificate that has not been used during its validity period?
After you claim a free personal test certificate, order cancellation is not supported. However, the system automatically recycles free certificates that have not been applied for within 3 months. After recycling, you can claim the quota again without consuming your annual free certificate quota. If you have already claimed the quota for the current year, you can directly submit a new certificate application and complete domain verification.
What are the quota occupation rules for personal test certificates (Free Edition), and why does the console show the quota as exhausted with no usage records?
The quota is shared between Digital Certificate Management Service V1.0 and V2.0. If you claimed the quota in the V1.0 console, the V2.0 console will show the quota as already used.