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Alibaba Cloud DNS:add and manage domain names not registered with alibaba cloud

Last Updated:Aug 23, 2025

To enable the authoritative domain name resolution service for a domain name or subdomain that is not registered with Alibaba Cloud, add the domain name using the Add Domain Name feature in Alibaba Cloud DNS.

Add domain names not registered with Alibaba Cloud

If you purchased a domain name from a provider other than Alibaba Cloud and want to use Alibaba Cloud for domain name resolution, you can add the domain name to Public Authoritative Resolution.

  1. Log in to the Alibaba Cloud DNS - Public Authoritative Resolution page and click Add Domain Name.

  2. In the Add Domain Name dialog box, enter the primary domain name and select an instance to attach. You can either use a free instance or purchase an instance. Then, click OK.

    Note

    For more information about the differences between instance editions, see Instance selection guide. Paid editions provide a 100% monthly availability Service-Level Agreement (SLA), higher query speeds, and enhanced security. We recommend that you use a paid edition for production services.

  3. After the domain name is added, it appears on the Public Authoritative Resolution page. This confirms that the domain name was added successfully.

    Note

    If the DNS server status is not Normal after the domain name is added, see View DNS server status and troubleshoot exceptions.

Recover domain names not registered with Alibaba Cloud

The Domain Name Recovery feature applies to domain names that are not registered with Alibaba Cloud. You can use this feature if you attempt to add a domain name in the Alibaba Cloud DNS console using the Add Domain Name feature and are notified that the domain name has already been added by another account. If you are the registrant, you can use the Domain Name Recovery feature to retrieve the domain name for your current account.

Warning

When a domain name is recovered for a new account, all of its existing DNS records are deleted.

Procedure

  1. On the Alibaba Cloud DNS - Public Authoritative Resolution page, click the Add Domain Name button.

  2. If the domain name you entered has already been added by another account, click Recover Domain Name.

  3. You are prompted to verify that you are the registrant. Copy the Host and TXT Record Value, and do not close the dialog box.

  4. Go to the domain name's current DNS service provider and add a TXT record using the information that you copied.

  5. After you add the TXT record at your current DNS provider, return to the registrant identity verification dialog box in Alibaba Cloud DNS and click the Confirm button. Alibaba Cloud DNS then automatically scans for the added TXT record. If the scan confirms that the TXT record is configured correctly, you will receive an email notification stating "Domain name recovery successful", and the domain name will be added to the account that initiated the recovery request.

Delete domain names not registered with Alibaba Cloud

In the Alibaba Cloud DNS console, you can delete domain names that are not registered with Alibaba Cloud. When a domain name is deleted, its DNS records are also deleted. This operation is not supported for domain names that are registered with Alibaba Cloud.

Procedure

  1. On the Alibaba Cloud DNS - Public Authoritative Resolution page, find the domain name that you want to delete, click More in the Operation column, and then click Delete. In the confirmation dialog box, click Confirm.

Warning

When you delete a domain name, all of its DNS records are also deleted. Proceed with caution.

Invalid domain name cleanup mechanism

Alibaba Cloud DNS - Public Authoritative Resolution has a cleanup mechanism for resolution data that is associated with invalid domain names. Resolution data for invalid domain names is deleted after 30 days. This mechanism applies only to domain names that are not registered with Alibaba Cloud. Domain names registered with Alibaba Cloud and their independently hosted subdomains are not considered invalid and are not subject to cleanup, regardless of whether they use the Free Edition of DNS.

Warning

Rules for determining invalid domain names:

  • A domain name is considered invalid if it is not registered with Alibaba Cloud, uses the Free Edition of DNS, and its DNS servers at the domain name registrar have not been changed to the DNS server addresses assigned by Alibaba Cloud DNS.

  • An independently hosted subdomain is considered invalid if its primary domain is not registered with Alibaba Cloud, it uses the Free Edition of DNS, and NS records are not configured on the primary domain's DNS to point to the DNS server addresses assigned by Alibaba Cloud DNS.

FAQ and related documents

FAQ about setting up domain names and subdomains