How to Build a Domestic Website Using Cloud Servers Like Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud

Naibabiji has sharedSteps to Build Your Own Website和Foreign Trade Website Building Tutorials. Many friends ask, 'What if I want tobuild a domestic Chinese website, how should I proceed?'

In this article, Naiba will share with youa tutorial on how to use WordPress to build a Chinese website.。

Basic Requirements for Building a Domestic Website

To build a Chinese website in China, similar to the previously sharedwebsite building steps, we also need the following:

1. A domain name, registered from a domestic website;
2. A server or shared hosting, registered from a domestic service provider;
3. A website building program, such as WordPress;
4. Domain name ICP filing, done on the website where you purchase the server.

About ICP filing:

Website ICP filing is a national policy. All websites within mainland China need to undergo ICP filing. Filing is now very convenient and can be handled directly online. The website where you purchase the server will have detailed filing guidelines; just follow the steps. The time required varies from a few days to over ten days.

Steps to Build a Domestic Website

I. Purchase a Domain

For filing, the domain name must be registered domestically. If you have already registered it abroad, you need to transfer the domain to a domestic registrar first, or simply register a new one.

In theory, as long as the domain name is registered on a domestic website, the filing can be approved. For easier management, the domain name can be purchased from the same provider as the server, which means:

Domain name registration method:

Go toTencent CloudorAlibaba Cloudthe activity page, then click on 'Products' in the top-left navigation bar (if you don't see 'Products', click the website logo to return to the homepage), select 'Domain Registration', then enter the domain name you want to register to check availability.

If the search results show an available domain, add it to the cart, then follow the step-by-step process to complete the payment.

Domain registration is relatively simple; I believe you can figure it out. Next, let's talk about how to purchase a cloud server.

II. Purchase a Server

Due to the special requirement of ICP filing in China, choosing a stable server provider is crucial. Basically, after filing, your website is bound to the server provider you purchased from (if you change providers, the filing needs to be updated). Therefore, don't initially choose an unknown provider just to save money or for other reasons. Later, if you want to switch to well-known providers like Tencent Cloud or Alibaba Cloud, you may find transferring the filing very troublesome (small providers might create obstacles, or you might find the transfer process cumbersome yourself).

The recommended domestic service providers mainly include three:Tencent Cloud、Alibaba Cloud、Huawei Cloud。

Naibabiji currently uses Tencent Cloud Lighthouse Server, with a configuration of 2-core CPU, 4GB RAM, and 5Mbps bandwidth.

How to choose among these three cloud server providers?

Simply put, choose whoever is cheaper. They all have promotional prices for new users, so it's best to directly purchase a 3-year promotional server. We cannot predict the price and market conditions three years later, so buy for three years first.

Tencent Cloud Server Purchase and Usage Tutorial

First, open Tencent Cloud's activity page and select a suitable server.

It is recommended to choose a server for 3 or 5 years. If no suitable configuration is available, choosing 1 year is also fine. If there is no discounted price for renewal in the second year, register a new account to purchase.

For configuration, it is recommended not to go below 2 cores, 2GB RAM, and 3Mbps bandwidth. Cloud servers generally perform better than Lighthouse Application Servers.

About operating system selection:

If you choose a Lighthouse Application Server, during system selection, some application images will appear, including Baota Panel, WordPress, etc., which facilitate later server maintenance and expansion. Naiba does not recommend choosing these application images provided by Tencent Cloud. Although they reduce your steps, you may encounter difficulties when customizing the server later because you don't know how they were installed and configured.

It is recommended to choose the system imageDebian 12for use.

Server Management:

After purchase and activation, you can see the server you just activated in the Tencent Cloud console.

On the server details page, find 'Reset Password' under the 'More Actions' menu in the upper right corner.

Then create a complex password for the server (remember, do not use simple, predictable passwords) and restart the server.

Add Security Group Rules:

We will later install Baota Panel to manage the server, so we need to open the management port for Baota Panel; otherwise, it will be inaccessible. The method is as follows:

In the rules interface, select 'Add Rule'.

Fill in 'all' for the source, and 'TCP:8888' for the protocol port, then complete. (Note: The latestBaota Panel installationwill randomly generate this port after completion. Please fill it in according to the actual situation.)

Additionally, Naiba cannot remember if the new server comes with common rules by default. If you don't see any rules besides the one just added, manually add the common rules as well.

At this point, the activation and setup of the Tencent Cloud server are complete. You can proceed to the next step: installing the server environment and building the website to continue learning.

Alibaba Cloud Server Purchase and Usage Tutorial

First, open the Alibaba Cloud new user activity page and select a suitable cloud server.

Alibaba Cloud Activity Address

Similarly, Alibaba Cloud offers discounts for new users, so it is recommended to purchase a 3-year plan directly. If the budget allows, buying a more expensive model will definitely offer better performance than a cheaper one.

For the operating system, it is recommended to choose the Debian 12 series. Do not directly select an application image. Choosing a pre-configured WordPress application image may reduce some steps, but it could lead to maintenance issues later.

Server Management:

After successfully activating the server, go to the console, find your activated server, and click on its title to enter the server details page.

Then, find the 'Reset Instance Password' function under the 'All Operations' menu in the upper right corner of the webpage.

Set a sufficiently complex, non-predictable password for the server, then restart the server. (Remember, never enter a simple password.)

Add Security Group Rules:

On the server details page, click the 'Security Group' tab at the top, then enter the corresponding security group details.

If the default security group rules are empty, manually click the 'Quick Add' button and add access for ports 80, 443, and 22, as shown in the image below:

Then manually add a security group rule for Baota Panel. The screenshot is as follows:

Select 'Manual Add', 'Allow', Priority 1, 'Custom TCP', Destination 8888, Source 0.0.0.0/0, Description 'Baota Panel'. (Similarly, Baota Panel will randomly generate a port after installation. Please return here later to re-add the rule.)

Then save.

At this point, the purchase and setup of our Alibaba Cloud server are complete. Next, we will begin installing the environment and building a WordPress website on the server.

III. Set Up the Website Environment and Install WordPress

To build the website environment, we need to use an SSH management software. xShell is recommended here. You can read the detailed introduction in the article below or directly click the button below to enter the cloud drive to download the installation package.

xShell Introduction

Cloud Drive Download xShell Installation Package

Cloud Drive Password: 1tdg

After installing xShell, launch the software, then click the New button, as shown in the figure below:

Next, fill in the Name, Host, and Port number, then click Connect.

The server IP can be found on the server details page of your Alibaba Cloud or Tencent Cloud console; fill in the public IP address.

The first time you connect, there will be a security prompt; click Accept and Save.

Then, enter 'root' as the username and the password you reset earlier.

Next is the Baota Panel installation process. To avoid outdated content, please proceed to the separate Baota Panel installation tutorial page on Naibabiji.

Follow the tutorial above until the website environment is installed, then you can proceed to bind the website.

Bind Website:

On the left side of the Baota Panel, under 'Websites', select 'Add Site'. Then enter your website's domain name, e.g., naibabiji.com and www.naibabiji.com (one domain per line), choose to create a database, and submit.

Domain Name Resolution:

After adding the website, we need to resolve the domain name. Go back to the website where you registered the domain, find the DNS resolution interface, add an A record, and fill in your server IP as the record value.

For a specific domain name resolution tutorial, please refer to the article below:

1. Tencent Cloud DNS Configuration Tutorial
2. Alibaba Cloud DNS Configuration Tutorial

After adding and the DNS resolution for the domain name takes effect, when you open your website URL, you might see a prompt like the following:

This is because the domain name has not been filed (ICP备案). Therefore, we need to file the domain name.

Domain Name Filing Method:

If you purchased the server from Alibaba Cloud or Tencent Cloud, simply click the button below to go to the corresponding filing page, then click 'Start Filing' and follow the prompts.

The filing process can take anywhere from a few days to over ten days. Once approved, you can normally access the website content via the domain name.

Tencent Cloud Filing Alibaba Cloud Filing

Build a WordPress Website

Once your filing is approved and you find the website URL can be accessed normally, we can proceed to build the WordPress website.

1. Enter the Baota Panel backend, find 'Websites', and click the directory icon next to your domain name.

2. Remotely download or upload the WordPress installation package.

If choosing remote download, please fill in the URL: https://cn.wordpress.org/latest-zh_CN.zip

If uploading manually, please firstclick here to download the WordPress installation package, then upload it.

After uploading the zip file, extract it; a WordPress folder will appear.

Enter the WordPress folder, select all files, choose Cut, then click on your website's root directory (i.e., the folder for your domain name)

and paste.

Enter your website domain in the browser, and the WordPress installation interface will appear. As shown in the figure below: (If the URL cannot be opened, please check whether the domain name is resolved or if the firewall is blocking it.)

Then the database information will appear. The database is created by yourself. If you don't know, you can go to the Baota Panel backend database settings to view or create a database.

Click the submit button to check if your database and folder permissions are correct. If correct, the installation button as shown below will appear. Click 'Install Now'.

Soon, the website information interface will appear. Enter your own website title and create an administrator account. Click the 'Install WordPress' button.

In an instant, WordPress is successfully installed.

At this point, the WordPress installation tutorial is complete.

Recommended WordPress Themes Suitable for Chinese Websites

在ThemeforsetThe themes purchased above are basically English themes, which are not very suitable for use in China. Here, Naiba recommends some themes suitable for domestic websites.

1. AstraA highly customizable theme. If you want to use a page builder to design your own website, this theme is recommended;
2. Storeys ProIf you want to create a paid resource download site, this theme is recommended;
3. JustNewsA Chinese theme specifically designed and developed for blogs, self-media, and information websites;
4. GitA powerful free WordPress theme;
5. MNewsA minimalist news self-media theme;
6. DUXA powerful news self-media theme.

Recommended Plugins for Chinese WordPress Websites

WordPress is a foreign program. If installed on a domestic server, it may not work perfectly. Here are a few plugins recommended for you.

1. wp china yesAccelerates activities such as WordPress updates, plugin and theme installations on domestic servers;
2. Smart SEO ToolThe most suitable SEO plugin for Chinese websites;
3. WP RocketThe best caching plugin;
4. PerformanceA lightweight WordPress optimization plugin that can block many unused functions to speed up the site.

Other Website Building Source Code

Besides WordPress, there are other free website building source codes that can also help you build a website.

1. DiscuzFor building forums;
2. ZblogBlogging software written by Chinese developers;
3. emlogBlogging software written by Chinese developers;
4. dedecmsA domestic CMS system, used by many websites, but it hasn't been updated for a long time and has many vulnerabilities;
5. PbootCMSA domestic CMS system for template-based website building.