ALT.SO NIC | F.A.Q.

.ALT.SO F.A.Q.

↳ Who are ALT.SO NIC and ALT.SO LDO?
↳ How to lookup a .Alt.So domain?
↳ How to register a .Alt.So domain?
↳ Where to find the latest official documents?
↳ How much is the price for a .Alt.So domain?
↳ How to get an @Alt.So email address?
↳ Can I manage .Alt.So DNS?
↳ How can I manage .Alt.So DNS?
↳ How can I put A, CNAME, or other DNS records?
↳ How ALT.SO NIC ensures uptime?

Who are ALT.SO NIC and ALT.SO LDO?

The ALT.SO Network Information Center, abbreviated as ALT.SO NIC, oversees the administration of ".alt.so" domain names and operates within the framework of ALT.SO LDO, a non-profit international consortium committed to seamless alternative network solutions.

How to lookup a .Alt.So domain WHOIS or availability?

For security reasons, at ALT.SO NIC, we only provide highly secure access to the WHOIS information of .alt.so domains. Therefore, you must first email or contact us. Similarly, to check for availability, you must first express your interest, using the same method as registering domains.

How to register a .Alt.So domain?

Please email us your expression of interest at reg.nic@alt.so email address. We, ALT.SO NIC, will guide you from there. We operate on a "first come, first served" basis, so please allow some time during periods of high demand. Additionally, you must accept and sign back some documents during the process. To register a domain, you must be representing any of the following:

a registered business
a registered non-profit organization
a practicing professional with recognizable membership(s) or reference(s)
a government organization or project
a project of a recognizable entity
a legal social group or community

Ensure you have your legal documents ready. We will cross-check everything and notify you as soon as possible. Typically, a dedicated domain for government usage or any kind of back-end technology support gets approved promptly.

Note: We have a list of reserved names which are not available for registration. And we have certain rules of registration that you must comply.

Where to find the latest official documents?

For security reasons starting in 2024, at ALT.SO NIC, we have decided not to make our Domain Name Registration Agreement (DNRA) and most other official documents public. However, this doesn't mean that you can't request any of them. Please contact us, and we will provide you with all the publicly sharable documents.

How much is the price for a .Alt.So domain?

Below is the current price list (last revised and updated on 2nd of February 2021):

ac.alt.so : US$ 1.0 annually
cd.alt.so : US$ 1.5 annually
co.alt.so : US$ 3.0 annually
fc.alt.so : US$ 3.0 annually
or.alt.so : US$ 2.0 annually

All other, not mentioned, domain names don't have any fixed price as those are sold as a contract. Please refer to the rules of registration for the full list of available domain names for registration.

The minimum length of registration is 2 years and the maximum length of registration is 20 years.

Note: During renewal, the current price applies to all domain names unless under contract. For example, if you purchased a domain name for US$2 for two years at a US$1 annual price, and after two years, the price of the domain name increased to US$5 per year. So, if you don't have any special contract with us, you will need to pay US$5 per year for renewal. The same applies when you renew again. Contact us for more information.

How to get an @Alt.So email address?

Contact us anytime after getting your domain. You will be able to get a free email address exactly like your domain name. For example, if your domain name is "helloworld.alt.so", you will get the email address "helloworld@alt.so". Now, the email address is basically for email forwarding. However, with Gmail, you can send emails as your @alt.so email address. But, since Gmail is a Google® product, it can change at any time.

Can I manage .Alt.So DNS?

Yes, of course you can. Managing DNS is easy but manual for the .Alt.So domain names. At ALT.SO NIC, we have a dedicated page for you to manage your DNS records. However, you can also send an email to manage the DNS records. For security reasons, you will only be able to add, delete, or modify Name Server (NS), Mail Exchange (MX), and Text Resource (TXT) records. So, ALT.SO NIC highly recommends that you manage all your other DNS records from your own server or a trusted and secured third-party DNS management provider.

How can I manage .Alt.So DNS?

To manage your DNS, just send an email to dns@alt.so with the following code:

For an NS Record:
yourdomain.alt.so NS ns1.example.alt.so auto

For multiple NS Records:
yourdomain.alt.so NS ns1.example.alt.so ns2.example.alt.so auto

For an MX Record:
yourdomain.alt.so MX mx1.example.alt.so 10

For multiple MX Records:
yourdomain.alt.so MX mx1.example.alt.so 10 mx2.example.alt.so 20

For TXT Records:
yourdomain.alt.so TXT exampletext auto

To delete all records:
yourdomain.alt.so DEL ALL

To delete a specific record:
yourdomain.alt.so DEL NS

To get emailed all records:
yourdomain.alt.so DNS ALL

To get emailed a specific record:
yourdomain.alt.so DNS NS

To make WHOIS record private:
yourdomain.alt.so WHOIS OFF

To make WHOIS record public:
yourdomain.alt.so WHOIS ON

Accepted DNS TTL (time to live):

"auto" ~ dynamic = "Recommended"
"1800" ~ 30 mins = "Very Short"
"3600" ~ an hour = "Short"
"86400" ~ a day = "Standard"
"604800" ~ a week = "Long"

For MX Records, the TTL mentioned by your mail service provider is accepted and recommended. If your mail service provider haven't mentioned any TTL number, use "auto" for dynamic configuration.

Remember, spaces, not case, matter when inputting the codes. And you don't have to add any greetings as well. Any other contents except the stated codes will be ignored automatically. Additionally, you don't have to delete any record to update or modify.

If you want to use our dedicated page, please send an email to our email mentioned earlier with "yourdomain.alt.so DNS Pass" code. An automatic email will be sent to your email address within 48 hours. That email will contain a DNS Pass that will let you access the DNS editing page. That email will also have a security code that you have to use to authenticate your action at the DNS editing page.

To use the dedicated DNS management page, fill-up the form as instructed at the bottom of that page.

Note: Always communicate through the "Control Email Address", which is the ALT.SO NIC registered email address and mentioned in the domain registration confirmation email. And please allow the universally standard DNS propagation period of 24 to 72 (twenty-four to seventy-two) hours for all changes to take effect successfully.

How can I put A, CNAME, or other DNS records?

The ALT.SO NIC only accepts Name Server (NS) records to point your domain to a server for security purposes. So, you must provide us with your NS record for the ".alt.so" domain name to host it properly. Now, if your server or your server system doesn't support NS records (like, for example, Shopify®), you have to use a third-party DNS management service. The third-party DNS management services (such as HE.NET) have their dedicated NS records, which can be used to make your ".alt.so" domain to point. And from there, you can control any DNS record. So, all you have to do with us is just giving us the NS records for your third-party DNS management service.

For example, let's say you have a domain name "90sdenims.alt.so" and want to use it for Shopify. Now, since Shopify only has an "A" record and a "CNAME" record, you can't use those with us to make your domain act as per Shopify. So, sign up for a third-party DNS management system, set its NS records to your ".alt.so" domain, and then apply Shopify's instructions over there.

How ALT.SO NIC ensures uptime?

We, at ALT.SO NIC, utilize multiple layers of servers to address downtime issues. Our base infrastructure is provided by Hurricane Electric. Additionally, we employ servers from NameCheap Inc. as an added layer. Our ALT.SO NIC front-end website is hosted on a separate server managed by iFastNet Ltd., ensuring the protection of our base DNS management system against attacks. Furthermore, we integrate web technologies provided by Google Inc. across various aspects of our front-end and back-end systems.

Our website was constructed using raw PHP programming language along with a simple combination of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. We employ temporary databases that are cleared after a designated period. The majority of our information and files are stored on a server accessible only to a select few. Additionally, we have implemented top-tier encryption and maintaining a client system that doesn't require passwords, along with an independent invoicing system.