Zero-cost website building: Free permanent subdomain and one-click Cloudflare hosting - detailed guide | Tutorial

In scenarios such as personal website building, testing web services, learning Linux operations and maintenance, or setting up personal testing servers, purchasing a legitimate top-level domain name (like .com) can often be an unnecessary expense. Many people looking for free domain names encounter issues like the requirement to verify their credit card with a foreign VISA, or the platform being blocked and thus inaccessible.

This article will provide you with a detailed guide on how to use a very established and stable free second-level domain name distribution platform in China – DNS Shell (my.dnshe.com) – to obtain 3 domain names for free, with a validity period of 10 years (or the option to renew for free on a long-term basis), and to host them with the renowned Cloudflare platform with just one click, achieving zero-cost and unlimited sub-domain name resolution.

Preparation and Direct Access to the Platform

Before you start the process, make sure you have the following tools, accounts, and direct access links ready:

Email Address: It is recommended to prepare a commonly used email address. For efficiency, the platform supports quick login via Google account authorization. If you use a domestic QQ or NetEase email, regular registration is also possible.
Free Domain Name Registration Platform: Direct access to DNS Shell’s official website (my.dnshe.com). This is one of the few platforms that currently does not require credit card verification and allows you to obtain a free domain name simply by providing your email address.
Domain Name Resolution and Hosting Platform: Direct access to Cloudflare’s official website (cloudflare.com). This platform will be used to manage the domain name’s DNS resolution and provides free global CDN acceleration, free SSL security certificates, and basic anti-DDOS attack protection.

Step 1: Preparation and Direct Access to the Platform

Before you start the process, make sure you have the following tools, accounts, and direct access links ready:

Email Address: It is recommended to prepare a commonly used email address. For efficiency, the platform supports quick login via Google account authorization. If you use a domestic QQ or NetEase email, regular registration is also possible.
Free Domain Name Registration Platform: Direct access to DNS Shell’s official website (my.dnshe.com). This is one of the few platforms that currently does not require credit card verification and allows you to obtain a free domain name simply by providing your email address.
Domain Name Resolution and Hosting Platform: Direct access to Cloudflare’s official website (cloudflare.com). This platform will be used to manage the domain name’s DNS resolution and provides free global CDN acceleration, free SSL security certificates, and basic anti-DDOS attack protection.

Step 2: Register and Obtain Free Domain Names

In the past, applying for free domain names was very simple (for example, the popular Freenom platform). However, due to stricter policies and increased abuse, many such platforms have been shut down. Currently, DNS Shell is still in a period where you can obtain free domain names with just an email verification. Here are the detailed steps:

Open DNS Shell (my.dnshe.com) in your browser.
To avoid the hassle of receiving email verification codes and setting complex passwords, it is strongly recommended to click on the Google account icon on the login page for quick authorization.
If you choose to register using a regular account, you will need to enter a custom username, your commonly used email address, and then click to send a verification code. Check your email for the code and enter it on the page, and finally set a secure password to complete the registration.

2. Apply for Free Domain Names and Select a Domain Extension

After successful login, navigate to the backend control panel. Find and click on the “Free Domain Names” option in the left sidebar or on the main page.
Quota Limit: The platform previously allowed a maximum of 5 free domain names per account. With stricter resource management, each account can now only register 3 free domain names. Although the number has decreased, 3 domain names are more than enough for personal testing and daily use.
Domain Extensions and Validity Period: The platform offers various second-level domain name extensions (such as .cc, .cn, .cd, etc.). Different extensions have different free validity periods and rules:
10-Year Validity Extensions: The blogger in the video demonstrated a certain .cc extension. Once registered, this type of extension is granted a 10-year free usage period (the expiration date is directly visible in the backend as 2036), making it an excellent choice to secure.
1-Year Renewal Extensions: Other extensions (like .cd) are initially provided with a 1-year validity period. However, there’s no need to worry, as the platform has a very fair renewal policy: you can renew for free 185 days in advance. This means that as long as you log in to the platform and renew before half a year before the expiration date, you can effectively make it permanent for free.
Registration Process: Enter the desired domain name in the prefix input field. The system will automatically check if the domain name is already in use. If it is available, click the “Register” button, and the domain name will be immediately associated with your account.

⚠️ Precaution (Important): When selecting a second-level domain name extension, avoid ones that end with .com. Because Cloudflare prevents misuse and black activities, some specific second-level domain names cannot be directly hosted on Cloudflare (CF), and an error will be displayed during the addition process. Please prefer the platform’s own extensions such as .cc, .biz, .org, etc., which can pass Cloudflare’s verification seamlessly.

Step 3: Host the Domain Names on Cloudflare (CF) with One Click

After successfully obtaining the free second-level domain names, the default resolution panel provided by the original platform often has issues with slow resolution and limited functionality. To achieve fast DNS resolution, a free SSL certificate (which automatically adds a green security lock to your website), and attack protection, we need to transfer the domain name’s resolution to Cloudflare.

1. Add a Site on Cloudflare

Open and log in to your Cloudflare account, then go to the control panel and click on “Add a Site” in the top-right corner.
Copy the complete second-level domain name you obtained from DNS Shell (including the prefix and extension, e.g., mytest.dnshe.cc) and paste it into the input field, then click **“Continue”.

2. Choose a Free Plan

The page will display the payment plan options (including professional and commercial plans). Scroll to the bottom of the page, find, and select the “Free” (0 USD/month) plan, then click to confirm.
Cloudflare will automatically start scanning the domain name’s existing DNS records. After the scan, there’s no need to make any changes; just click to proceed to the next step.

3. Change the Domain Name Servers (DNS Name Servers)

Cloudflare will display its own Name Server addresses (for example, dash.cloudflare.com) on the page. Click the copy button next to them.
Return to the [DNS Shell (my.dnshe.com) backend, find the domain name you just registered in the purchased domain names list, and click on “Domain Management” or “DNS Services” settings.
Delete all the default DNS server addresses provided by the original platform and paste the new addresses you copied from Cloudflare. Save the changes.

4. Wait for the Hosting to Be Fully Activated

After making the changes, return to the Cloudflare page and click on “I have changed the name servers” at the bottom.
The platform will indicate that the verification is in progress. Since the DNS update for second-level domain names is very fast, synchronization is usually completed within minutes or even seconds.
Once the status of the domain name in the Cloudflare backend changes from “Pending” to “Active,” and you receive an activation email from Cloudflare, it means the hosting has been successfully completed. You can then close the DNS Shell account, as all resolution tasks will be handled by Cloudflare.

Core Technical Explanation: What are First-Level, Second-Level, and Third-Level Domain Names?

Many beginners in web development often struggle to understand the hierarchy of domain names. Clarifying this concept can help you make the most of the free domain names you obtain:

First-Level Domain Names (Top-Level Domain Names):

These are the regular domain names we purchase from providers like Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, or Namecheap, such as baidu.com or google.com. They have a custom name followed by a period (.`).

Second-Level Domain Names:

These are custom prefixes added in front of the first-level domain name, separated by a period. For example, mail.google.com or pan.baidu.com.
The free domain names obtained from DNS Shell are essentially second-level domain names under the top-level domain name owned by the platform (e.g., yourname.dnshe.cc).

The “Infinity of Third-Level Domain Names” (The Core Value):

There’s a common misconception that a free second-level domain name can only be used for one website or service. However, this is not the case.
Once you host the second-level domain name on Cloudflare, you gain full control over it.
In Cloudflare’s DNS resolution panel, you can add new A records, AAAA records, or CNAME records. For example, if you add a prefix like blog, you can create a third-level domain name like blog.yourname.dnshe.cc. Adding another prefix like vpn would create vpn.yourname.dnshe.cc.
In summary: With Cloudflare’s powerful features, the free second-level domain name you obtain can be used to create an unlimited number of third-level and fourth-level domain names. You can use different prefixes to host blogs, mount personal cloud drives, build IP-checking tools, or conduct various temporary network experiments, achieving true zero-cost, multi-purpose use.

Summary and Business Advice

Perfect Application Scenarios: The free second-level domain names obtained through DNS Shell and hosted on Cloudflare offer high stability and fast resolution. They are ideal for tech enthusiasts for server testing, learning front-end web development, temporary network experiments, or setting up private personal services, making them a great cost-saving tool.
Business Recommendations: Although these domain names can be used for a long time through renewal, it’s important to note that the ownership of the domain names remains with the distribution platform. If you plan to build a public-facing business website, a company official website, a core e-commerce system, or a personal brand blog that needs to be operated long-term, it is still recommended to purchase a dedicated .com top-level domain name from a legitimate registrar (currently costing around 50-60 yuan per year). This will provide the strongest legal and technical support for website security, SEO rankings, and brand protection.

Zero-cost website building: Free permanent subdomain and one-click Cloudflare hosting - detailed guide