gTLD + IDN Domain Names Support

gTLD and IDN Domain Names Support

The platform supports internationalised domain names that contain Unicode characters and generic top-level domains such as .org, .academy, and .best.

Internationalised Domain Name technology allows users to work with domain names that contain characters from writing systems other than the Latin alphabet, including Cyrillic and Chinese characters. These names are converted to an ASCII-compatible representation through Punycode when required.

gTLD and IDN domain support
Internationalised and generic top-level domains can be used with platform environments.
IDN Domains Support Unicode characters in environment names, aliases, and external custom domains.
gTLD Domains Support generic top-level domains that are not tied to a specific country.
On this page

Default Environment IDN Domain

1Create the environment

Open the topology wizard, configure the required environment settings, and enter an environment name in the required language. The environment name must contain more than five characters.

Create an environment with an IDN name
Enter an internationalised environment name in the topology wizard.
Examples of internationalised environment names
Environment names can use characters from different writing systems.
Reserved prefix: An environment name cannot start with xn-- because this prefix is reserved for the ASCII representation of internationalised domain names.

Click Create. The environment is provisioned through the normal workflow and then added to the dashboard.

Environment created with an IDN name
The internationalised environment name is displayed correctly in the dashboard.

Punycode Representation

When the environment is opened in a browser, its default URL may be shown in Punycode. Punycode represents Unicode domain-name characters using the limited ASCII character set supported by the DNS system.

IDN environment URL displayed in Punycode
The browser can display the environment’s internationalised name in Punycode format.
A custom domain, including an IDN domain, can be bound to the environment when a more convenient public address is required.

Environment and Node Aliases

Environment aliases and individual node aliases can also use characters from the user’s native language. These aliases help make the dashboard and SSH console easier to understand and navigate.

Internationalised environment alias
Set an environment or node alias using the preferred language.

Custom IDN and gTLD Domains

Internationalised domains and generic top-level domains are bound through the same Custom Domains workflow used for standard domain names.

  1. Configure the required DNS record for the environment.
  2. Open the environment Settings.
  3. Select Custom Domains.
  4. Enter the IDN or gTLD domain.
  5. Click Bind.
Bind an IDN or gTLD domain
Bind an internationalised or generic top-level domain through Custom Domains.
IDN Example A domain containing native-language Unicode characters.
gTLD Example A domain ending in a generic suffix such as .academy, .best, or .org.

Swap IDN and gTLD Domains

The domain-swapping feature can also be used with IDN and gTLD domain types. It allows the public domains of two environments to be exchanged without manually repeating the complete binding process.

Swap IDN or gTLD domains between environments
Use Swap Domains to exchange internationalised or generic domain names.
DNS reminder: Ensure that all DNS records point to the correct environment before binding or swapping domain names.

What’s next?