.cloud: a registry run by a hosting company

Registry snapshot

• ManagerARUBA PEC S.p.A. (Ponte San Pietro, Italy)
• Delegated26 June 2015
• Public availabilityPhased launch from late 2015 into early 2016 (sources give differing dates)
• Back-endARI Registry Services, per secondary sources
• RestrictionsNone; open to individuals and organisations

The operator and delegation date match the IANA root zone database. Launch phase dates (sunrise, landrush, general availability) vary by source, so we avoid giving one. The back-end provider is from secondary sources and we have not cross-checked it with the registry.

Why an Italian host owns it

Aruba is a well-known hosting and cloud provider in Italy, and applied for the string during ICANN's 2012 new gTLD round. Owning the extension gives the company a controlled namespace for its own cloud products and a retail product for customers. The result is that .cloud has a sensible commercial home, with a registry whose business is stable infrastructure rather than speculative domaining. This is an inference from the ownership structure; Aruba's own statements are the authoritative source.

Who registers it

SaaS and developer platforms

Software companies that sell hosted services often choose product.cloud as a clear category signal, particularly for infrastructure, backup, storage and DevOps tools.

Managed services and agencies

IT consultancies and cloud migration firms use it for brand sites; it tells a buyer what the service is before they click.

Internal and project namespaces

Teams register a .cloud name for a platform they run, then use subdomains for environments. If you do, read up on DNS and nameserver providers first; the extension does not change DNS best practice, but reliable DNS hosting matters more for infrastructure brands than for a brochure site.

We could not verify specific well-known companies using .cloud as their primary site, so we do not name any. Many large cloud brands use .com.

Trust and reputation

An infrastructure customer judges a vendor on its security posture, so a brand-new domain extension is a small risk factor rather than a deal-breaker. A .cloud address is open to anyone, which means both genuine businesses and impostors register it. Phishing campaigns frequently imitate the login pages of large cloud providers, and it is easy to see why a cloud-flavoured address would appeal to those using lookalikes. Spamhaus and Interisle are among the organisations that publish periodic abuse reporting; we did not verify a .cloud figure, so we make no claim about its rate. See lookalike domains for how to inspect a suspect address.

Pricing pattern

This is a mid-tier new gTLD: not in the cheapest budget group, with regular promotions and standard renewals above the intro price at most registrars. Common words can be premium. Because a platform brand may run for many years, calculate five-year cost, not first-year cost. The registrar contract also matters: a few registrars set transfer and renewal policy differently from others.

Compared with the usual choices

A startup selling developer software usually weighs .tech, .app, .io and .com. .cloud is more specific than all of them, which is a benefit if you sell hosted infrastructure and a limit if you pivot. The startup TLD decision guide covers how to weigh descriptive extensions against brand flexibility.

Reading the zone

If the zone is available through ICANN CZDS, new registrations on .cloud can be listed daily; useful for brand monitoring if you operate a cloud service and want early warning of imitators. For a name you are watching, the newly registered domain list approach works well for this kind of surveillance.

Practical setup for infrastructure brands

A cloud or SaaS brand carries more trust expectations than a hobby site. Beyond DNS, a handful of habits are worth adopting early. Enable DNSSEC if your registrar and DNS host support it, set registry lock or at least registrar lock, and use a role-based mailbox such as a shared admin address for the registrant contact so a staff departure does not strand the domain. Keep the renewal payment method current; for platforms that customers depend on, an accidental lapse is a public incident.

Subdomain strategy

Many companies keep marketing on the apex, and use subdomains for the app, API, status and docs: app.example.cloud, status.example.cloud. Separate third-party services, such as a hosted status page, onto their own subdomain so a compromise of one vendor does not touch your main site cookies.

Email and brand protection

Phishers love cloud vendors because customers expect "your account needs attention" emails. Publish a strict DMARC policy once you have confirmed every legitimate sender, and consider registering the same label under .com, .net and your most plausible misspellings. The cost of defensive registrations is small next to the support burden of a successful impersonation.

Frequently asked questions

Who runs the .cloud registry?

ARUBA PEC S.p.A., based in Italy and part of the Aruba hosting group. IANA records delegation in June 2015.

Do I need to be a cloud company to register .cloud?

No. No eligibility rules were found. It is open to individuals and organisations.

Is .cloud free if I use Aruba hosting?

We cannot confirm any such bundle. Check Aruba's and your registrar's current offers.

Is .cloud good for a SaaS product?

It can be a good descriptive fit for infrastructure and storage products. Weigh it against brand flexibility if your product may change focus.

Is it safe from phishing?

No extension is. Judge each domain on its registration history and content, and use DMARC to protect your own mail.

Why do launch dates for .cloud differ between sources?

The extension rolled out in phases (sunrise, landrush, general availability), and sources quote different phases. The root-zone delegation date of June 2015 is the firm one.