Alist series of tutorials: Free cloud service ClawCloud installation and deployment and custom domain name (CNAME) tutorial

Recently, the ClawCloud Run cloud service has attracted much attention for its $5 per month free quota for eligible GitHub users. With this quota, we can deploy some lightweight applications, such as the popular file listing program AList. This tutorial will detail how to install AList on ClawCloud and configure a custom domain name for it through Cloudflare (or other DNS service providers).

1. ClawCloud free quota and account preparation

According to early information, users who have registered their GitHub accounts for 180 days can get a free $5 per month quota on the ClawCloud Run platform. Although I did not see a clear 180-day description when I registered recently, I successfully obtained the quota because my GitHub account met the requirements.

ClawCloud Registration Link* ** https://console.run.claw.cloud/signin?link=QQRG142NU7F0

2. Install AList on ClawCloud

1. Log in to the ClawCloud console and go to the APP store.
2. Search and find "AList", and click it to enter the deployment page.
3. Cost Estimation: AList costs about $0.04 per day to run (about $1.20 per month), which is well within the $5 free quota.
4. Configuration and deployment:
   • Set the administrator username and password for AList.
   • Click "Deploy APP" and confirm.
5. Wait for the deployment to complete. After completion, you can see the running AList instance in the APP panel and get a default domain name assigned by ClawCloud (for example xxxx.run.app.clawcloud.com).

3. Configure a custom domain name

Using the default domain name is not personalized enough, we can bind our own domain name to it.

1. Get the ClawCloud CNAME record value:
   • In the AList application dashboard in ClawCloud, find and click Manage Network.
   • Click Custom Domain.
   • Here you will see a prompt asking you to add a CNAME resolution. Copy theDestination Address/CNAME Value (usually in the form of target.xxxx.run.app.clawcloud.com).
2. Add a CNAME record in Cloudflare (or your DNS provider):
   • Log in to your Cloudflare account and select your domain.
   • Go to the DNS resolution record management page and click "Add Record".
   • Type: choose CNAME.
   • Name: Fill in the subdomain you want (eg.alist,test, your access address will be alist.yourdomain.com).
   • Target: Paste the destination address you copied from ClawCloud in the previous step.
   • Proxy status: suggestionClose first (Set to DNS only), and consider whether to enable Cloudflare proxy after successful verification.
   • Click Save.
3. Fill in the custom domain name in ClawCloud and update:
   • Return to ClawCloud's AList custom domain settings page.
   • Fill in the input box with the value you just set in CloudflareFully customized domain name (For example alist.yourdomain.com or in the script test.pasd.edu.pl).
   • Very important: After filling in the form, be sure to click the "renew” button and confirm.

4. Wait for DNS resolution and verification

After completing the above steps, it will take some time for the DNS resolution to take effect globally. You can observe it in the custom domain name status of ClawCloud. When the status changes from "waiting" or similar prompts to "available" is displayed, it means the custom domain name has been configured successfully.

At this point, you should be able to see the AList login interface by accessing your custom domain name through a browser. Enter the username and password set during deployment to log in. The subsequent configuration of AList (such as mounting storage, etc.) is no different from normal operations, and you can refer to relevant tutorials.

5. Cleanup and server selection tips

After the demonstration or test is completed, if it is no longer needed, you can delete the deployed AList application in the ClawCloud APP panel to release resources.

Server region selection tips: Currently, ClawCloud's Japanese server region seems to be very popular, which may cause a long waiting time for application deployment or custom domain name resolution. For example, when I tested AList deployed in the Japanese region, its custom domain name resolution took more than an hour. If you want faster deployment and resolution speed, you can consider choosing other regions.