---
title: Methods
description: Review different methods to perform Domain Control Validation when using Cloudflare SSL/TLS.
image: https://developers.cloudflare.com/core-services-preview.png
---

> Documentation Index  
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.cloudflare.com/ssl/llms.txt  
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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# Methods

Before a certificate authority (CA) will issue a certificate for a domain, the requester must prove they have control over that domain. This process is known as domain control validation (DCV).

## Perform DCV

For details on each method available for DCV, refer to the following resources:

* [ Delegated ](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ssl/edge-certificates/changing-dcv-method/methods/delegated-dcv/)
* [ TXT ](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ssl/edge-certificates/changing-dcv-method/methods/txt/)
* [ HTTP ](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ssl/edge-certificates/changing-dcv-method/methods/http/)

Note

For guidance on when you need to perform DCV, refer to [Domain Control Validation](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ssl/edge-certificates/changing-dcv-method/).

---

## Verify DCV status

To verify the [DCV status](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ssl/reference/certificate-statuses/) of a certificate, either monitor the certificate's status on the [**Edge Certificates** ↗](https://dash.cloudflare.com/?to=/:account/:zone/ssl-tls/edge-certificates) page or use the [Verification Status endpoint](https://developers.cloudflare.com/api/resources/ssl/subresources/verification/methods/get/).

A status of `active` means that the certificate has been deployed to Cloudflare’s global network and will be served as soon as HTTP traffic is proxied to Cloudflare.

## Update DCV methods

You cannot update the DCV method for an active certificate. To update the DCV method for a subdomain, wait until the DCV expires and then change the DCV method.

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/directory/","name":"Directory"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/ssl/","name":"SSL/TLS"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"/ssl/edge-certificates/","name":"Edge certificates"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@id":"/ssl/edge-certificates/changing-dcv-method/","name":"Domain control validation (DCV)"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@id":"/ssl/edge-certificates/changing-dcv-method/methods/","name":"Methods"}}]}
```