If you own a website in 2022, then you will need an SSL certificate. An SSL certificate encrypts the data that goes from a user’s computer to the target website and back. That is to say, every time a user enters information into your site, the SSL makes sure that it can securely travel from their browser to your web server. It not only keeps user data secure, but also verifies ownership of the website to prevent attackers from creating a fake version of the site. These benefits of an SSL will thus help convey trust to users. Also, your website will rank higher with an SSL certificate than those sites without one in Google because Google has made SSL certificates mandatory for sites. In short, websites need SSL certificates. This article will show you the steps on how to purchase and install an SSL certificate for a website.
Place an SSL Order
Generate a CSR
Generating a certificate signing request (CSR) is the first step to get your own SSL Certificate. When you generate the CSR, please be sure to generate it on the server you plan to install the certificate. The CSR contains information, such as country and organization, that the Certificate Authority (CA) will use to create your certificate.
Configure the Certificate in the Billing System
After you pay for the SSL order, DBM will send a notification email. This email contains a guide on how to configure the SSL certificate. As can be seen in the following sample email, you can click the link for the guide. After that, log in to our Billing system to configure the certificate.
Approve the Certificate Authority for Validation
The certificate authorities (CA) need to ensure that your business is legitimate. Therefore, they validate your business authenticity before issuing an SSL certificate for your website. The required information for the validation depends on the type of SSL certificate you select.
There are three options to approve Certificate Authority while you configure it in the Billing system:
- HTTP
- DNS TXT Record
Download the Issued SSL Certificate File
After we approve the certificate request, the certificate will be issued shortly. There are two options to download the issued SSL file:
- Download the SSL file provided in the technical contact email.
- Downloading the SSL file from the Billing system.
Complete the Certificate Request
Completing certificate requests on servers of different Operating system might not be the same. If you generate a CSR on Windows-based servers, please follow the guide How to Complete a Certificate Request.
- Note: Please complete the certificate request on the same server you generated CSR on step 2 Generate CSR.
Apply the SSL to Website
7.1 Apply the SSL on Windows IIS
7.2 Apply the SSL on Apache or Nginx
Apply the SSL on Apache or Nginx requires a .crt file and a .key file. The .crt file can be downloaded via the step 5 Download SSL certificate. The .key file will be generated when you generate the CSR.
If you have a .pfx file, please convert the file to a .crt file and a .key file. About how to get the .crt and .key file, please refer to https://portal.databasemart.com/kb/a466/how-to-get-crt-key-and-private-key-from-_pfx-or-_pem.aspx.
When get the .crt file and .key file, you are ready to install the certificate.
For how to apply an SSL on Apache, please refer to How to Apply an SSL on Apache.
For how to apply an SSL on Nginx, please refer to How to Apply an SSL on Nginx.
