Category: Let’s Encrypt Guide
How to add set CAA records to allow Lets Encrypt to generate certificates
As a security measure, the ability to issue SSL certificates can be restricted to specific Certificate Authorities by using CAA records. By setting up the appropriate CAA records for your domain, you’re ensuring that Let’s Encrypt can issue certificates for your domain, while also preventing other certificate authorities from doing so without your authorization. For more info on CAA records read this arcticle When Really Simple SSL detects a CAA record that will prevent let Let’s Encrypt from issuing a
Installing a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate
Most hosting providers will provide you with an SSL certificate. Really Simple Security attempts to detect and enforce the installed SSL certificate automatically. If your hosting provider does not offer free SSL certificates, but does allow for the installation of third-party SSL certificates: you can generate a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate with Really Simple Security. The below steps will guide you through the SSL generation process. Note: your Hosting Provider may restrict the installation of third-party SSL certificates. Therefore,
Generate an SSL certificate with Let’s Encrypt
Most hosting providers will provide you with an SSL certificate. Really Simple SSL attempts to detect and enforce the installed SSL certificate automatically. If your hosting provider does not offer free SSL certificates, but does allow for the installation of third-party SSL certificates: you can generate a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate with Really Simple SSL. The below steps will guide you through the SSL generation process. Important Note: your Hosting Provider may restrict the generation/installation of third-party SSL certificates.
Renewing a Really Simple SSL Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate
Really Simple SSL will let you know when your Let’s Encrypt certificate generated by Really Simple SSL is about to expire. Two weeks before the expiration date, you will see one of the following notices in your SSL settings dashboard: The SSL certificate has been renewed and requires manual installation in your hosting dashboard When the plugin has renewed the certificate but hasn’t been able to install the renewed certificate automatically, you will see the following notice: If you see
OCSP Stapling
OCSP Stapling OCSP stands for Online Certificate Status Protocol. It is a tool to check the certificate status in real-time. When a user visits your site, an OCSP request is generally made to the Certificate Authority that issued the SSL certificate. This is done to verify the SSL certificate hasn’t been revoked. Since this check is done in real-time it can create a short delay. This is where OCSP stapling comes in. In short, OCSP stapling saves the results of