• serkanyarar
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Securing your website with SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is essential in today’s internet landscape. It encrypts data, making it more secure for your users and essential for achieving a good SEO ranking. Here’s a step-by-step guide to installing an SSL certificate on an Ubuntu server, using Let’s Encrypt for free SSL certificates.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have the following:

• Ubuntu Server: The steps here are tailored for Ubuntu but are similar for other Linux distributions.
• Nginx or Apache installed: We’ll cover the steps for Nginx, but you can adapt them for Apache.
• A registered domain name: The SSL certificate will be tied to this domain.
• Server access with sudo privileges: Ensure you have access to the server as a user with sudo privileges.

Step 1: Install Certbot

Certbot is a free, open-source tool that automates the process of obtaining and installing SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt.

• Update the package list:

sudo apt update

• Install Certbot and the Nginx plugin:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Step 2: Obtain an SSL Certificate

With Certbot installed, you can now request a certificate.

• Request a certificate for your domain: Replace example.com with your actual domain name. Certbot will fetch the SSL certificate for your domain and configure Nginx.

certbot --nginx -d example.com -d www.example.com

• Follow the prompts:Certbot will ask you a series of questions, including whether you’d like to redirect HTTP traffic to HTTPS (recommended). This helps ensure all traffic is secured.

Step 3: Verify SSL Installation

After Certbot finishes, you can verify the SSL installation.

1. Check SSL Configuration:Run the following command to check your domain’s SSL configuration: You should see a response confirming HTTPS and SSL details.

curl -I https://example.com

1. Check

sudo certbot certificates

1. Visit your website:Open your browser and navigate to https://example.com. If everything is working, you’ll see the secure lock icon next to your URL.

Step 4: Set Up Auto-Renewal

Let’s Encrypt certificates are valid for 90 days. To avoid having to manually renew your SSL certificate, you can set up auto-renewal with Certbot’s built-in renewal timer.

1. Check the renewal timer:Certbot installs a timer by default on Ubuntu. Verify it’s active by running:bashKodu kopyala

sudo systemctl status certbot.timer

1. Test the renewal process:To make sure the auto-renewal will work, you can do a dry run with:

sudo certbot renew --dry-run

This command simulates the renewal process without actually renewing the certificate, letting you see if there are any issues.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues, here are a few troubleshooting tips:

1. DNS Propagation: If you’ve recently added or changed DNS records, they may not have propagated fully. Wait a bit, and then try again.
2. Firewall settings: Ensure your firewall allows traffic on ports 80 and 443.
3. Common Errors: If you see errors like no alternative certificate subject name matches, it may indicate a mismatch between the domain in the SSL certificate and the domain you’re accessing.

Step 5: Renewing or Reinstalling a Certificate (If Needed)

If you make changes or add subdomains, you may need to re-run Certbot with additional domains:

sudo certbot --nginx -d example.com -d newsub.example.com

This command will update the SSL certificate to include any new subdomains specified.

Conclusion

You’ve successfully installed an SSL certificate on your Ubuntu server! SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt are a fantastic option for securing your site. With Certbot’s auto-renewal setup, your site will stay protected without ongoing maintenance.

Feel free to reach out with any questions, and enjoy your secure, HTTPS-enabled site!

serkanyarar

administrator