To make sure that the data exchange between your website and your visitors is secure, configuring SSL/TLS certificates is an important task. If you already know how to install SSL on VPS, it’s great, but it will be also extremely useful to know how to configure it in the right way. That’s what we are going to have a look at today.
What is SSL/TLS?
TLS stands for Transport Layer Security and is a protocol responsible for data encryption, which is a necessary measure for the data transmitted not to be intercepted by cybercriminals. It is based on the older SSL (Secure Socket Layer) protocol, which is now deprecated. As mentioned, TLS encrypts the data transferred, which is especially important in the case of passwords, credit card information, and other sensitive data, so it becomes impossible to intercept it for cybercriminals.
Besides the objective usefulness of these features, TLS is essential, so to speak, in terms of the standards of a safe web. It’s what is responsible in particular for the badge the users see near the address bar of their browser. This increases the subjectivСТУe trust of your visitors to your website and contributes to its objective ranking by search engines, the Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
If your site can’t provide a TLS certificate, the visitors will see a respective message, warning about the potential insecurity of their connection. Even in the case, any sensitive information is not involved in the interactions on your website, the mere presence of this notification will create a negative impression, repulsing potential visitors.
As you can see, TLS is a pretty indispensable element of your website’s security, so configuring it by hand is not a useless faculty.
How to get and configure a TLS certificate?
In order to manually configure SSL/TLS for a custom domain, you will need to first generate a certificate signing request (CSR). This can be done using the OpenSSL tool. Once you have generated the CSR, you will need to submit it to a Certificate Authority (CA) for signing. Once you have received the signed certificate from the CA, you will need to install it on your web server.
Generating a CSR
The first step in manually configuring SSL/TLS for a custom domain is to generate a CSR. This can be done using the OpenSSL tool. The CSR will need to be generated with the following information:
- Country Name (C): The two-letter ISO code for the country in which your organization is located.
- State or Province Name (ST): The state or province in which your organization is located.
- Locality Name (L): The city in which your organization is located.
- Organization Name (O): The legal name of your organization.
- Organizational Unit Name (OU): The department within your organization that is responsible for the website.
- Common Name (CN): The fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for your website. This should be the domain that you want to secure with SSL/TLS.
- Email Address: The email address of the contact within your organization responsible for the website.
Once you have generated the CSR, you will need to submit it to a Certificate Authority (CA) for signing.
Receiving the Signed Certificate
Once you have submitted the CSR to the CA, you will need to wait for them to issue you a signed certificate. Once you receive the signed certificate, you will need to install it on your web server in order for SSL/TLS to work.
Installing the Certificate
The signed certificate needs to be installed on your web server in order for SSL/TLS to operate. The exact steps for installing the certificate will vary depending on which web server software you are using. Once the certificate is installed, you will need to configure your web server to use SSL/TLS.
Configuring Your Web Server
The final step in manually configuring SSL/TLS for a custom domain is to configure your web server to use SSL/TLS. How to perform this configuration will as well depend on the web server software you are using. Once you have configured your web server, you will need to test it to ensure that SSL/TLS is working correctly.
Testing Your Configuration
The best way to test your SSL/TLS configuration is to use a web browser to access your website. If you see the green padlock icon in the address bar, then SSL/TLS is working correctly. You can also check the SSL/TLS configuration of your website using a tool like SSL Labs.
Conclusion
SSL/TLS certificate is a small, but important thing, which is essential for your website to be secure for the users’ data transmission and be well-ranked by search engines. Configuration of your SSL/TLS certificate is not a hard task to be done manually, however, you should be careful as a mistake can make your website inaccessible. We hope, however, that this guide was clear enough so you won’t make one as long as you follow our instructions. Thank you for your attention, take care!
Also Read: Domain Name vs. Web Hosting – What’s the Difference?
