What is a cheap SSL certificate and how do I get it?

Web browsing via HTTPS is becoming the norm and all websites will need to be secure. Is the cheap SSL certificate a good alternative to paid SSL certificates? What is a cheap SSL certificate and how do I get it?

With its cheap SSL certificate UK, the certification authority Let’s Encrypt allows you to secure your website with a cheap certificate obtained in 5 minutes.

Does a cheap SSL certificate offer the same level of security? Is it really cheap? How to get it and install it? We bring you the answers in this article.

What is a cheap SSL certificate?

The cheap SSL certificate has been around for a long time,
the OpenSSL foundation allows you, for example, to create a self-signed SSL
certificate for cheap since 1998 thanks to an encryption toolbox.

Definition of the SSL certificate: An SSL certificate or
electronic certificate or even a digital certificate is the equivalent of a
digital identity card. The certificate is materialized by a data file linking a
cryptographic key to the information of a natural or legal person. It makes it
possible to secure data exchanges by encryption (128 bits, 256 bits, etc.).

Installing an SSL certificate on your website secures the
information exchanged with your visitors. It also allows your visitors to
identify you as the owner and to be certain of the existence of your business
on the date of installation of the SSL certificate.

For a website, the implementation of an SSL certificate
(TLS) allows the transition from HTTP to HTTPS protocol.

The transition from HTTP to HTTPS protocol with the
installation of an SSL certificate.

Self-signed SSL certificate

A self-signed certificate is a cheap certificate created
from an open-source toolbox (OpenSSL). OpenSSL allows you to create your SSL
certificate in a few steps, provided that you are proficient in Linux.

The creation of a self-signed certificate is suitable for
personal use, on the contrary, to secure your website, your SSL certificate
must be issued by a certification authority (Certificate Authority, CA, and
AC).

A self-signed SSL certificate can trigger an alert message
in web browsers while an SSL certificate (of X.509 type) issued by a
certification authority ensures the green padlock for your entire domain (at
provided that the SSL certificate is correctly installed).

Warning unsecured connection https warning for an insecure
connection

Let’s Encrypt Cheap SSL Certificate

At the initiative of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (a
project independent of Mozilla), the Internet Security Research Group
(ISRG)  created  Let’s Encrypt.

Let’s Encrypt is a cheap, automated, and open certificate
authority. It is supported by donors such as OVH, Cisco, Mozilla, Chrome,
Facebook,

Let’s Encrypt is, therefore, a certification authority that has been issuing cheap SSL certificates UK since December 2015 (in public beta). Thanks to Let’s Encrypt, it is possible to obtain a cheap and reliable SSL certificate!

The SSL certificate issued cheap of charge by Let’s Encrypt
is a DV type SSL certificate.

THE CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE LET’S ENCRYPT CERTIFICATE:

They are cheap and issued by a certification authority,

They allow a secure connection via the HTTPS protocol, they
can secure a web server, an email server, an FTP server, etc.

The issuance of the certificate is automated and takes only
5 minutes,

Certificates are valid for 90 days  (it is possible to automate renewal),

They are only of type validation domain (DV),

Let’s Encrypt certificates are recognized and compatible
with almost all browsers and all applications,

They are of type X.509 and use the SHA-2 hash function.

To secure a showcase site or a blog, a cheap SSL certificate
is a good alternative to paid certificates issued by other certification
authorities. Let’s Encrypt certificate is really cheap and offers a very good
level of security. On the other hand, its installation will certainly be paying
unless you have the necessary skills.

For an e-commerce site, it is preferable to opt for an OV or
EV type certificate (OV for validation of the organization or EV for extended
validation).

The StartSSL certification authority also issues cheap SSL
certificates. (Some certification authorities: GlobalSign, RapidSSL, AlphaSSL,
GeoTrust, Thawte, Symantec, Start SSL,).

SSL certificate cheap let’s encrypt

Why install an SSL
certificate?

Beyond protecting the data exchanged, securing the web is a
priority for Google. In fact, Google has been encouraging website publishers to
switch to HTTPS since 2014.

Since January 2017, Google Chrome reports a danger in its
address bar for all websites not accessible in HTTPS. The result of Google’s
actions is reflected in strong growth in SSL secure sites. With the strong
growth of the cheap SSL certificate, 50% of the pages loaded in January 2017
were secure.

Evolution of the percentage of pages loaded via HTTPS

HTTPS evolution Over 50% of web pages loaded in January 2017
are https secure

OVH has generated 2.2 million SSL certificates in a few
months. Source: Let’s Encrypt

How do I get a cheap SSL certificate?

To get a cheap SSL certificate and secure your website, all
you need is your hand on your apache server. Let’s Encrypt offers a tool that
allows the automatic implementation of the certificate on your domain in a few
command lines.

An SSL certificate is installed at the hosting level of your
site and more precisely at the level of your web server.

Depending on your host and web server, the procedure for
obtaining an SSL certificate and installing it will be different:

If your site is hosted on shared OVH or on a VPS or
dedicated server, you can take advantage of a cheap SSL certificate in 1 Click.
You will just have to intervene on your site to force it to switch to HTTPS.

If, on the other hand, your site is hosted by Gandi on a
shared XS type, you will not be able to benefit from a cheap SSL certificate.

To find out if your web server is compatible with the
installation of a cheap SSL certificate, you will need to contact your host.

Cheap SSL certificate UK

How to install an SSL certificate?

Installing an SSL certificate is cheap if you do it on your
own. It is made up of several stages and requires skills in web development. It
starts with making sure you have the following accesses:

Access to FTP,

Access to the webserver (SSH access or via a Plesk or cPanel
type panel),

Access to the domain manager,

To the administration console of the website.

Installing an SSL certificate

Study your needs and choose the type of SSL certificate to
install (DV, OV, EV, SAN, SSL wildcard,)

Study the technical feasibility (your hosting server, the
CMS used, the redirects to be provided, backlink, etc.),

Choice of your certification authority and purchase of the
SSL certificate (paid or cheap),

Generate the SSL certificate (CSR) and install the
certificate on the webserver,

Rewriting of all website URLs, the transition from HTTP to
HTTPS,

Implementation of 301 redirects,

Control of 301 redirects and the presence of the green
padlock on all pages of the site.

For novices in web development, you will have to entrust the
installation of your SSL certificate to your host or to a web agency.

Conclusion

The establishment of a secure connection to your website via
SSL is inevitable. The cheap SSL certificate is a good alternative to paid
certificates for the majority of websites. For e-commerce sites or for
validation of your organization, you will have to opt for a paid certificate.

The post What is a cheap SSL certificate and how do I get it? appeared first on Knnit.