If you don’t know how to install an SSL/TLS Certificate on a website, we are going to help you out. There are certain aspects of a website that must be taken care of to avoid problems that affect security. This can also be very important for the image of the page itself. In this article, we are going to explain what an SSL certificate is, why it is important for a website.
What is an SSL certificate?
An SSL certificate allows the transfer of data between a browser and a webserver to be encrypted and secure. It is a very important standard and it is really present on websites nowadays.
The main purpose of an SSL certificate is to protect the website from intruders. It serves to encrypt user connections and ensure that information cannot be intercepted by third parties. Basically, it is a security layer that allows two parties to communicate privately.
The SSL certificate is installed on the webserver and will fulfill the function of authenticating the identity of the site and guarantee visitors that they are on a legitimate page. It is very important to avoid accessing a website that could be fake, that could really be a phishing attack.
Each SSL certificate has a name, a serial number, and an expiration date. They also have a copy of the public key, as well as the digital signature of the authority issuing the certificate.
How to install an SSL/TLS certificate on a website?
Installing an SSL certificate on the server is a very important process to be carried out by those responsible for a website. It is an essential way to offer visitors a secure, encrypted site with the appropriate guarantees. In addition, it will also serve to give a good image and to be able to appear better in the main search engines.
This can vary according to the hosting that we have contracted, but the process is similar. The first thing we have to do is to have an SSL certificate. We can buy it from the company where we have the server. We can also buy from another external provider. There are even free certificates that come included with the contracted hosting.
When we have the certificate downloaded on our computer, we can access the control panel of our hosting.
Once we are inside the Control Panel go to the Security section. There we will see the SSL/TLS section. There we will see different options, such as Private Keys, Certificate Signing Requests, Certificates, and Install and manage SSL for the site. This last one is the one we are interested in.
When we are inside we will see all the domains that we have linked to that hosting. In case we have only one, we will see that one in particular. On the other hand, if we have several domains, all of them will appear and we will have to choose the one we are interested in.
When selecting the option to install an SSL certificate and mark the domain that we are interested in, we will simply have to fill in all the data that we are asked for. This includes the Certificate (CRT) and the Private Key (KEY). When we have everything filled in we simply have to click on Install certificate, which is the button that appears below.
From that moment on our site will have the certificate installed correctly. The browsers will recognize it and we will no longer have security problems related to this issue. This is important since many browsers have been informing visitors that the website is not secure if they enter a site where there is no certificate installed.
It is a very important process that we must take into account. You simply need to have a properly purchased certificate and then install it on your hosting.
