Getting Started with AutoInstall SSL: Install an SSL Certificate on Linux
This tutorial walks through the steps to automate the installation of SSL certificates on a Linux server using AutoInstall SSL.
Technical Requirements
AutoInstall SSL requires that you have root/admin access (typically this is via SSH) to your server. AutoInstall SSL for Linux is not compatible with shared hosting environments (typically accessed via control panels such as cPanel or Plesk) or website editors (such as Wix, Shopify, Squarespace, etc.) AutoInstall SSL is compatible with almost any dedicated or VPS hosting where you have root/admin level access to the server. (Including cloud servers like AWS EC2, Azure VMs, etc.)
AutoInstall SSL has been tested on the following Linux distributions:
- Ubuntu
- Debian
- CentOS Stream
AutoInstall SSL can automate SSL certificate installation in the following web servers:
- Apache 2+
- NGINX
Installation Instructions
Follow these steps to install an SSL certificate on your server and have it automatically managed by AutoInstall SSL:
- In CertPanel.com, after purchasing an SSL certificate, click “Start Certificate Enrollment”. Note: AutoInstall SSL currently supports DV, single domain SSL certificates.
- Choose or enter your domain name. You don’t need to include www. at this point (it can be added later).
- Choose the “Automatic Installation” option.
- Enter your contact details and click continue.
- Choose Linux as your server type and choose whether to protect domain.com only or to protect domain.com and www.domain.com (if you choose to protect www.domain.com, be sure you have DNS records setup for the www. subdomain).
- Connect to your web server using SSH. You’ll need to connect as root or a user with sudo privileges (admin level user).
- Copy the agent installation command provided into your SSH client and press enter. Once complete, the AutoInstall SSL agent will be installed on your server. It can be used to install one or more SSL certificates.
- Copy the provided installcertificate command into your SSH client and press enter. Review the settings, type “y”, and press enter to confirm. AutoInstall SSL will now complete the entire SSL certificate installation process (generate CSR, submit to CA, download validation file, place validation file at correct location, wait for validation, download certificate, install certificate, and restart web server).
- You’re done! AutoInstall SSL will keep your certificate up to date so it never expires.
Tips
AutoInstall SSL will automatically setup a cron job and check your SSL certificate every day. If it needs to be updated (for example, when the certificate will expire soon), AutoInstall SSL will automatically update your SSL certificate.
AutoInstall SSL uses file validation by default. This is the simplest method and is recommended for most use cases. You can change it to use DNS validation if needed by following these instructions.