What Is Let’s Encrypt?

As a website owner looking for an SSL certificate, you’ve probably considered what is Let’s Encrypt and wondered how it can help your site stay secure at zero cost.

Let’s Encrypt provides free SSL certificates to authenticate websites and enable encrypted connections. Simply put, Let’s Encrypt enables HTTPS, significantly enhancing trust, security, and privacy on the internet. Here’s a closer look at what Let’s Encrypt is, how it works, and why it is invaluable for your website’s security.

Understanding Let’s Encrypt

Let’s Encrypt is a nonprofit on a mission to make the web a safer place. It provides free, automated, and open SSL/TLS certificates for websites. These certificates are pivotal in ensuring secure communication between your website and its visitors by encrypting the data that travels between them.

How does Let’s Encrypt work?

Let’s Encrypt leverages a protocol called ACME (Automated Certificate Management Environment). This ingenious protocol automates the issuance and renewal of SSL/TLS certificates, eliminating the need for manual, error-prone processes. Once you set up Let’s Encrypt, it tirelessly manages the renewal of your certificates, ensuring you are always protected without constant manual intervention.

The types of certificates Let’s Encrypt offers

Let’s Encrypt primarily offers Domain Validated (DV) certificates. These certificates are a great fit for most websites, verifying that you have control over the domain, thus securing connections effectively. While Let’s Encrypt does not provide Extended Validation (EV) certificates, the majority of websites, including ecommerce sites, blogs, and small business pages, find DV certificates to be more than sufficient for their security needs.

What benefits does Let’s Encrypt offer?

It’s free: Let’s Encrypt offers its services completely free of charge, making it an ideal choice for those on a tight budget.
Automatic renewal: Certificates have an expiration date, but Let’s Encrypt takes care of renewals automatically.
Enhanced security: The use of HTTPS is vital for securing your website and safeguarding your visitors’ data.
SEO boost: Google and other search engines favor HTTPS websites, potentially improving your site’s visibility in search rankings.
Building trust: Visitors are more likely to trust a website that boasts a secure connection, boosting your credibility and user trust.

How to get started with Let’s Encrypt

This step-by-step tutorial guides you through installing Let’s Encrypt SSL in your domain through cPanel. Before getting started, you must check that your web host enables Let’s Encrypt certificates and that the domain and its www subdomain are pointed to your cPanel account’s IP address.

In many cases, if your host supports Let’s Encrypt, it’s also going to install the SSL certificates automatically. If it doesn’t, however, you can follow the steps below to get it done:

Access Let’s Encrypt SSL in cPanel
Log in to your cPanel account and scroll down to the “SECURITY” section.
Click on “Let’s Encrypt SSL.”

Issue a new SSL certificate
Choose the desired domain from the list displayed.
Click on “Issue” under Actions.

Configure SSL certificate options. On the next window, you’ll encounter various domain options:
Include Wildcard: Choose this option to install a Let’s Encrypt Wildcard SSL, covering *.yourdomain.com. Ensure selecting the dns-01 validation method if including wildcard domains.
Add cPanel subdomains: Optionally select additional cPanel subdomains*. This includes cpanel.* and webmail.*, granting access to cPanel services via these subdomains.

Select an SSL validation method. Choose between two validation methods:
http-01: This method is commonly used for HTTP validation.
dns-01: Opt for DNS validation if your domain’s nameservers point to cPanel.

Issue the certificate. After choosing the validation method, click on “Issue.”
Installation process:
The SSL certificate will now get installed in your domain.
The virtual host will automatically update with the certificate.
Apache will restart behind the scenes to apply the changes.

Conclusion: What is Let’s Encrypt?

Let’s Encrypt is a game-changing solution for website owners aiming to secure their sites without breaking the bank – its automatic certificate issuance and renewal processes, robust encryption, and reputation for trustworthiness make it an outstanding choice. Whether you manage a blog, a small business website, or any other simple website, understanding the answers to important questions like: what is Let’s Encrypt, how does it work, and why is it important to my operations will enhance your online security and build trust with your users.