HF PanelDocsv1.0.0

SSL/TLS

Free Let's Encrypt certificates that renew themselves, AutoSSL, wildcard certificates, your own certificate and the always-https:// switch.

The SSL/TLS screen shows the certificate of each of your domains. Free certificates from Let's Encrypt renew themselves. You can also get a wildcard certificate or install a certificate you bought.

Where: Control Panel › Domains › SSL/TLS

SSL/TLS screen

AutoSSL

When AutoSSL is switched on (it is by default), you don't need to do anything: a free certificate is added by itself within minutes of a domain pointing to the server. AutoSSL checks every 5 minutes. A domain that doesn't point here yet is tried again later — after 1 hour, then 2 hours, and so on up to once a day.

For a domain without a certificate, the Certificate column shows what AutoSSL is doing, for example "AutoSSL: the domain doesn't point here yet. Next try 14:05 UTC."

Important: free SSL needs the domain (and www) to point to this server first. It's checked over http://, so keep port 80 open. See DNS setup.

The certificates table

Column What it shows
Domain the domain and its kind (Domain, Subdomain or Parked)
Certificate Let's Encrypt (free) or Your own, with the issuer and the names it covers — or None
Expires the expiry date and the days left (amber under 30 days, red under 14)
Always https:// On or Off — click to switch

Get a free certificate now

  1. Find the domain with None in the Certificate column.
  2. Click Get free SSL.

You can watch the steps in a live window. When it is done, free SSL is live on the domain, it renews by itself every 60 days, and Always https:// is switched on.

Renew a certificate now

Free certificates renew by themselves. To renew one at once, click Renew now on its row.

Always use https://

When Always https:// is On, visitors who open http:// are sent to https://. Click the button to switch it Off (http:// then works again without a redirect) or back On.

Get a wildcard certificate

A wildcard certificate covers a main domain and every subdomain, now and later — for example yourdomain.com and *.yourdomain.com.

  1. Click More on a main domain's row.
  2. Under Wildcard certificate (*.yourdomain.com), click Get wildcard SSL.

The message lists the subdomains it also covers. Every subdomain you add later is covered too, and it renews by itself.

Note: a wildcard certificate needs the domain to use our nameservers. The option only appears when the server runs DNS for your account.

Install your own certificate

Use this for a certificate you bought from a certificate authority.

  1. Click More on the domain's row.
  2. Under Install your own certificate, paste:
    • Certificate (CRT) — starting with -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
    • Private key — starting with -----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY----- (RSA and EC keys work too)
    • CA bundle (optional) — the intermediate certificates
  3. Click Install certificate.

All parts must be in PEM format. Always https:// is switched on.

Warning: your own certificate does not renew by itself. Replace it before it expires.

Remove a certificate

  1. Click More on the domain's row.
  2. Click Remove SSL and confirm.

The domain then works on http:// only, and AutoSSL is switched off for it. To switch AutoSSL back on, click Get free SSL.