If you require a self-signed SSL certificate for your domain, you can add one via your cPanel control panel. A self-signed cert will be useful if you are trying to verify your domain with a service like office365, which requires an encrypted connection.
A self-signed cert is not suitable if you with to have ‘https://’ on your website (eg. if you have a shopping cart or login page) as it will generate errors for your visitors. In this case, you would need to order a signed cert – for more information on the SSL certs that LetsHost offer, please visit https://www.letshost.ie/hosting/ssl/ If you have any questions on what type of SSL cert is suitable for your needs, please contact our Sales team and they will be happy to advise.
In order to generate/install your own self-signed cert, please see the following steps.
- Log in to your cPanel control panel
- Use the search function to bring up the "SSL/TLS Certificates" section.
- Under "Keys" tab, Generate a New Private Key, confirm that the Key Size is set to 2,048 bits
- In the Description text box, type a descriptive name for the key, such as ‘Self-signed cert key’
- Click Generate. cPanel generates and displays the private key
- Click "Certificates" tab
- Under Generate a New Certificate, in the Key* dropdown menu, select the description for the private key you generated
- In the Domains text box, type the domain that you want to secure with the self-signed certificate, such as ‘your-domain.com’
- Complete the remaining fields for the certificate. Make sure you use the correct two-letter country code (for example, IE)
- Click Generate. cPanel generates and displays the self-signed certificate
- Click "Certificates" tab to refresh.
- Under "Certificates on Server" click "Install" beside the generated certificate (use "Description" to help find the new certificate it if you have multiple listed)
- It should autofill the details for you; however, double check the "Domain" dropdown has the correct domain and the "Certificate: (CRT)" and "Private Key (KEY)" match etc.
- Because this is a self-signed certificate, the Certificate Authority Bundle (CABUNDLE) field remains blank
- At the bottom, click "Install Certificate". cPanel installs the certificate on the server and enables SSL. When the process is complete, you receive an SSL Host Successfully Installed message
If you have any questions on the above, please do not hesitate to 'Open a Ticket' and we will be happy to advise further.