Get a Free SSL Certificate With Managed Cloud Hosting

Cloudways provides a Let’s Encrypt Domain Validated (DV) SSL certificate at no cost, one that is trusted by all the major web browsers. With Cloudways Flexible, DNS verification allows you to put an individual domain under protection, or several domains with a SAN certificate, or subdomains via a wildcard SSL.

The 90-day validity of a Let’s Encrypt certificate can be renewed on demand or automatically through Cloudways.

There is a slight increase in processing for the first secure connection when SSL is enabled, though with today’s HTTPS setups the effect is mostly negligible.

Performance is driven more by things like server response time, caching, images, and how well the application is optimized.

To ensure quick load times, Cloudways has an optimized server stack and caching in place. Once SSL is active, it is advisable to look over the site for any mixed content errors or unnecessary redirects that could affect the browsing experience.

Yes, free SSL certificates from trusted authorities such as Let’s Encrypt provide the same level of encryption as paid certificates. What sets the paid OV and EV certificates apart is that they come with extra verification of the business identity and can have different support or warranty provisions.

None of that, however, makes the encryption any more robust. While both types of certificates will safeguard data in transit, you have to implement other security measures to shield the website from malware and software vulnerabilities.

By pairing managed cloud hosting with flexible SSL options, Cloudways is well-suited to small businesses to run their applications online without having to deal with server administration.

From the dashboard, you can install Let’s Encrypt certificates at no cost and set them to renew automatically, or opt to use an existing SSL certificate.

Cloudways also provides 24/7 support from experts, server firewalls, automated backups, and routine OS patching. Such provisions are what enable a business to keep things secure and expand its online operations with ease.

Once an SSL certificate expires, browsers will be unable to confirm its validity and may display security warnings. That, in turn, can discourage visitors from logging in, filling out forms, or going through with a purchase. It is also possible for an expired certificate to interfere with services or applications that need a trusted HTTPS connection.

To avoid expiration, Cloudways has automatic Let’s Encrypt renewal; should you have trouble with the process, on-demand renewal and support are available.

To see if your SSL has expired, open the site via HTTPS and have a look at the certificate details from your browser’s security or site information options. There you will find the validity dates as well as the issuer and any domain names it covers.

An online tool like the SSL Labs checker will also tell you if the certificate is still valid or expired.

There is no charge for renewing a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate. Cloudways will handle automatic or on-demand renewal of such certificates at no extra cost. In the case of a paid certificate from a third party, the fees for renewal are determined by the provider and plan, as well as the type of certificate.

Not in all cases. A number of hosting providers will handle the automatic renewal of an SSL certificate for you.

With auto-renewal enabled, Cloudways will ensure that Let’s Encrypt certificates are renewed prior to their expiry, usually 30 days ahead of time. Should the need arise, you can also do it from the Cloudways dashboard.

In the case of custom certificates from a third party, these need to be renewed with the relevant certificate authority and then updated on Cloudways.

SSL hosting is a form of web hosting that supports SSL/TLS certificates to encrypt data passing between a site and its visitors. It enables HTTPS connections as a means of safeguarding things like payment information, passwords, and contact form entries.

Cloudways Flexible comes with free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates for applications; with Cloudways Autonomous, the SSL is handled via the built-in Cloudflare Enterprise. There is no need to buy an SSL certificate separately for this.

While SSL is not a universal requirement for all sites, the use of HTTPS is highly advised for any modern website. In the absence of a valid SSL certificate, a browser may display a “Not Secure” notice, tending to put visitors off from using your site.

For any website taking online payments or dealing with personal data and logins, SSL is of particular importance. It is what builds trust with the visitor and enables web features that need a secure HTTPS connection.

Both SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) are protocols used to safeguard communication between a browser and a web server.

TLS is the contemporary version of SSL and is used to set up an encrypted HTTPS connection. The term “SSL certificate” is still the common way to refer to the certificates that enable secure communication via TLS.

Cloudways supports the latest TLS versions to be compatible with present-day browsers and keep data secure.

A number of web hosting providers will give you one free SSL certificate as part of their service, Cloudways, for instance.

With its Flexible plan, Cloudways offers Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates at no charge that are easy to install with automatic renewal; it also supports multi-domain and wildcard SSL. For the Autonomous plan, SSL is handled via its built-in Cloudflare Enterprise.

When comparing providers, see if they can support automatic renewal, custom certificate installation, and wildcard SSL.

The certificate cost will vary according to the domain coverage, the type of validation, and the issuing certificate authority. Let’s Encrypt offers Domain Validated (DV) certificates at no charge.

For a paid option with more features, you can expect tens to hundreds of dollars a year. You will find that Organization Validated (OV) and Extended Validation (EV) types are pricier since they require a higher level of identity verification.

With Cloudways managed hosting, there is no separate certificate fee, as a free certificate from Let’s Encrypt is provided.

A free SSL certificate can be obtained from the Let’s Encrypt certificate authority or via a hosting provider with Let’s Encrypt support. In the case of Cloudways, you will not have to purchase a separate certificate as the service comes with SSL protection.

For those on the Flexible plan, navigate to the SSL Management section of your application and install a free certificate from Let’s Encrypt after the domain DNS has been set up; it also handles automatic renewal. If you are using Cloudways Autonomous, the integrated Cloudflare Enterprise handles SSL, without any additional certificate installation.

With Cloudways Flexible, installing an SSL certificate is a straightforward process that does not require any advanced technical knowledge. To begin, make sure your domain is linked to the application and the DNS records are pointing to the right server.

Go to SSL Management for your application, choose Let’s Encrypt, and enter your domain information to install it. Once done, check that the site is loading via HTTPS and enable redirection if it isn't already active.

If you have a third-party SSL certificate, you can upload it along with its private key instead.