How to Get and Install a Free SSL Certificate

HTTPS is now standard: it protects data, helps SEO and builds user trust. With Let's Encrypt you can enable HTTPS for free.

Prerequisites

• A VPS with a web server installed (e.g. Nginx);
• A domain already pointing to the server IP.

1. Install Certbot

On Ubuntu run: sudo apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx. Certbot is Let's Encrypt's recommended client.

2. Issue and configure in one step

Run sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain, follow the prompts for email and terms, and Certbot will issue the certificate and update Nginx to enable HTTPS automatically.

3. Auto-renewal

Let's Encrypt certificates last 90 days; Certbot sets up a timer to renew. Test it with sudo certbot renew --dry-run.

Common issues

• Issuance fails: check the domain resolves to this host and port 80 is open;
• Mixed-content warnings: switch http resource links on the page to https.

Stuck? 00Shark support can help diagnose.