Getting an SSL certificate to make your website secure

[paul russell999]

I have a few websites hosted by IONOS. I seem to have obtained an SSL certificate for my main website, which means it displays the https: and is marked with a padlock. I have only the vaguest memory of doing this, but it appears to be free and valid to the end of this year!

I was thinking of putting together a little website for a friend using WordPress, partly to help him, partly to force myself to learn how to use WordPress.

I was only going to charge him for getting and renewing a domain name, as I'm already paying for my hosting and have lots of "capacity".

But, is it possible to get the SSL certificate for free, as I seem to have done, or if not, what would be a good low-price option?

Also, are there any other expenses I may have overlooked?! Thanks.

 

[RoyReed]

Most web hosting companies seem to be offering a free basic SSL certificate with their hosting packages. These are OK for most uses, but possibly not if you're taking online payments via a shopping cart, when you might want to opt for a paid certificate. The free certificates typically only run for a short period (1-3 months) but they can be set to auto-renew. The ones I've used (all Let's Encrypt) are set that way by default.

Free vs Paid SSL Certificate: Which One to Choose?

Are you looking to safeguard your website with an SSL certificate but uncertain of the contrast between the free vs paid SSL Certificate option? Let's take a look at what each type of certificate offers and compare them. Free Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificates are becoming increasingly popular for...

chemicloud.com

 

[paul russell999]

Most web hosting companies seem to be offering a free basic SSL certificate

Thanks very much for that info and the link.

I'm with IONOS, who unfortunately don't seem to offer SSLs for free - they want paying, and I'm already paying them £25 a month, which they recently put up from £18 a month, so I don't want to pay them any more. On the plus side, in 20 years, I've only noticed their websites go down twice...

The SSL I already have is apparently "SSL Starter Wildcard, GeoTrust - powered by DigiCert" valid until the end of this year - I'm pretty sure I didn't pay anything for it.

 

[RoyReed]

If you're thinking of doing a WordPress website, I'd look at someone like SiteGround for hosting. Their prices are very good and so is their support if you need it.

WordPress Hosting - Fast and Secure Managed by Experts - SiteGround

Get Managed WordPress Hosting with FREE Install & Automated Transfer, 24/7 Hosting Support, Auto-updates, CDN & Caching for top speed at a great price!

www.siteground.co.uk

 

[Fez909]

Free SSL: Let's Encrypt

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Free SSL: Let's Encrypt

I use this with Certify The Web.

Certify The Web - ACME for Windows, simple free certificates for IIS and more, powered by Let's Encrypt and other ACME CAs

Certify The Web provides a simple way to use Let's Encrypt and other ACME CAs on Windows and IIS, with an easy to use UI. Advanced users can use powerful Deployment Tasks and custom scripting for more complex automation scenarios.

certifytheweb.com

 

[salem]

Any decent hosting these days gives SSL for free (usually using something like letsencrypt) - it should be set up and just work when you go to https://yoursite.com (note has to be https not http). If your host wants to charge extra find a new host.

That being said the last time I had to deal with a client that had an old server that wouldn't do SSL I used cloudflare which acts as a proxy and deals with SSL for you.

Having just looked though - this page - suggests you'll be OK "Did you know? A free SSL wildcard certificate from DigiCert is included in all IONOS hosting packages and domains."

You don't need any of the fancy SSL certs, absolutely no one checks who the issuer is and the free ones are accepted by all browsers you're likely to come across in the wild today. However hosts that have people set up on autorenew aren't going to turn that money away so they'll still push these other certs.

 

[paul russell999]

Having just looked though - this page - suggests you'll be OK "Did you know? A free SSL wildcard certificate from DigiCert is included in all IONOS hosting packages and domains."

Ta. Weird - they keep that quiet and tucked away if that is up to date. I've been looking through my IONOS dashboard, and it keeps trying to sell me different SSL things. I will look more closely.

 

[keybored]

Ta. Weird - they keep that quiet and tucked away if that is up to date. I've been looking through my IONOS dashboard, and it keeps trying to sell me different SSL things. I will look more closely.

I've been using Let'sEncrypt on IONOS forever, no issues. Just ignore all the upselling IONOS do on the portals and remember to change all annual contracts to rolling monthly a month before the initial year is up, just in case. I can't fault their service really.

 

[paul russell999]

I've been using Let'sEncrypt on IONOS forever, no issues. Just ignore all the upselling IONOS do on the portals and remember to change all annual contracts to rolling monthly a month before the initial year is up, just in case. I can't fault their service really.

Thanks for that.

 

[paul russell999]

Thanks for all the great advice.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

 

[nick]

Thanks very much for that info and the link.

I'm with IONOS, who unfortunately don't seem to offer SSLs for free - they want paying, and I'm already paying them £25 a month, which they recently put up from £18 a month, so I don't want to pay them any more. On the plus side, in 20 years, I've only noticed their websites go down twice...

The SSL I already have is apparently "SSL Starter Wildcard, GeoTrust - powered by DigiCert" valid until the end of this year - I'm pretty sure I didn't pay anything for it.

Not directly answering your question but.
Have you tried contacting IONOS on the phone? - I have always found them incredibly helpful.

My needs are much simpler: domain hosting and lots of email addresses for the family I closed my websites ages ago.
I found that when the price goes up they will spend plenty of time looking at your contract and seeing if they can help reduce cost (including playing around with the legacy components of your contact, where they remain competitive. ). They have also backdated such changes - so I managed to get my cost down to net negative one year
So you may be able to get them to suggest a similar package, that gives you the SSL you want for free/less

 

[paul russell999]

Not directly answering your question but.
Have you tried contacting IONOS on the phone? - I have always found them incredibly helpful.

My needs are much simpler: domain hosting and lots of email addresses for the family I closed my websites ages ago.
I found that when the price goes up they will spend plenty of time looking at your contract and seeing if they can help reduce cost (including playing around with the legacy components of your contact, where they remain competitive. ). They have also backdated such changes - so I managed to get my cost down to net negative one year
So you may be able to get them to suggest a similar package, that gives you the SSL you want for free/less

Hi. Only just seen this. Thanks. It's never occurred to me to ring them. So you've rung them from the UK and got through to helpful real-life people?

 

[nick]

Hi. Only just seen this. Thanks. It's never occurred to me to ring them. So you've rung them from the UK and got through to helpful real-life people?

Yes - from memory I seem to recall it sounded like Ireland (not or south, I forget)

 

[paul russell999]

Yes - from memory I seem to recall it sounded like Ireland (not or south, I forget)

I just phoned them, and they reduced my monthly fee from £25.20 to £15.60 for a year. No change of package, but a loyalty discount, as I've been with them for 20 years...