SSL/TLS

October 2, 2020

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Overview

The features in this interface allow you to generate and manage SSL certificates, signing requests, and keys, which enhance your website’s security. They are useful for websites that regularly work with sensitive information, such as login credentials and credit card numbers. Encryption protects visitors’ communications from malicious users.

Warning

We support Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol version 1.2 and Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol version 1.3:

Beginning in cPanel and WHM version 86, we only support TLSv1.2 or newer. The system enables TLSv1.2 by default.
In cPanel and WHM version 84 or earlier, we strongly recommend that you enable TLSv1.2 on your server.
Not all clients will support TLSv1.3, which requires OpenSSL 1.1.1 or higher.

Note

CAA (Certificate Authority Authentication) records in the domain’s zone file restrict which CAs (Certificate Authority) may issue certificates for that domain.
If no CAA records exist for a domain, all CAs can issue certificates for that domain.
If conflicting CAA records already exist, remove the existing CAA records or add one for the desired CA.
For example, a CAA record for Sectigo would resemble the following example, where example.com represents the domain name:
```
example.com. 86400 IN CAA 0 issue "sectigoca.com"
```
You can manage CAA records through cPanel’s Zone Editor interface (cPanel >> Home >> Domains >> Zone Editor). For more information about a CA’s requirements, read their documentation.

Available features

This interface contains the following features:

Private Keys (KEY) — Generate, view, upload, or delete private keys.
Certificate Signing Requests (CSR) — Generate, view, or delete SSL certificate signing requests.
Certificates (CRT) — Set up an SSL certificate for the site.
Install and Manage SSL for your site (HTTPS) — Generate, view, upload, or delete SSL certificates.

Private Keys (KEY)

When you set up an SSL certificate for your site, you must first add a private key. To access this interface, click Generate, view, upload, or delete your private keys.

This interface allows you to perform any of the following actions:

Generate a new private key.
Upload an existing private key.
Edit a current private key.
Remove a current private key.

You can generate a new key or upload an existing key through a *.key file.

Important

We strongly recommend that you save a copy of your private key in a safe location. You cannot recover a lost private key.
We strongly recommend that you use SSL certificates if your visitors submit sensitive information to your website.

Keys on Server

The Keys on Server table contains the following information:

Column	Description
Description	The private key’s description.
ID	The private key’s ID.
Size	The size, in bits, of the private key.
Actions	Edit — Edit the private key. Delete — Delete the private key.

Generate a new private key

To generate a private key, perform the following steps:

Select the desired key size from the Key Size menu.
Optionally, in the Description text box, enter a brief description about this private key.
Click Generate. A new interface will appear that displays the requested key in an encoded and decoded format.
Copy the desired key.
Click Return to Private Keys. The new key displays in the Keys on Server table.
Upload the new key to the server. To do this, use either the paste a private key or browse for a private key methods.

Upload a new private key

Perform either of the following actions to upload a private key:

Paste the key in the text box.
Browse for the key.

Paste a private key

To paste a private key, perform the following steps:

Paste a key in the Paste the key into the following text box: text box.
Optionally, in the Description text box, enter a brief description about this private key.
Click Save to upload your private key. A new interface will appear that displays a success or failure message.

Browse for a private key

To browse for a private key, perform the following steps:

Click Choose File to upload a *.key file.
Optionally, in the Description text box, enter a brief description for this private key.
Click Upload. A new interface will appear that displays a success or failure message.

Delete a private key

To delete a private key, perform the following steps:

Locate the key that you wish to delete in the Keys on Server table.
Click Delete in the Actions column next to the key that you wish to remove. The system will redirect you to the Private Key interface.
Click Delete Key. A success or failure message will appear.

Edit and view details about a private key

To edit a key’s description or view a key, perform the following steps:

Locate the key that you wish to edit in the Keys on Server table.
Click View & Edit in the Actions column next to the key that you wish to edit. A new interface will appear that displays the description, the encoded private key, and the decoded private key.
Edit the Description text box.
Click Update. A success or failure message will appear next to the Description text box.

Certificate Signing Requests (CSR)

This interface allows you to generate, view, or delete a certificate signing request (CSR). You can also view and edit current descriptions and encoded private keys and decoded private keys.

To access this interface, click Generate, view, or delete SSL certificate signing requests.

Certificate Signing Requests on Server

The Certificate Signing Requests on Server table contains the following information:

Column	Description
Domains	The CSR’s domain.
Created	The time that you created the CSR, in Universal Time, Coordinated (UTC).
Description	The CSR’s description.
Actions	Edit — Edit the CSR. Delete — Delete the CSR.

Generate a new CSR

Warning You must have or generate a key before you generate a signing request.

To generate a CSR, perform the following steps:

Under the Generate a New Certificate Signing Request (CSR) heading, select the key from the Key menu.
- When you select a key, the Edit option appears. Click Edit to view and edit the information for your private key.
- If the desired key does not appear in the menu, select Generate a new 2,048 bit key to generate a new key. You can also add a new private key to the Private Key section of the interface.
Enter the required information in the text boxes below the Key menu.
Click Generate.

Note Your hosting provider may require additional information.

Delete a CSR

To delete a CSR, perform the following steps:

Locate the CSR that you wish to delete in the Certificate Signing Requests on Server table.
Click Delete in the Actions column. A new interface will appear.
Click Delete CSR to confirm.
- A message of success or failure will appear.
- If you do not wish to delete the CSR, click Cancel.

Edit and view details about a CSR

To edit a description or view a CSR, perform the following steps:

Locate the CSR that you with to edit in the Certificate Signing Requests on Server table.
Click Edit in the Actions column. A new interface will appear that displays the description, the encoded CSR, and the decoded CSR.
Enter any desired changes in the Description text box.
Click Update Name. A message of success or failure will appear next to the Description text box.

Certificates (CRT)

This interface allows you to generate, view, upload, or delete SSL certificates. To access this interface, click Generate, view, upload, or delete SSL certificates.

Certificates on Server

The Certificates on Server table contains the following information:

Column	Description
Domains	The private key’s description.
Issuer	The Certificate Authority (CA) that issues the certificate.
Expiration	The time that the certificate expires, in Universal Time, Coordinated (UTC).
Key Size	The size, in bits, of the private key.
Description	The certificate’s description.
Actions	Edit — Edit the SSL certificate. Delete — Delete the SSL certificate. Install — Install the SSL certificate.

Upload a New Certificate

To paste a certificate, perform the following steps:

Under the Upload a New Certificate heading, paste the text of the certificate in Paste the certificate into the following text box: text box.
Optionally, in the Description: text box, enter a brief description for this certificate.
Click Save Certificate to upload your certificate.
A success or error message will appear on a new screen.

To browse for a certificate, perform the following steps:

Under the Choose a certificate file (.crt)* heading, click Choose File.
Optionally, in the Description: text box, write a brief description about this certificate.
Click Upload Certificate.
A success or error message will appear.

Generate a New Certificate

To generate a self-signed SSL certificate, perform the following steps:

Under the Generate a New Certificate heading, select the key from the Key menu. If the desired key does not appear in the menu, use the Private Keys feature to add a new private key.
Enter the appropriate information in the Domains, City, State, Company, Company Division, Email, and Description text boxes and the Country menu. You must enter the Domains, City, State, Country, and Company information.
Click Generate.

Important We reserve self-signed certificates for intranet uses. To secure a public website, we recommend that you purchase and install a certificate from a trusted CA.

Delete a certificate

To delete a certificate, perform the following steps:

Locate the certificate that you wish to delete in the Certificates on Server table.
Click Delete for that certificate. A new interface will appear.
Click Delete Certificates. A success or error message will appear.

Edit and view details about a certificate

To edit a description or view a certificate, perform the following steps:

Locate the certificate that you wish to edit in the Certificates on Server table.
Click Edit. A new interface will appear that displays the description, the encoded certificate, and the decoded certificate.
In the Description: text box, enter your changes, and then click Update Description. A success or error message will appear.

To delete the certificate from this interface, click Delete Certificate at the bottom of the interface.

Install a certificate

To install a certificate, click Install in the Actions column under the Certificates on Server heading. For more information, read our Install and Manage SSL for your site HTTPS documentation.

Install and Manage SSL for your site (HTTPS)

In WHM, system administrators can create and install SSL certificates for their users’ cPanel accounts. cPanel users can manage the certificates that correspond to their domains. To access this interface, click Manage SSL sites.

This interface allows you to perform the following actions:

Change the primary domain on a shared IP address.
Update a certificate.
Uninstall a certificate.
View a certificate’s details.
Use a certificate for another site.

Warning Mail SNI is not compatible with Webmail and will not function for any Webmail connection. Webmail connections use the cPanel service SSL certificate.

The Manage Installed SSL Websites table

If a SSL certificate already exists on a domain with a dedicated IP address, the interface displays the Manage Installed SSL Websites table below the introductory text.

Column	Description
FQDN	The website’s domain name.
Certificate Expiration	The date when the certificate expires.
Document Root	The location of the domain’s website files.
Actions	You can perform the following actions: Make Primary — Make this website the main domain on the shared IP address. A success or failure message will appear above the table. This action only appears for non-primary websites. Uninstall — Uninstall the SSL certificate. A message will appear to confirm the action. Click Proceed to continue, or click Cancel to return to the Manage Installed SSL Hosts section. Update Certificate — Update the SSL certificate. The Install an SSL Host section will appear below the table where you modify the form. Certificate Details — View additional information about the certificate. Use Certificate for New Site — Use the certificate for another website, addon domain, or subdomain. The Install an SSL Host section will appear below the table where you can modify the form to change the Domain menu.

Install an SSL Website

Use the form in the Install an SSL Website section to install a certificate. You can use three different methods to install a certificate:

Click Browse Certificates.
Search by domain.
Manually enter the information.

Browse Certificates

To use Browse Certificates to install a certificate, perform the following steps:

Click Browse Certificates.
Click the button that corresponds to the desired certificate. Only certificates that correspond to a domain appear in the list.
Click Use Certificate to return to the Install an SSL Host section. The certificate’s information will appear in the text boxes.
Optionally, enter the appropriate information in the Certificate Authority Bundle: (CABUNDLE) text box.
Click Install Certificate. A success or failure message will appear.

Search by domain

To search by domain to install a certificate, perform the following steps:

Select the desired domain in the Domain menu.
Click Autofill by Domain. The interface will attempt to retrieve and enter the certificate information.
- If this step succeeds, the available text boxes will contain the appropriate information.
- If this step does not succeed, the text boxes will remain empty.
Click Install Certificate. A success or failure message will appear.

Manually enter information

To manually enter the information to install a certificate, perform the following steps:

Select the desired domain in the Domain menu.
Enter the certificate information in the Certificate (CRT) text box.
Enter the private key information in the Private Key (KEY) text box.
Optionally, enter the certificate authority information in the Certificate Authority Bundle (CABUNDLE) text box.
Click Install Certificate. A success or failure message will appear.

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