{"id":2054,"date":"2021-06-10T15:37:16","date_gmt":"2021-06-10T12:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/?p=2054"},"modified":"2025-11-27T11:45:46","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T09:45:46","slug":"how-to-get-and-enable-your-free-ssl-certificate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/how-to-get-and-enable-your-free-ssl-certificate\/","title":{"rendered":"Enable Free SSL Certificate (Let\u2019s Encrypt)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ScalaHosting provides all customers with easy access to free<\/span><b> Let\u2019s Encrypt SSL via a fully automated process.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> As soon as your domain name points to your ScalaHosting server a Let\u2019s Encrypt SSL certificate will be put in place within <\/span><b>24 hours.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If for some reason you wish this to be done manually it can be done from your web hosting control panel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2055\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Install-Free-SSL.jpg\" alt=\"Enable Free SSL Certificate (Let\u2019s Encrypt)\" width=\"1480\" height=\"846\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Install-Free-SSL.jpg 1480w, https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Install-Free-SSL-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Install-Free-SSL-1024x585.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Install-Free-SSL-768x439.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 361px) 660px, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 910px, 1140px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Step 1.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Sign in to your account and click on \u201cSSL Certificates.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Step 2. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the right of the domain name for which you want to install the Let\u2019s Encrypt SSL, click on the dropdown menu labeled \u201cActions.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Step 3. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Select \u201cInstall free SSL\u201d then click the \u201cInstall\u201d button on the pop-up box.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2056\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/SSL-Error.jpg\" alt=\"Enable Free SSL Certificate (Let\u2019s Encrypt)\" width=\"928\" height=\"289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/SSL-Error.jpg 928w, https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/SSL-Error-300x93.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/SSL-Error-768x239.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 361px) 660px, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 910px, 1140px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Note:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Your domain name must be pointing towards your ScalaHosting server for this to work. If your domain name is not pointed correctly, an error message will be displayed.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why Your Website Needs SSL<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/ssl-certificates.html\"><b>SSL certificates <\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">help keep information passing between your website and its visitors safe. This is done through a process of encryption which <\/span><b>prevents data from being read if intercepted anywhere between the source and its destination.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SSL certificates also serve to reassure visitors that the website they are visiting is <\/span><b>legitimate. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These security factors are important and search engines will penalize websites that do not implement SSL certificates.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Types of SSL Certificates<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are three categories of<\/span><b> SSL certificates:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Domain Validation (DV)<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Organization Validation (OV)<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extended Validation (EV)\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These certificates offer different levels of assurance for website visitors.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>DV certificates are the most commonly available<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. To issue DV certificates, Certificate <\/span><b>Authorities (CAs)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> only check if a domain name actually belongs to the person applying for the certificate. This process can be as simple as the exchange of an email between the two parties.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>OV certificates require additional validation steps. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aside from confirmation of ownership, the CA also checks to see if a real person or entity is applying for the certificate prior to issuance.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>EV certificates are the most complex to apply for and only issued to businesses.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The application process for these requires extensive documentation to be submitted to the CA, such as proof of domain and trade name ownership, operational existence, and flagship verification.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upgrading to Premium SSL<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aside from free Let\u2019s Encrypt SSL, ScalaHosting also makes <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/ssl-certificates.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">premium SSL certificates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> available. You can choose between two well-recognized <\/span><b>CA brands<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; <\/span><b>GeoTrust <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><b>Symantec<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>All premium SSL certificates ordered from ScalaHosting come with:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">instant activation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">free installation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a 7-day money-back guarantee.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"youtube-player\" id=\"qwGE9xz5eb8\"><div class=\"youtube-player-content\" data-id=\"qwGE9xz5eb8\"><iframe data-no-lazy=\"1\" width=\"638\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qwGE9xz5eb8\" srcdoc=\"&lt;style&gt;*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden}html,body{height:100%;background:#000}a{display:block;position:relative;width:100%;height:100%;cursor:pointer}img{position:absolute;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;margin:auto;width:100%;max-width:100%;height:auto;border:none}a:hover img{filter:brightness(75%)}.play{position:absolute;width:72px;height:51px;left:50%;top:50%;margin:-26px 0 0 -36px;background:url(&#039;\/asset\/images\/youtube\/YouTube-play-button.png&#039;) no-repeat center\/72px}&lt;\/style&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qwGE9xz5eb8?autoplay=1&quot; onclick=&quot;if(window.frameElement){window.frameElement.src=this.href;window.frameElement.removeAttribute(&#039;srcdoc&#039;);return false;}&quot; aria-label=&quot;How To Point a Domain Name To a Web Hosting Provider&quot;&gt;&lt;img data-no-lazy=&quot;1&quot; src=&quot;https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/qwGE9xz5eb8\/mqdefault.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; height=&quot;180&quot; alt=&quot;How To Point a Domain Name To a Web Hosting Provider&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;play&quot;&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;\" title=\"How To Point a Domain Name To a Web Hosting Provider\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n    \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n    \"@type\": \"VideoObject\",\n    \"name\": \"How To Point a Domain Name To a Web Hosting Provider\",\n    \"description\": \"You can actually buy web hosting and domain name from different providers and just link these two things together. In this video we'll show you exactly how.\",\n    \"thumbnailUrl\": [\n        \"https:\/\/i3.ytimg.com\/vi\/qwGE9xz5eb8\/maxresdefault.jpg\"\n    ],\n    \"uploadDate\": \"2022-04-11T00:00:00+00:00\",\n    \"duration\": \"PT3M45S\",\n    \"embedUrl\": \"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qwGE9xz5eb8\"\n}\n<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ScalaHosting provides all customers with easy access to free Let\u2019s Encrypt SSL via a fully automated process. As soon as your domain name points to your ScalaHosting server a Let\u2019s Encrypt SSL certificate will be put in place within 24 hours. If for some reason you wish this to be done manually it can be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"Enable Free SSL Certificate (Let\u2019s Encrypt) | ScalaHosting KB","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"both","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":301,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-web-hosting"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2054"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5843,"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2054\/revisions\/5843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}