How to manually Install Let’s Encrypt free SSL Certificate on any hosting

A lot of people ask me – Is SSL Free?. I tell them yes it is completely free provided you generate it with Let’s Encrypt. Let’s Encrypt is a open source SSL Certificate Authority (CA) that promises to provide Free SSL certificates in a standardized, API accessible and non-commercial way.

These SSL provides the following benefits:

• Trusted in 99.9% of all major browsers.
• Protect user data & gain trust.
• Improve Search Engine Ranking of your site.
• Prevents your website from hackers.
• 100% Free Forever.

How to Generate Let’s encrypt Free SSL Certificate

The process of generating SSL is quite easy. There is a good website called SSL For Free which interacts with Let’s Encrypt servers from APIs and create your certificate instantly.

Step 1: Head over to this website and enter your domain name in the text box and then click the Create Free SSL Certificate button.

Download these files and save it in your PC for the time being, you will be using these files soon.

So, connect with your domain using FileZilla Client FTP software. Go inside the public_html directory, and create a new directory named “.well-known”.

Next, create a new directory named acme-challenge under the “.well-known” directory.

Finally upload the 2 downloaded files from your local pc to this acme-challenge directory.

These files are:

• 1. Certificate
• 2. Private Key
• 3. CA Bundle

Congrats! You have successfully created the SSL Certificate. Now I will tell how to install it on your cPanel or Plesk panel.

<Files [^.]+>
    ForceType text/plain
</FilesMatch>

<system.webServer>
    <staticContent>
      <mimeMap fileExtension="." mimeType="text/plain" />
    </staticContent>
</system.webServer>

Installing SSL manually in cPanel

Now you will taken to the Manage SSL page. Here you have to select the domain (to which this certificate will be installed), and paste the Certificate: (CRT), Private Key (KEY) and Certificate Authority Bundle: (CABUNDLE) which already are created in the before steps.

Check the below image where I have shown this thing:

Finally click the Install Certificate button.

The SSL Certificate will be installed in few seconds and you will now be able to open your website in https mode.

Redirecting all http requests to https from .htaccess

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off [OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www. [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(?:www.)?(.+)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^ https://%1%{REQUEST_URI} [L,NE,R=301]

Installing SSL manually in Plesk

You will reach the ‘SSL/TLS Certificates’ page. In this page click the Add SSL/TLS Certificate button.

You will not reach a new page where you can add your SSL Certificate.

Here, on the Certificate name field, give your certificate any name of your choice, and simply copy and paste the Certificate: (CRT), Private Key (KEY) and Certificate Authority Bundle: (CABUNDLE) which already are created in the above steps.

Finally click the ‘Upload Certificate’ button, check the below image which explain this:

Your SSL certificate will be added and you can see it as shown by the below image:

Now you have to apply this SSL Certificate to your domain. Do so, by going to Plesk, and click the Hosting Settings icon.

Next, under the ‘Security’ heading, check the below 2 options:

1. SSL/TLS support

2. Permanent SEO-safe 301 redirect from HTTP to HTTPS

And also select the Certificate name.

Finally, in the end click the ‘OK’ button.

The SSL Certificate will be installed and you will now be able to open your websites in ‘https’ mode.

Redirecting all requests from http to https by using web.config

The code to add to your web.config file is:

<system.webServer>
  <rewrite>
    <rules>
      <rule name="HTTPS force" enabled="true" stopProcessing="true">
        <match url="(.*)" />
          <conditions>
            <add input="{HTTPS}" pattern="^OFF$" />
          </conditions>
          <action type="Redirect" url="https://{HTTP_HOST}{REQUEST_URI}" redirectType="Permanent" />
      </rule>
    </rules>
  </rewrite>
</system.webServer>

I hope you like this tutorial on manual installing of Free SSL Certificate on your domain. If your friends every ask you the same question – Is SSL Free?. Then simply point them to this tutorial.