How to Install an SSL Certificate? Step by Step Installation Guide

SSL Setup Overview

Although SSL certificate installation varies depending on the type of your web server, the basic steps are the same.

4 Basic Steps of the SSL Installation Process

1. Creating CSR (Certificate Signing Request)
2. Purchasing and verifying SSL certificate
3. Uploading certificate files to the server
4. HTTPS routing and testing

Step 1: Creating CSR

CSR is an encoded request sent to the certificate authority to obtain your SSL certificate.

Generating CSR with OpenSSL

openssl req -new -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes \
  -keyout domainname.key -out domainname.csr

Information to ask:

• Country Name (C): TR
• State or Province Name (ST): Istanbul
• Organization Name (O): Your Company Name
• Common Name (CN): www.alanadi.com

If you do not want to use the command line, you can use the DATASSL CSR Generator tool.

Step 2: Purchasing and Verifying SSL Certificate

DV SSL Verification Methods

• Email Verification:Confirmation email to admin@, postmaster@, webmaster@
• DNS Verification: Add the CNAME or TXT record to your DNS
• HTTP Authentication: Upload the specified file to the root directory

Step 3: Server Based SSL Setup

🔶 Apache Web Server

1. Enable SSL module:

sudo a2enmod ssl
sudo systemctl restart apache2

2. Edit the SSL configuration file:

<VirtualHost *:443>
    ServerName www.alanadi.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html
    SSLEngine on
    SSLCertificateFile /etc/ssl/certs/domain.crt
    SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/ssl/private/domain.key
    SSLCertificateChainFile /etc/ssl/certs/ca-bundle.crt
    SSLProtocol all -SSLv3 -TLSv1 -TLSv1.1
</VirtualHost>

🟢 Nginx Web Server

1. Combine certificate files:

cat domainname.crt ca-bundle.crt > fullchain.crt

2. Nginx configuration:

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name www.domain.com;
    ssl_certificate /etc/ssl/certs/fullchain.crt;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/ssl/private/domain.key;
    ssl_protocols TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3;
    add_header Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=31536000" always;
}

🟠 SSL Setup with cPanel

1. Log in to cPanel
2. Go to Security → SSL/TLS
3. Click "Manage SSL sites"
4. Paste CRT, Private Key and CA Bundle files
5. Click the "Install Certificate" button

🔵 IIS (Windows Server)

1. Open IIS Manager
2. Go to Server Certificates
3. Select "Complete Certificate Request"
4. Upload the certificate file
5. Add HTTPS (port 443) from your website's Bindings settings

Step 4: HTTPS Redirect

Apache (.htaccess)

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

Nginx

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name www.domain.com;
    return 301 https://$server_name$request_uri;
}

SSL Installation Verification and Testing

• Browser check:Check lock icon and HTTPS
• DATASSL SSL Checker: Check with our SSL Checker tool
• SSL Labs: Test at ssllabs.com/ssltest
• Mixed Content: Make sure all resources are HTTPS

Common SSL Errors

ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR

Solution: Check the certificate file paths and restart the web server.

NET::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID

Solution: Add the CA Bundle file to the certificate chain.

Mixed Content Warning

Solution: Update all resource URLs to HTTPS.

Buy your SSL certificate now and start installation!