How to enable SSL on a server (ie HTTPS on a web server) ?

Certificate Validity Period Not Before Not After Portecle

About

This page shows you how to enable SSL for a server (ie service).

This is how you enable HTTPS (HTTP over SSL) for a web server.

What do I need to configure?

In order to enable SSL, you need to add:

You need one pair

Why?

Because when an application (for instance a browser) connects to a server (for instance a web server), it can:

This certificate usage is also known as the SSL/TLS Web Server Authentication or server authentication for short.

Component

To enable ssl (https) on a server, you need:

    • It's a private entity and should not be shared (only the owner should have access)
    • However, it must be readable by the web server process in order to:
    • The private key may be stored in its own file or alternately in the same file as the certificate
    • It's a public entity and can be shared
    • It should be issued (signed) by a trusted CA
    • It is sent to every client that connects to the server in order to verify the server identity
    • The size should be at minimum 2048 1)
    • It must present the DNS name of the server in the Subject Alternative Name extension of the certificate. 2)
    • It must have a validity period of 398 days or fewer 3)
    • It must have the usage

For test purpose or for internal use you can be your own CA and self signed your certificate

Configuration

Once you got the signed certificate and the private key, you can configure your server:

For HTTP server:

For a Net Server, you need to enable SNI if you want to show more than one certificate.

How to see the server certificate in the browser ?

You can see the certificate of the web site in the browser

Web Site Certificate

What happens when the certificate is bad ?

Example (when the certificate is open with portecle)

Domain Validate Certificate

If you access this website with the above certificate, you got a warning (Example below in firefox)

Connection Is Not Private Firefox Bad Cn





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