I was able to configure a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate but didn’t like the idea of having to renew it every 3 months.  It is definitely possible but will take time and not scale well.  So, I did some research into option to purchase SSL certificates from other sources.  I did some research and found a few articles that mentioned using Namecheap.  There cheapest SSL certificates was less than $10.  I did some research and didn’t find any complete negative reviews.  I also heard about SSLs.com.  There certificates were even cheaper but it was strange they seem related to Namecheap.  Both seemed to be resellers for Comodo.  I wasn’t sure how this worked but figured it was worth a try.  I researched the different certificates and decided to just purchase the cheapest one.  I figured if I didn’t like it, I would only be out a few dollars and could uninstall the certificate.  Below are the steps I did.

Steps:

  • Generate CSR (Certificate Signing Request) at Media Temple
    • Login into Media Account Center
    • Go to domain account
    • Click Manage SSL Certificate Options
    • Click Generate CSR
      • Enter Common Name
      • Enter Country
      • Enter Location
      • Enter State
      • Enter Organization
      • Enter Email
      • Click Generate
  • Purchase SSL certification at SSLs.com
    • Purchase PositiveSSL
    • Activate certificate
    • Enter CSR
    • Select “Any other server (Ex. Apache)
    • Click Looks Good, Onward
    • confirm domain name and click Onward
    • select Upload a file and click Got It, Onward
    • Enter administrative contact info
    • Save Activate file and upload to:
      • /.well-known/pki-validation/
    • wait for activation
    • the certificate was sent to the email address
  • Install Certificate on Media Temple
      • Login into Media Account Center
      • Go to domain account
      • Click Manage SSL Certificate Options
        • Click Import Certificate
        • Copy text
        • Click Save
        • Check Certificate Details
      • test https://domain.com

      In testing, I didn’t get the “Secure” padlock in Chrome, I did some research and found out if you enter the Chrome Developer Tools using F12, there is a security tab.  That shows that some of the page had mixed content.  I tried a different web page and it worked find so I will leave this to fix during the migration phase.

      If you would like to learn more about cybercrime, check out this article about Cybercrime statistics.

      References: