What is SSL (Secure Socket Layer)?

Short for Secure Sockets Layer, a protocol developed by Netscape for transmitting private documents via the Internet. SSL works by using a private key to encrypt data that's transferred over the SSL connection. Nowadays all popular web browsers support SSL and many Web sites use the protocol to obtain confidential user information, such as credit card numbers. By convention, URLs that require an SSL connection start with "https://" instead of "http://".

When do I need SSL?

SSL is basically used at websites where the visitors are requested to submit some sort of sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, personal details, etc. If you e.g. are going to accept credit card payments at an e-commerce site, you should consider adding SSL for increased security.

How to enable SSL for a domain/subdomain?

To activate SSL for a domain/subdomain, you must complete the following steps:

1. Obtain a new authenticated IP address from the IP Manager section of the Control Panel. (You might have to first purchase a dedicated IP from the Add Services section)
2. From the Subdomain Manager section of the Control Panel, proceed to add a new subdomain or edit an already existing domain or subdomain. You will see a drop-down menu at the bottom from where you can enable SSL by generating a certificate signed by us or upload a certificate of your own.
   1. If you do not have a signed certificate, you can use one with our signature. In this case, select Generate SSL certificate from the drop-down menu.
   2. If you want to upload a certificate of your own, select Upload SSL certificate from the drop-down menu and then fill in all the fields, which will appear.

How to disable SSL for a domain/subdomain?

If you no longer not want to use SSL for the current domain/subdomain, go to the Subdomain Manager section of the Control Panel. Then you can do one of the following:

• In case SSL is enabled for a domain/subdomain, you will see a small green icon in the SSL column. Click on the icon and the domain/subdomain settings will appear. Select Do not use SSL from the drop-down menu at the bottom and click Apply.
  
  
• Click the Edit button corresponding to the domain/subdomain. The domain/subdomain settings will appear. Select Do not use SSL from the drop-down menu at the bottom and click Apply.

Do I have to use a dedicated IP address for a SSL-enabled domain?

Yes, a dedicated IP is required in order to use SSL. You can purchase one or more dedicated IP addresses from the Add Services section of the Control Panel.

How do I generate a CSR request, which I need in order to get a signature from a trusted authority?

In the CSR for SSL section of the Control Panel, you can generate a CSR record, which is required by any Certificate Authority in order to provide you with its signature.

In order to generate a new CSR record, you must fill in the following details:

Organization Name: The exact legal name of your organization. Do not abbreviate the name of your organization.
Organization Unit: (not required) Section of the organization.
Country: The two-letter ISO abbreviation for your country.
City: The city where your organization is legally located.
State: The state or province where your organization is legally located. Must not be abbreviated.
Domain Name: The fully qualified domain name for your web server. This must be an exact match. (Example: www.yourdomain.com).
E-mail: Your personal e-mail address

When ready, click Generate Request and a new entry will appear in the table at the top, from where you will be able to View or Download the CSR and the Private Key.

Note: The following characters cannot be used in the details: < > ~ ! @ # $ % ^ * / \ ( ) ?.,&

What is the CSR record used for?

The CSR record is one of the special records that is needed when activating a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) connection for your website. The CSR record is an unsigned certificate for submission to a Certification Authority, which signs it with the Private Key of their CA Certificate. Once the CSR is signed, it becomes a valid certificate.