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Webhosting - Automatic HTTPS

A simplified version of this guide can be found in the article Getting Started – HTTPS.

This article covers the quick deployment of a Let’s Encrypt certificate on Webhosting. If you need more detailed settings, follow the instructions in Webhosting – Manual HTTPS setup. To deploy a certificate on the WebSite 1.0 service, follow the instructions in WebSite 1.0 – HTTPS activation.

Simply activating HTTPS on Webhosting is usually not enough. In that case, also configure HTTPS on the website itself according to the guide Webhosting – HTTPS setup on the website.

In this article you will learn:

What HTTPS is and what it is used for

HTTPS (HTTP over SSL) is a new standard of the HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) internet protocol which, unlike its predecessor, encrypts communication. Clients can therefore securely send sensitive data through this protocol as well.

The Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate is issued by the non-profit certificate authority Let’s Encrypt ⧉. This certificate is completely free and its management on our Webhosting is largely automated.

The SSL certificate is usually stored on the Webhosting servers. HTTPS cannot be set up on the domain itself. The DNSSEC technology is used to secure domains (DNS).

Quickly enabling HTTPS with a Let’s Encrypt certificate

Complete activation of HTTPS with a Let’s Encrypt certificate may take up to 90 minutes.

If HTTPS is not yet activated on the Webhosting, you can enable the version with a Let’s Encrypt certificate using the Quick setup button:

  1. Log in to the customer administration ⧉. 
  2. In the top menu, choose Hosting services Webhosting.
  3. Select your Webhosting from the list of services.
  4. In the left menu, choose HTTPS.
  5. Click the Quick setup button.
  6. Wait up to 90 minutes (30 minutes for activation, 60 minutes for propagation of changes) for the certificate to become operational.
Set up HTTPS on Webhosting
Quick setup of HTTPS with a Let’s Encrypt certificate
Quick setup of HTTPS with a Let’s Encrypt certificate

Quick setup:

  • sets up the free add-on service HTTPS support on an SNI domain (if you do not already have it),
  • activates HTTPS with a Let’s Encrypt certificate on the main domain and aliases,
  • adds the main Webhosting domain to the certificate (not aliases), with both the www and non-www variants.

After the certificate is activated in the administration (usually within 30 minutes), it will start working properly within 1 hour.

If the website still uses the unsecured HTTP protocol after successful certificate setup, make additional changes on the website itself. Continue with the guide Webhosting – HTTPS setup on the website.

Manual setup

If you cannot perform the quick setup, or if you need to add alias domains and other subdomains other than www, set up HTTPS manually according to the guide Webhosting – Manual HTTPS setup.

HTTPS setup on the website

If the website still uses the unsecured HTTP protocol after successful HTTPS setup in the customer administration, adjust its settings according to the guide Webhosting – HTTPS setup on the website.

Common problems

Common problems with quick HTTPS setup include:

Quick setup button is missing

Problem: The quick setup button is not displayed on the HTTPS settings page.

Cause: HTTPS is probably already active on the Webhosting.

Solution: If you need to quickly reset HTTPS, turn it off. Note that this step will remove all existing HTTPS settings in the administration. The Quick setup button will appear.

Aliases are missing in the certificate

Problem: Quick setup added only the main domain and its www variant to the certificate; aliases are missing.

Solution: Add the aliases manually according to this guide.

The www domain cannot be set up

Problem: During quick setup or when trying to add a domain, the following error message appears: Domain www.domena.tld cannot be used to generate a Let’s Encrypt certificate.

Cause: The domain, or specifically the www subdomain, does not point to Webhosting in DNS.

Solution: Check the domain’s DNS records. All domains and subdomains added to the certificate must have A and AAAA record types (if they exist) pointing to Webhosting.

HTTPS is not working

Problem: HTTPS does not work when quick setup is performed.

Cause: Although the setup is called Quick, activation and propagation of the certificate can still take up to 90 minutes. Errors may also occur in the setup.

Solution: After performing quick setup, wait 60 – 90 minutes for the certificate to propagate. If you notice errors in the administration, or HTTPS still does not work properly after 90 minutes, set it up manually according to the guide Webhosting – Manual HTTPS setup. If the website continues to work over HTTP, force HTTPS according to the guide Webhosting – HTTPS setup on the website.

Frequently asked questions

How do I deploy my own SSL certificate on Webhosting?

Follow the guide Webhosting – Deployment of your own SSL certificate.

How do I set up HTTPS on a domain I am redirecting?

To set up HTTPS, you need a server on which to store the certificate. Our redirect server does not allow this – you can set up a redirect with HTTPS only using Webhosting according to this guide.

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