Let’s Encrypt

December 11, 2015

Last week the Let’s Encrypt initiative entered the Public Beta stage offering free SSL Certs for all!

I took the hint and made SSL the default on my site using their handy letsencrypt-auto command.

My web server runs on nginx which the plugin is not yet ready so I had to manually install the cert in the nginx config folder, but other than that the fact that the cert.pem, chain.pem, fullchain.pem and privkey.pem files are automatically downloaded to your webserver is a huge lifesaver. I know installing SSL certs has been a headache up until this point having clients email me zipped files containing the chain, having to Google how to form a full chain file from multiple files, and which order they go in, it was not a fun process.

This initiative is a huge step forward in ensuring internet privacy and I for one and going to Donate to Let’s Encrypt not only for saving me money that would have been used purchasing an SSL cert, but for working hard to bring a time-consuming and dreadful task into the daylight.