User Manual

Cybersecurity Basics
SSL Certificates
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1 — Gather the necessary files
In order to install an SSL certificate on your web server and bind it to your domain, you
must have the following files:
1. SSL Certificate for your domain
2. Intermediate certificates or CA bundle (optional)
3. Private key
You must obtain a certificate file for your domain and intermediate certificate files from
the CA where you submitted the CSR. The CA may not have issued an intermediate
certificate or may have issued more than one intermediate certificate. Most likely you
will have intermediate one or more certificates.
You may have the private key stored in a .key file type. However, it depends on where
you generated the CSR and where you want to install it. If you generated the CSR
from the same web server where you want to install an SSL certificate, then you will
not have a private key file because it is secretly stored by the web server. If you
generated the CSR using a browser or an SSL tool, then you should have a saved
private key in a separate .key file. If the web server where you generate the CSR is
different from the web server where you are going to install the certificate, then you
need to export the private key from where you generated the CSR because the private
key is generated at the same time when the CSR is generated.
So, gather all the required files before proceeding.
2 — Identify the certificate file type and the format your web server requires
Once you have the necessary certificate files, you need to check the certificate file
type and the format your web server supports. Different web servers and hosting
platforms support different formats and types of certificate files. For example, Apache
and other similar web servers support certificates in PEM format, whereas Microsoft
Windows support certificates in PKCS#7 format.
Some web servers and hosting platforms require separate certificate, intermediate
certificate and private key files, whereas others require a single file for all. For
example, Microsoft Azure cloud platform requires all files in a single PKCS#12/PFX
format.
So, identify the appropriate format and file type that your web server supports.
3 —Convert the certificate file type to web server compatible files
If the certificate files and format you obtained from the CA are not supported on your
web server or hosting provider, then you have to convert the certificates to your web
server supported format using OpenSSL.
Convert your SSL certificate files as per your web server supported format using
OpenSSL. Some web servers require a single file for your domain certificate,
intermediate certificate and private key while other web servers require a separate file
for each. For example, Azure App Service requires PKCS#12 format in a .pfx file with
certificate, intermediate certificate and private key. So, you need to consider that too.
To learn about OpenSSL conversion commands, see the next chapter.
4 — Install the certificates on your web server
So, once you have certificate files in the required format and type, you can install your
SSL certificate on your web server. In the Desigo CC online help, see Configuring
Security in Typical Deployments .
5 — Bind the installed SSL certificate to your website
Once you have installed your SSL certificate, you have to bind it to your website.
Again, this depends on the web server or hosting provider.
6 — Test the https website
In this last step, you should test your SSL certificate with the SSL tools and check
whether or not it is working properly.