SSL Certificates

SSL certificates encrypt the connection between the browser and the web server and are standard for every website today. enconf supports automatic SSL certificates via Let's Encrypt as well as the installation of custom certificates.

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Overview

You can see the SSL status of your domains in the domain management:

Status	Description
Active (Let's Encrypt)	Automatic certificate — renewed automatically
Active (Custom Certificate)	Manually uploaded certificate
Inactive	No SSL certificate configured
Expired	Certificate has expired — must be renewed

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Let's Encrypt (Automatic)

Let's Encrypt issues free SSL certificates that are renewed automatically.

Enable SSL

1. Navigate to Domains
2. Click on the desired domain
3. Click Enable SSL
4. The system:
5. Checks whether the domain points to the server via DNS
6. Requests a certificate from Let's Encrypt
7. Configures Nginx for HTTPS
8. Sets up automatic renewal

DNS Must Be Correct

The domain must point to your server's IP address via an A record (and/or AAAA record). Otherwise, Let's Encrypt cannot issue the certificate.

Automatic Renewal

Let's Encrypt certificates are valid for 90 days. The system renews them automatically before they expire — you do not need to do anything.

Renewal is handled by the certbot.timer service, which regularly checks whether certificates are about to expire.

HTTPS Redirect

After enabling SSL, an HTTPS redirect is automatically configured. All HTTP requests (port 80) are redirected to HTTPS (port 443).

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Install Custom Certificate

If you want to use your own certificate (e.g. wildcard, extended validation, multi-domain):

1. Navigate to Domains
2. Click on the desired domain
3. Click Install Custom Certificate
4. Paste the following data in PEM format:

Field	Description
Certificate	The SSL certificate (starts with -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----)
Private Key	The private key (starts with -----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----)

1. Click Install

Intermediate Certificates

If applicable, paste the intermediate certificate (CA bundle) directly below your server certificate in the same text field.

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Disable SSL

1. Navigate to Domains
2. Click on the desired domain
3. Click Disable SSL
4. Confirm the deactivation

After deactivation:

• The website is only accessible via HTTP
• The HTTPS redirect is removed
• The certificate is removed from the server

Impact on Visitors

Search engines and browsers prefer HTTPS. After deactivation, visitors will see security warnings when accessing the website via https://.

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Check Status

To check the SSL status of a domain:

1. Navigate to Domains
2. In the SSL column you can see the current status
3. Click on the domain for details:

Information	Description
Issuer	Who issued the certificate (e.g. Let's Encrypt)
Valid Until	Expiration date of the certificate
Domains	Which domains the certificate covers
Auto-Renewal	Whether automatic renewal is active

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Common Issues

SSL Activation Fails

Problem	Solution
DNS does not point to the server	Check your DNS records with your domain registrar
Domain not reachable	Make sure port 80 is open (required for validation)
Rate limit reached	Let's Encrypt allows max. 5 certificates per domain per week. Wait and try again later
Too many subdomains	A single certificate can contain max. 100 domains

Mixed Content

After SSL activation, "mixed content" warnings may appear if your website still loads HTTP resources (images, scripts, CSS).

Solution: Change all http:// URLs in your website code to https:// or use protocol-relative URLs (//).

Certificate Expired

If automatic renewal fails:

1. Check whether the DNS records are still correct
2. Try disabling SSL and enabling it again
3. Contact your hosting provider if the problem persists