Certbot Nginx Ubuntu 18.04


Certbot Nginx Ubuntu 18.04

What is Certbot?

Certbot is a tool that automates the process of issuing and renewing SSL/TLS certificates, allowing you to quickly and easily install an SSL certificate on your webserver. It is an open-source software created by the Electronic Frontier Foundation that enables users to set up secure webservers with a few simple commands. Certbot is available for Nginx on Ubuntu 18.04.

Configuring Certbot

In order to configure Certbot, you will need to install the Certbot client and the Certbot Nginx plugin. The Certbot client is available from the official Certbot repository and can be installed with apt. The Certbot Nginx plugin is also available from the official repository and can be installed with apt as well.

Once you have installed both the Certbot client and the Certbot Nginx plugin, you can start the configuration process. To do so, you will need to use the certbot command with the –nginx argument. This will launch the Certbot configuration wizard, which will walk you through the steps of getting a SSL/TLS certificate installed on your webserver.

When you reach the step of choosing the type of certificate you would like to use, you can choose to use a single certificate that contains both the public and private encryption keys, or you can choose to use two separate certificates, one for each key. It is recommended that you use two separate certificates to reduce the risk of having a single compromised key.

Creating a .conf File

Once you have chosen the type of certificate you would like to use, the next step is to create a .conf file. This file is located in the nginx/conf.d directory and is used to tell the webserver how to handle requests with an SSL certificate. You can create a basic .conf file with the following content:


server {
listen 443 ssl;
server_name example.com;

ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem;
ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem;
}

This file configures your webserver to listen for requests on port 443 and to use the SSL certificate and key for the domain example.com.

Test Your Configuration

After creating your .conf file, you can test your configuration to make sure it is working properly. To do this, you can use the nginx -t command to check the syntax of your configuration file. If the syntax is correct, you can then use the nginx -s reload command to reload the configuration and start using it.

Obtaining a SSL/TLS Certificate Using Certbot

Once you have ensured that your configuration is working properly, you can use the certbot command to obtain your SSL/TLS certificate. The command is as follows:



sudo certbot --nginx

This command will launch the Certbot wizard, which will walk you through the process of getting a SSL/TLS certificate for your webserver. Once you have followed the instructions, Certbot will obtain the certificate from Let’s Encrypt and install it on your webserver.

Renewing Your SSL/TLS Certificate

Let’s Encrypt certificates expire after 90 days, so you will need to renew your certificate at least once every three months. You can do this by running the following command:



sudo certbot renew --nginx

This command will check for certificates that are close to expiring and renew them automatically. If your certificate is not set to expire for some time, you can use the certbot renew –dry-run command to check if any of your certificates are expiring soon.

Conclusion

Certbot is a powerful and easy-to-use tool for obtaining and managing SSL/TLS certificates on your webserver. Using Certbot, you can quickly and easily obtain and renew SSL certificates, allowing your webserver to serve secure webpages over HTTPS. Thanks for reading this article!

FAQs

Q: What is the difference between a single and a dual SSL/TLS certificate?

A: A single certificate contains both the public and private encryption keys, while a dual certificate will have two separate certificates, one for each key.

Q: How often should I renew my SSL/TLS certificate?

A: SSL/TLS certificates issued by Let’s Encrypt expire after 90 days, so you should renew your certificate at least once every three months.

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