How to Install Your SSL Certificate on Your Server

Congratulations — you’ve issued your SSL certificate with SecureDot! Now let’s install it on your server and keep your site secure.

📄 What You’ll Need

✅ Your issued certificate files (typically:

• cert.pem — the certificate itself
• fullchain.pem — certificate plus intermediate chain
• privkey.pem — your private key (only you have this!))

✅ Access to your server’s file system or control panel

✅ Basic SSH or cPanel/hosting knowledge

⚙️ 1. Install SSL on Apache (Ubuntu/Debian)

1. Upload your cert.pem, fullchain.pem, and privkey.pem to your server.Store them somewhere safe, like /etc/ssl/yourdomain/.

2. Edit your site’s config. Usually in /etc/apache2/sites-available/yourdomain.conf.

   Example: config:

   <VirtualHost *:443>
     ServerName yourdomain.com
     DocumentRoot /var/www/html
   
     SSLEngine on
     SSLCertificateFile /etc/ssl/yourdomain/cert.pem
     SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/ssl/yourdomain/privkey.pem
     SSLCertificateChainFile /etc/ssl/yourdomain/fullchain.pem
   
     # Optional: Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
     RewriteEngine On
     RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
     RewriteRule ^/?(.*) https://%{SERVER_NAME}/$1 [R,L]
   </VirtualHost>
   

Enable SSL & your site:

sudo a2enmod ssl
sudo a2ensite yourdomain.conf
sudo systemctl reload apache2

Test: apachectl configtest

⚙️ 2. Install SSL on Nginx

• Upload your cert files to your server: /etc/ssl/yourdomain/
• Edit your site’s server block: /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourdomain

Example:

server {
  listen 443 ssl;
  server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;  ssl_certificate /etc/ssl/yourdomain/fullchain.pem;
  ssl_certificate_key /etc/ssl/yourdomain/privkey.pem;  root /var/www/html;
  index index.html;
}

Optional: Redirect HTTP to HTTPS

server {
  listen 80;
  server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;
  return 301 https://server_nameservernamerequest_uri;
}

Test and reload:

sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

⚙️ 3. Install SSL with cPanel

Log into your cPanel account.

• Go to SSL/TLS > Manage SSL Sites.
• Select your domain.
• Paste your certificate contents:
• Certificate: Copy-paste cert.pem.
• Private Key: Copy-paste your privkey.pem.
• CA Bundle: Copy-paste your fullchain.pem.
• Click Install Certificate.

✅ Verify Your Installation

After installing:

• Visit https://yourdomain.com — no security warnings should appear.

Use our online checker or other SSL Checkers like:

• SSL Labs
• SSL Test
• whynopadlock.com

Check:

• The certificate is valid and not expired.
• Your server supports modern TLS versions.

🗝️ Tips to Remember

✔️ Keep your private key safe — if lost, you’ll need to re-issue your cert.

✔️ Renew before expiry — SecureDot can remind you.

✔️ Always redirect HTTP to HTTPS for full security.

🔗 Need More Help?

If you run into issues:

• Read your server logs for errors.
• Check file permissions on certs.
• Contact SecureDot support: support@techinika.com

Your security is our priority! 🔒