What is an SSL Certificate?

What are SSL and SSL Certificates?

SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer, which is a secured cryptographic protocol for authenticating and encrypting data and communication over a network. Transport Layer Security or TLS is its updated and more secured version. SSL and TLS are often used interchangeably; however, they refer to the type of secure connection that HTTPS uses for communication between a browser and a server.

To initiate the protocol of secure connection between servers (websites, VPN, or intranets) and clients (email clients, website browsers, or website applications), a digital certificate is needed. This digital certificate is what we call the SSL Certificate. Simply put, an SSL Certificate encrypts and protects sensitive information while being transferred across the internet. There are several types of SSL Certificates you can choose from depending on your websites' needs. Please visit the article What type of SSL / Secure Certificate do I need? to learn more about these types of SSL Certificates.

We can now install SSL on the shared IP address; however, the server must be on at least CentOS 6 and cPanel version 11.58. If the server is on an older version, it will require a Dedicated IP address.

For additional information about SSL Certificates, you can also visit this blog.

Why Do You Need an SSL Certificate?

Here are the reasons why you should get an SSL Certificate:

The most common reason is that you want to accept credit card payments on your website.

How Important is SSL for Accepting Payments?

You may have confidential information that you want to keep secure while it is being accessed via the web, like personally identifiable information - such as full name, address, telephone number, proprietary information, legal contracts, and medical records.

You protect your passwords and login details from being intercepted when typed into a secure login page.