SSL Certificates
All verified domains are automatically protected by our Cloudflare integration, which includes free SSL certificates. This means that unless you have a specific reason to add a custom SSL, you won’t have to worry about manually configuring an SSL on Sevalla. All SSL certificates provided by Sevalla have TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3 enabled, both of which are secure and supported by all major browsers.
However, there may be circumstances where you need or want to add a custom SSL certificate to your static site. To install your custom SSL certificate, you must first obtain your custom SSL certificate from your certificate provider or transfer the SSL certificate from a previous server (have access to the certificate and key).
Obtain a custom SSL certificate
All verified domains are automatically protected by our Cloudflare integration, which includes free SSL certificates. For users who prefer to go the custom SSL route, Sevalla also supports custom SSL certificates.
The following instructions are for purchasing or regenerating an SSL certificate. If you have a custom SSL certificate and have access to the certificate and key, you also have the option of transferring the SSL certificate from your previous server.
1. Purchase SSL certificate
Purchase your SSL certificate from any vendor you like, such as Comodo, DigiCert, GeoTrust, Thawte, or Trustwave. Sevalla supports all types of SSL certificates.
2. Server type
You are asked to provide the server type when purchasing a new SSL certificate. Our web server type is Nginx. If that option is not available, then “Apache” or “Other” will also work.
3. Generate CSR and private key
The SSL provider will need a CSR (Certificate Signing Request) to create/sign the certificate file. For generating a CSR and RSA key (together known as a key pair), please complete this form: Online CSR and Key Generator.
We recommend filling out every field, but at a minimum, you should fill in the following, as seen in the example below:
- Common name (domain name)
- Email Address
- Organization
- City / Locality
- State / County / Region
- Country
Note: For the common name field, if you’re generating a wildcard certificate, you’ll need to input your domain name like *.domain.com.
Generate CSR form.
The form will generate the Private Key file and the CSR. Save both of those, as the certificate will be unusable without them.
Protect your private key file and do not send it via email or otherwise share it insecurely. Once uploaded to your server, as outlined in the following steps, the private key should only be stored on the server.
CSR and private key.
4. Upload CSR and generate SSL certificate
Upload only your CSR with your SSL provider to generate your SSL certificate (.cert file). Once you receive your SSL certificate from your provider, you can install it in Sevalla.
Transfer an SSL certificate from another server
You can transfer an SSL certificate you installed on another server. You’ll need to get a copy of your SSL certificate and the certificate’s private key. This private key is created when you generate your CSR and is installed on the server.
Protect your private key file and do not send it via email or otherwise share it insecurely. Once the private key is uploaded to Sevalla, it should only be stored on the server.
If your site is coming from a host that uses cPanel, these can typically be extracted from cPanel directly or from the file manager. If your previous host doesn’t use cPanel, their support team may be able to assist you with getting a copy of your SSL certificate.
Alternatively, you can regenerate your SSL certificate from where you purchased it, whether it’s with your domain registrar or a third-party SSL reseller. To do that, you will need to obtain a copy of the private key or create a new one by generating a new CSR.
Don’t forget we do have free SSL certificates at Sevalla. So unless you have a specific reason for using your existing one, you can take advantage of our easy one-click solution. Otherwise, follow the steps below to transfer your SSL certificate.
Once you have your SSL certificate and key, you can install it in Sevalla.
Install a custom SSL certificate
1. Add custom SSL certificate
In Sevalla, go to Static Sites > sitename > Domains.
Click the kebab (three-dot) menu for the domain you want to add a custom SSL certificate to and select Add custom SSL certificate from the dropdown menu.
Add a custom SSL certificate in Sevalla.
2. Confirm domains covered by the SSL
Next, you’ll see a confirmation modal showing the domains that the custom SSL will cover. Click Next to proceed.
3. Add SSL and private key
You will then be able to add your private key (.key) and certificate (.cert, .cer., or .crt file).
If you’ve misplaced your certificate’s private key, you’ll need to generate a new CSR and private key and contact your SSL provider to have the SSL certificate regenerated with the new CSR.
Most SSL providers will email you a .crt or .cer file and a .ca-bundle file. You can use a text editor like Notepad++ or TextMate to open the certificate and bundle files, and copy the content of each file.
Paste the contents of your .crt file in the .cert file contents field first and then the contents of the .ca-bundle file below that, in the same field.
Paste your .key and .cert files into Sevalla.
If you don’t have your intermediate certificates, you can use a free tool like What’s My Chain Cert or Certificate Chain Composer to generate the certificate chain. Copy and paste this certificate chain (which includes your intermediate certificates) in the .cert file contents field.
Click Add certificate to finalize the configuration process.
4. Check your SSL certificate
After you have installed your SSL certificate, we recommend running an SSL check to verify that everything is set up correctly. An invalid SSL certificate can cause your visitors to be faced with the “your connection is not private” error.
Summary
At Sevalla, we support both free Cloudflare SSL certificates and custom SSLs. For most users, our Cloudflare SSL integration provides HTTPS support at no additional cost. However, if you have a specific use case that requires a custom SSL, we support that as well.
If you have any questions about how to add an SSL certificate to your site, you can connect with developers and knowledgeable community members in the Sevalla Community forum.