Knowledge Base

Essential steps when buying an SSL Certificate

An SSL certificate helps protect your website by encrypting data exchanged between visitors and your server. Before purchasing an SSL certificate, it's important to understand the information and validation requirements involved in the issuance process.

This guide explains the steps required to activate your SSL certificate, complete validation requirements, and what to do after you receive your issued certificate.

SSL certificate issuance process

To get your SSL certificate issued, you'll need to go through the following steps:

Submit your Certificate Signing Request (CSR)
Complete Domain Control Validation (DCV)
Complete any additional validation (if applicable)
Receive your SSL certificate

Submit your Certificate Signing Request (CSR)

A Certificate Signing Request (CSR) is required to request and activate your SSL certificate.

During the purchase process, you’ll be asked where your website is hosted:

If you select Another Provider, you'll need to generate and submit a CSR from your hosting server.
If you select Vodien hosting, the CSR will be generated automatically for you.

If the submitted CSR is invalid or does not match the domain name associated with the SSL certificate order, you'll be asked to submit a new CSR.

IMPORTANT. Never submit your private key with your CSR. Only the CSR should be provided. Your private key must remain secure on the server where the CSR was generated, as it is required when installing the SSL certificate.

Complete Domain Control Validation (DCV)

Domain Control Validation (DCV) verifies that you have control of the domain linked to the SSL certificate.

By default, DCV is completed using a CNAME record in your DNS settings.

If Vodien manages your DNS, validation may be completed automatically.
If your DNS is managed elsewhere, you'll receive instructions containing the DNS record details required to complete validation.

Complete any additional validation (if applicable)

Some SSL certificate types may require additional validation beyond DCV. Additional validation requirements vary depending on the SSL certificate type. Examples include the following:

Wildcard OV SSL certificates, which may require extra validation steps
EV SSL certificates, which require business verification

If additional verification is necessary, you'll receive an email outlining the required actions and any supporting documents that need to be submitted.

For more information, see How to validate an SSL Certificate.

Receive your SSL certificate

Once you have completed all required validation steps:

    ✓ Submitted a valid CSR
    ✓ Completed Domain Control Validation (DCV)
    ✓ Completed any additional validation requirements (if applicable)

Your SSL certificate will be issued and made available in your account.

You can then download and install the SSL certificate on your website or server.

You’re all set

Once all validation requirements have been completed and your certificate has been issued, your SSL certificate will be ready for installation. After installation, your website can begin benefiting from secure, encrypted connections that help protect visitor data and build trust with your audience.

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