Multiple SSL Certificates? – Before We Get Into The Topic , let’s Learn Some Basic Of This Topic
Can I Have Two SSL Certificates for One Domain?
You might want to utilize two SSL certificates for one domain or IP address for a variety of reasons. For example, you may decide to install a second SSL certificate to ensure that your site and services do not go down due to the expiration of your current certificate. You might also use a load balancer if you have one domain hosted on different servers.
Using two SSL certificates for the same domain or IP is possible owing to server name indication (SNI), but it isn’t always the best option in terms of scalability and security. Before you go ahead and install two SSL certificates on a single domain, there are a few things you should know.
What Happens When You Install Two or More SSL Certificates?
When two or more SSL certificates are installed, the following can happen:
- Making it impossible for your domain or server to choose which certificate to use. It may choose to use the most recently installed certificate, assuming that it is more secure and up to date. It could also select to alternate between the various certificates.
- Various extensions and plugins that may cache SSL certificates have clashing and incompatibility issues.
However, if neither of these possibilities concerns you — or if you just wish to update a soon-to-expire SSL certificate to avoid expiration — you should go ahead and replace it. We can assist you.
How to Have Two Certificates for the Same Domain?
You’ll need to buy the additional certificate (or certificates) you want to install on your server first. Technically, you can have as many certificates as you want… It’s just a matter of deciding why you want to install so many and what you want to achieve.
Any new SSL certificates must then be validated by your chosen certificate authority (CA). Depending on your issuing CA, the specific steps to take will differ and may require some further configuration.
After that, you’ll need to use cPanel, Apache, or WHM to actually install your certificate. Of course, each of these techniques has its own set of steps, so you’ll need to follow the installation instructions for each server separately. If you need more information about the installation process, we have some SSL installation manuals available.
Have you bought your SSL certificate yet? We’ve got your back. We purchase SSL/TLS certificates in large quantities as a partner with the world’s leading CAs, allowing us to pass the savings on to you by giving the best prices available in the market.
Is It Possible to Have One SSL Certificate for Multiple Domains?
A loud Yes! is the straightforward answer. You can use a single SSL certificate for many domains — or multiple subdomains in addition to domains — with no problems. We need to look at SSL/TLS certificates and some of their different varieties to understand why and how you can do it.
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) are cryptographic protocols that allow for encrypted communication between a client machine and a web server from beginning to end. When you install an SSL/TLS certificate on your web server or visit a website that utilizes one, your traffic is sent across an encrypted channel. This means that if an attacker listens in on your network, he won’t be able to steal your important information in a readable form.
SSL/TLS certificates are classed according to the level of validation and functionality they provide. We utilize either a multi-domain/UCC/SAN certificate or a multi-domain wildcard SSL certificate to secure several domains with a single SSL certificate.
How to Use One SSL Certificate for Securing My Domains with a Single SSL Certificate?
So now that we know what an SSL certificate is, let’s look at how they help secure our domains and how we can use one SSL to secure numerous domains.
How did Multi-Domain/SAN Certificates work?
Multiple fully qualified domain names are secured using multi-domain SSL/TLS certificates, commonly known as UCC (universal communication certificate) or SAN (subject alternative name) certificates (FQDNs). The common name on the certificate signing request (CSR) cannot be changed, however, the SANs can be added or edited.
UCCs were originally designed for specific server contexts like Microsoft Exchange and Communications servers, but they are now applicable to any server environment. Domain validation (DV), organization validation (OV), and extended validation (EV) certificates are available, however, all domains will receive the same level of validation.
Consider the following illustration:
Alice is the owner of a multi-line business. She intends to create separate websites for each of these firms, and she wants to utilize HTTPS on all of them to avoid managing numerous SSL/TLS certificates. Assume she wants to protect the following domains: