DirectAdmin includes built-in support for Let's Encrypt, a free SSL certificate authority. You don't need to buy a certificate or generate anything manually: DirectAdmin can request, install, and automatically renew a free SSL certificate for your domain directly from your control panel.
Before You Start
Make sure your domain's DNS is already pointing to your hosting account before requesting a certificate. Let's Encrypt verifies that you control the domain by checking that it resolves to your server, so a certificate request will fail if your domain still points elsewhere.
If you recently pointed your domain to this hosting account, give DNS a few hours to propagate before requesting the certificate.
Installing the Certificate
- Log in to your DirectAdmin account.
- Click SSL Certificates under the Advanced Features section.
- Select the option for Free & automatic certificate from Let's Encrypt.
- Choose the domain (and any subdomains, such as www) you want the certificate to cover. Ticking the box for each hostname includes it on the same certificate.
- Click Save.
DirectAdmin will contact Let's Encrypt, verify ownership of the domain, and install the certificate automatically. This usually takes less than a minute. Once it's done, your site should load over https:// without a browser warning.
If the Request Fails
A failed request is almost always a DNS issue. Confirm your domain's A record points to your hosting account's IP address, and that there's no firewall or redirect blocking outside verification requests to your domain on port 80. Wait and try again once DNS has had time to settle.
Automatic Renewal
Let's Encrypt certificates are valid for 90 days, but DirectAdmin renews them automatically before they expire as long as the Free & automatic certificate from Let's Encrypt option stays selected for that domain. You don't need to repeat the steps above unless you remove the certificate or change your domain's DNS setup in a way that breaks verification.
If your site suddenly shows a certificate warning months after setup, check that your domain's DNS hasn't changed and still points to your hosting account, since that's the most common reason an automatic renewal fails silently.