Website SSL Certificate Expired? How to Reapply for a Free One

1. Summary

Your website suddenly gets flagged as "Not Secure" by the browser, and after checking, it turns out that the SSL certificate has expired. After just 10 minutes of operation, the certificate was successfully replaced. I’m sure many website owners have encountered similar situations.

SSL certificates usually have an expiration period ranging from 90 days to one year. Once expired, the browser will issue a warning, and users’ trust in the site will drop drastically. This is particularly problematic for foreign trade e-commerce websites. Today, we will discuss how to quickly fix an expired SSL certificate and recommend several free SSL certificates to help maintain your website’s security and user trust.

2. Emergency Steps for Expired SSL Certificates

When the browser shows a red warning or "This site is not secure" in the address bar, it's likely that the SSL certificate has expired. At this point, you need to act immediately to prevent the expired certificate from becoming a "killer" of your site’s traffic.

1.Confirm the Expiration Cause

First, click the small lock icon in the browser’s address bar, select "Certificate Information" to view the certificate’s details, and confirm if the certificate has expired. Sometimes, incorrect system time may cause false alerts, so make sure the time is set correctly.

2.Emergency Steps

• Using the Baota Panel: If you're using the Baota panel to manage your server, you can directly reapply and deploy a new SSL certificate from the panel. This is very simple and doesn’t require much technical knowledge.

• No Management Panel? If you’re not using a panel, you can manually apply for a new certificate. Log into the control panel of the certificate authority (CA) you originally used, like Let’s Encrypt or DigiCert, reapply, and download the new certificate.

• Switching CA Services: If you feel your current CA is not stable or its service is poor, consider switching to another CA provider, such as migrating from Symantec to ZeroSSL.

3.Certificate Verification and Deployment

After applying for the certificate, you will typically need to verify domain ownership. You can complete this verification via DNS TXT record, email, or file upload. Once the verification is successful, you can download the certificate files (including .crt, .key, and .ca-bundle) and replace them on your server.

For example, to replace the certificate configuration in Nginx:

ssl_certificate /path/to/new_cert.crt;
ssl_certificate_key /path/to/new_cert.key;
ssl_trusted_certificate /path/to/new_cert.ca-bundle;

Then, make sure to restart the server and clear the CDN cache (if you’re using CDN).

4.Avoid Common Issues

• Domain Consistency: Ensure that the SSL certificate you apply for matches the domain you use to access the website. If you access the site via www.example.com, the certificate must be applied for www.example.com.

• Mixed Content Issues: If the page contains HTTP resources (like images, JS files, CSS files, etc.), even after updating the SSL certificate, the browser’s security lock icon will not display. Make sure all resources are linked via HTTPS.

• Android Compatibility: If you have a mobile app, remember to update the SSL certificate in the app, as failing to do so might cause verification failures on Android devices.

3. Recommended Free SSL Certificates

While free SSL certificates generally only provide domain validation (DV) and have a shorter validity period, they are sufficient for most personal websites or small sites. Here are a few high-quality, cost-effective free SSL certificates I recommend:

1. Let’s Encrypt: As the leader in the industry, Let’s Encrypt offers free and automated SSL certificate services. The certificate is valid for 90 days but can be automatically renewed, making it ideal for users with some technical knowledge.

2. ZeroSSL: ZeroSSL provides a user-friendly interface, suitable for those not comfortable with command-line operations. Free accounts support up to 3 domains per month, and certificates are also valid for 90 days.

3. BuyPass Go SSL: This certificate is valid for 180 days and requires the Certbot tool for automatic renewal. This is a great option for users who don’t want to frequently replace their certificates.

4. Google Trust Services (GTS): If you're a Google Cloud user, you can use Google Trust Services’ free certificate. This certificate has the same trust level as Let’s Encrypt but is limited to use on the Google Cloud platform.

Note: All these free certificates are DV certificates, which only verify domain ownership. If you need enterprise-level validation (OV/EV certificates) or want to cover multiple subdomains, consider paid certificates like Comodo or DigiCert.

4. How to Avoid SSL Certificate Expiry Issues: Automated Management

Manually renewing a certificate is a high-risk task, especially since SSL certificates last for 90 days and it’s easy to forget about renewal. To avoid the hassle of manual operations, automated management is the best solution.

Certbot Basic Solution

If you have only one website or a few servers, you can use Certbot in combination with crontab to automatically renew your certificate. Just run the following command:

certbot --nginx renew --deploy-hook "systemctl reload nginx"

Then, set up a cron job (crontab) to check daily if the certificate needs renewal:

0 3 * * * certbot renew

AllinSSL Lifecycle Management

For multiple domains and complex environments, AllinSSL is highly recommended. It supports multiple certificate authorities and can automatically synchronize certificates across platforms (such as Nginx, Baota, Tencent Cloud CDN, etc.), with notifications sent 30 and 7 days before the certificate expires.

To install AllinSSL:

curl -sSO http://download.allinssl.com/install_allinssl.sh && bash install_allinssl.sh allinssl

With API authorization, AllinSSL can automatically apply for, renew, and deploy certificates, ensuring that SSL certificates won’t expire due to missed renewals.

5. Long-term Certificate Management Strategies

Certificate Monitoring

Use open-source tools like ZooKeeper, or the monitoring module in AllinSSL, to regularly check certificate validity. Notifications will be sent 1 week and 1 month before the certificate expires.

Private Key Security

Ensure the private key file is secure by setting its permission to 600 and backing it up to the cloud (e.g., AWS S3) in case of loss.

Regular Drills

Conduct a quarterly simulation of certificate expiration to test the emergency recovery process. This practice will save valuable time in the event of an SSL certificate expiration and avoid data and traffic loss.

6. Conclusion

SSL certificate expiration is a small issue, but if not dealt with promptly, it can lead to serious consequences, especially for e-commerce sites that rely on website traffic and orders. By following the methods and automation solutions outlined in this article, you can effectively avoid the loss caused by expired certificates. Remember, the security lock is not just a technical symbol—it silently conveys user trust, which is particularly crucial during transactions.

Action Checklist:

• Immediately check if your site’s certificate has expired.

• If the certificate is not expired, use tools like AllinSSL for automatic management.

• If the certificate has expired, quickly update it following the emergency steps.

• Use the recommended free SSL certificates to ensure your site remains secure and stable in the long run.

Maintaining the validity and security of SSL certificates is not only a technical requirement but also a way to protect user trust.