Create a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) using cPanel
Overview
SSL Certificates are small data files that bind a cryptographic key to an organization’s details. When installed on a web server, they activate the padlock and the HTTPS protocol, enabling secure connections from a web server to a browser. SSL is commonly used to secure credit card transactions, data transfers, logins, and is increasingly becoming the standard for securing browsing on social media sites.
Why SSL? The primary purpose of SSL is to encrypt sensitive information sent over the Internet, ensuring that only the intended recipient can decipher it. This is crucial because the information you transmit on the Internet passes through multiple computers before reaching the destination server. Without encryption, any computer in between can potentially access your credit card numbers, usernames, passwords, and other sensitive data. SSL certificates make this information unreadable to everyone except the designated server, protecting it from hackers and identity thieves.
What is CSR? A Certificate Signing Request (CSR) is a message sent from an applicant to a Certificate Authority to apply for a digital identity certificate (SSL Certificate). In this tutorial, we will guide you on generating a CSR certificate from within your WHM/cPanel.
Requirements
Before starting the tutorial, ensure that the following requirements are met:
WHM/cPanel Installed: Make sure you have WHM/cPanel installed on your server. If not, you can follow the provided guide.
Access to cPanel Account: Ensure you have access to your cPanel account.
SSL Verification Medium: Have an SSL verification medium available, such as your admin email address (e.g., admin@mydomain.tld).
Required Access Rights: Verify that you have the necessary access rights to perform the actions outlined in the tutorial.
Completion of the necessary fields
Information about you and your service is crucial for generating a CSR. Without this information, the Certificate Authority (CA), usually the entity providing universally valid SSL certificates, won’t be able to identify you or your service. It needs to know who to send the verification email to and who will own the SSL certificate.
To get started:
Log in to your cPanel server at http://mydomain/cpanel or http://mydomain.com:2082.
For a list of WHM/cPanel ports, refer to the following:
- 2082: cPanel TCP inbound
- 2083: cPanel SSL TCP inbound
- 2086: WHM TCP inbound
- 2087: WHM SSL TCP inbound
- 2089: cPanel license TCP outbound
- 2095: Webmail TCP inbound
- 2096: Webmail SSL TCP inbound
Next, navigate to Security > SSL/TLS in your cPanel. Click on “Generate, view, or delete SSL certificate signing requests.”
You’ll be redirected to another page where you can enter your information. Fill out the form and click “Generate.”
On the following page, you’ll now be able to view your CSR. Copy the “Encoded Certificate Signing Request” and submit it to your Certificate Authority for verification.
That’s it! You can now submit your CSR to any authorized certificate provider for further processing and issuance of your SSL certificate.