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Applies to: LumaDock Cloud VPS • Ubuntu 22.04 / Debian 12 / AlmaLinux 9
Secure your website with a free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate. This guide shows how to install and automatically renew SSL on your VPS using Certbot — available for both Nginx and Apache web servers.
Requirements
- A LumaDock VPS with a public IPv4 address
- A registered domain name (e.g., example.com)
- Your domain’s DNS A record pointing to your VPS IP
- Root SSH access
Step 1 — Connect to Your VPS
Access your VPS via SSH using your terminal or preferred client:
ssh root@your-vps-ip
Step 2 — Install Certbot
Install the official Certbot client to obtain and manage Let's Encrypt certificates.
# For Ubuntu/Debian: apt update && apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx # For AlmaLinux/RHEL: dnf install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx
If you’re using Apache, replace nginx with apache in the package names above.
Step 3 — Obtain and Install the SSL Certificate
Run the Certbot command for your web server type:
# For Nginx certbot --nginx -d example.com -d www.example.com # For Apache certbot --apache -d example.com -d www.example.com
Follow the prompts — Certbot will automatically edit your configuration and install the certificate.
Step 4 — Test Auto-Renewal
Let's Encrypt certificates are valid for 90 days, but Certbot sets up auto-renewal automatically. You can test it with:
certbot renew --dry-run
Step 5 — Verify HTTPS
Visit your domain in a browser using https:// and check for the padlock icon. You can also verify your certificate using:
openssl s_client -connect example.com:443
Tips
- For wildcard certificates (e.g.,
*.example.com), usecertbot certonly --manual --preferred-challenges=dns. - Always keep your web server updated for the latest TLS and security features.
- Combine SSL with the LumaDock Cloud Firewall for complete protection.
Recommended: Premium SSL Certificates
While Let's Encrypt is a great free option, for business or eCommerce websites we recommend using a paid SSL certificate for extended validation, warranty coverage, and improved browser trust.
You can purchase a premium SSL directly from the LumaDock website and install it easily on your VPS.
