How to Add an SSL Certificate from Other Certificate Authorities on Plesk

Installing an SSL certificate from other Certificate Authorities (CAs) to Plesk is crucial. It establishes a secure connection between a server and a client. This process involves several steps.

Step 1: Generating a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)

Log into Plesk

- Access your Plesk control panel. You can accomplish this using your domain name or server’s IP address.

Navigate to SSL/TLS Certificates

- Go to the "Websites & Domains" .

- Click "SSL/TLS Certificates" for the domain you want to secure.

Create a New CSR

- Click on "Add SSL/TLS Certificate".

- Fill in the required fields:

Certificate Name: A friendly name for the certificate.

Bits: Select 2048 (default).

Country: The two-letter country code where your organization is registered.

State or Province: state or province's complete name

Location (City): Full name of the city.

Organization Name: Your business's legal name

Organization Department/Division: E.g., IT, Web Security.

Fully qualified domain name (FQDN): For which certificate will the certificate be issued

Email: Administrative contact email.

- Click "Request".

Copy the CSR

- After submission, find the new CSR entry and click on it.

   Copy the CSR text, including 

`-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----` 

`-----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----` 

Step 2: Acquiring the SSL Certificate

Submit the CSR to a Certificate Authority

- Choose a CA (e.g., Comodo, DigiCert, Let's Encrypt, etc.).

- Paste the copied CSR into the CA’s SSL issuance form.

- Complete the domain validation process per the CA's instructions (via email, DNS record, or file upload).

Receive the SSL Certificate

- Once the CA has validated your request, they will provide you with the SSL certificate files, typically including:

The SSL certificate file (`yourdomain.crt`).

The CA bundle (intermediate certificate chain, sometimes in `ca-bundle.crt`).

Step 3: Installing the SSL Certificate on Plesk

Return to Plesk

- Go back to the "Websites & Domains" tab.

- Click on "SSL/TLS Certificates" for the relevant domain.

Add the Certificate

- Click on the name of the certificate for which you generated the CSR.

- In the "Upload the certificate files" section, upload the following:

Certificate (.crt): Your SSL certificate file.

CA Certificate (.ca-bundle): The CA bundle file. If the CA provided multiple intermediate certificates, combine them into one file by pasting the contents of each certificate in order within a single `.ca-bundle` file.

Add the Certificate Text (Alternative method)

- Alternatively, paste the contents of the certificate files directly into the respective fields:

Certificate: Paste the SSL certificate contents.

CA Certificate: Paste the CA bundle contents.

- Save the Certificate

- Click "Upload Certificate" or "Save" to store the certificate.

Step 4: Assign the SSL Certificate to Your Domain

Assign the Certificate

- Return to the "Websites & Domains" tab.

- Choose "Hosting Settings" for the related domain

- In the "Security" section, select the new SSL certificate from the "Certificate" drop-down menu.

Enable SSL/TLS Support

- Ensure that the "SSL/TLS support" checkbox is checked.

Apply Changes

- Click "OK"/"Apply"

Step 5: Verify the Installation

Check the SSL Certificate

- Visit your website using `https://` and verify the SSL certificate is correctly installed.

- Use online tools like SSL Labs' SSL Test to check for configuration issues and verify the certificate chain.

Bottom Line

Following the steps mentioned above, you can add an SSL certificate from other certificate authorities to Plesk. SSL certificates need to be regularly updated and managed to ensure that communications remain secure and user information is safeguarded.