How to install a third-party SSL certificate

This article describes how to obtain and install a third-party SSL certificate on your A2 Hosting account.

Most A2 Hosting servers support Server Name Indication (SNI), which means SSL certificates do not require a dedicated IP address to work correctly. However, to ensure complete compatibility, you should consider purchasing a dedicated IP address. For more information about SNI support at A2 Hosting, please see this article.

Installing a third-party SSL certificate

A third-party certificate is one that is not purchased from A2 Hosting. A2 Hosting has automated options for most certifiaces it sells so the following steps would not be required.

The process of purchasing and installing a third-party certificate consists of these steps:

  1. Generate a private key.
  2. Use the private key plus some identifying information to generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR).
  3. Send the Certificate Signing Request to the certificate authority.
  4. Complete one or more steps for confirmation and identification as determined by the Certificate Authority.
  5. Install the certificate provided by the certificate authority along with the Certificate Authority bundle if one is provided.

If you have already purchased an SSL certificate from another provider for your domain, only the final installation step is needed. To successfully install an existing certificate you must have the private key it was generated from as will as the certificate and any Certificate Authority bundle.

If your account uses the cPanel control panel, follow this guide.

If your account uses the Plesk control panel, follow this guide.

Get SSL Certificate

Article Details

  • Level: Intermediate

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