Installing Free SSL in DirectAdmin

DirectAdmin supports free SSL certificates through Let's Encrypt. These certificates encrypt traffic between your visitors and your website, and they renew automatically.

What Is Let's Encrypt?

Let's Encrypt is a free, automated certificate authority that provides Domain Validated (DV) SSL certificates. These certificates:

• Are trusted by all major browsers
• Renew automatically every 60-90 days
• Support both single domains and wildcards
• Are completely free

Installing Let's Encrypt SSL

Step 1: Access SSL Management

1. Log in to DirectAdmin
2. Navigate to Account Manager > SSL Certificates
3. Or click Domain Setup > select your domain > SSL

Step 2: Request a Free Certificate

1. Select Free & automatic certificate from Let's Encrypt
2. Check the boxes for the domains to include:

- yourdomain.com

- www.yourdomain.com

- mail.yourdomain.com (optional, for email SSL)

1. Click Save or Request Certificate

Step 3: Wait for Validation

Let's Encrypt validates your domain automatically via HTTP challenge. This usually takes 1-2 minutes.

Step 4: Verify Installation

1. Visit https://yourdomain.com in your browser
2. Click the padlock icon in the address bar
3. Verify the certificate is issued by "Let's Encrypt"

Forcing HTTPS

After installing SSL, redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS:

Method 1: Via DirectAdmin

1. Go to Domain Setup > select your domain
2. Enable Force SSL with HTTPS redirect
3. Save

Method 2: Via .htaccess

Add this to the top of your .htaccess file:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

Auto-Renewal

Let's Encrypt certificates renew automatically. DirectAdmin handles the renewal process 30 days before expiry. You do not need to do anything.

If auto-renewal fails:

1. Check that your domain still points to the server
2. Ensure port 80 is accessible (required for HTTP validation)
3. Go to SSL Certificates in DirectAdmin and click Renew manually

Installing a Purchased SSL Certificate

If you have a commercial SSL certificate:

1. Go to SSL Certificates in DirectAdmin
2. Select Paste a pre-generated certificate and key
3. Paste your:

- Certificate (CRT)

- Private Key (KEY)

- CA Bundle (intermediate certificates)

1. Click Save

Troubleshooting

Certificate Not Issuing

• Ensure your domain DNS points to the hosting server
• Check that no .htaccess rules block the .well-known/acme-challenge/ directory
• Try removing and re-requesting the certificate

Browser Shows "Not Secure"

• Mixed content: some resources load via HTTP instead of HTTPS
• Update all URLs in your CMS to use https://
• For WordPress: go to Settings > General and change both URLs to https://

SSL Certificate Expired

• Auto-renewal may have failed — manually renew in DirectAdmin
• Check domain DNS is still pointing to the server
• Contact support if the issue persists

Related Articles

• Security Best Practices
• SSL Certificate Types Explained

Need help? Contact our support team at {{SUPPORT_EMAIL}} or open a ticket at {{SUPPORT_URL}}.