What is Let's Encrypt

Online security is vital nowadays. One way to make sure connections to your website are secure is to issue an SSL certificate for it. That will enable the website to load via the HTTPS protocol, which will encrypt all connections to it. Such a certificate can be issued by a Certificate Authority (CA), and Let's Encrypt is such an authority. In this tutorial we will tell you about Let’s Encrypt, what it is, how it works and how to get an SSL certificate from it.

What is Let's Encrypt?

Let's Encrypt is a certificate authority that is free, automated, and open. It provides free digital certificates to allow HTTPS (SSL/TLS) encryption for your website. Its fundamental principles are:

• Free - Let's Encrypt’s certificates are free of charge;
• Automatic - Web servers can use Let's Encrypt to obtain certificates, secure them for usage, and renew them automatically;
• Secure - To assist in securing the server, Let's Encrypt provides a platform for sophisticated TLS security, both at the CA site and the operating company;
• Transparent - Everyone can see all the Let's Encrypt certificates that have been granted and revoked;
• Open - Both the renewal protocol and automatic issuance are available for anyone to modify;
• Collaborative - Let's Encrypt is a collective endeavor that benefits the community, much like the underlying Internet protocols itself.