Using SSL at Umbler

What's SSL?

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a server and a client—typically a web server (website) and a browser.

When to use SSL?

SSL secures millions of peoples’ data on the Internet every day, especially during online transactions or when transmitting confidential information. Internet users have come to associate their online security with the lock icon that comes with an SSL-secured website or green address bar that comes with an Extended Validation SSL-secured website. SSL-secured websites also begin with https rather than http.

SSL at Umbler

Umbler works only with SNI certificates, that are certificates emitted for the domain and not for the server or IP. This allows the certificate to be used in any provider, regardless of the server or IP address.

SSL using Let´s Encrypt

Let’s Encrypt is a free, automated, and open certificate authority (CA), run for the public’s benefit. It is a service provided by the Internet Security Research Group (ISRG).

Let’s Encrypt gives people the digital certificates they need in order to enable HTTPS (SSL/TLS) for websites, for free, in the most user-friendly way possibe

The certificate is valid for 90 days, but it'll be renewed automatically at Umbler.

In order to activate Let's Encrypt certificate the domain DNS's records have to be pointed at Umbler, by either using our NameServers or pointing the A record to the IP of the website hosted at Umbler.

Under the selected Domain, go to Website > Settings > SSL and choose Enable Let's Encrypt free certificate.

Check that your website and DNS configurations fulfill the requirements and click on Enable:

SSL using CloudFlare

To avail of CloudFlare's SSL feature it's important to make sure that both the Let's Encrypt add-on and the CloudFlare add-on are not active in your Control Panel.

First log in to CloudFlare, (if the CloudFlare add-on was activated in the past using Umbler's Control Panel, an account has been automatically created for you, with the same details as your Umbler account).

After loging into CloudFlare, add the domain in the field Add a website, using the + Add Site button on the top right corner, and click on Begin Scan.

Once the scan is completed, click on Continue.

If there are no alerts on the following screen, go ahead and just hit Continue

Now choose the plan according to your needs and click on Continue

On the next screen CloudFlare will show the DNS changes required to make your website work with their serviçes:

In this particular case, we need to change the first two Name Servers, and exclude the second two.

Now we need to go to the domain's registrant website and make the DNS changes accordingly, then hit Continue.

Now CloudFlare is configured and activated as your website's CDN. Go to the Crypto tab, on the upper menu to activate SSL:

Choose Flexible, for SSL:

Please keep in mind that the status of your certificate must be active, as shown above (Active Certificate), this is a CloudFlare process and can take up to 24hrs. Still on the Crypto options, turn on Aways use HTTPS & Automatic HTTPS Rewrites

These configurations may take up to 24hrs to become effective.

CloudFlare's certificate goes up to the 3rd level subdomain. For instance:
sub.domain.com (3 levels) SSL will work.
www.sub.dominio.com (4 levels) SSL won't work.
More info: here

Check out how to force acces through HTTPS on NodeJS here.