Free SSL Certificate Generator — Get HTTPS in Minutes
Generate a free SSL certificate for any domain instantly. No account, no credit card required.
No account. No paid plans. No upsells. Just free SSL — forever.
Get your SSL certificate in 3 steps
Enter Your Domain
Enter your domain name and email address. Add multiple domains for a SAN certificate or enable wildcard support.
Verify Ownership
Prove you own the domain via DNS TXT record or HTTP file validation. Follow the on-screen instructions.
Download Certificate
Download your private key and certificate files, then install them on your server with the provided guide.
Works with every server and hosting platform
Install your SSL certificate on any web server — detailed guides available after generation.
Everything you need to know about SSL certificates
What is an SSL/TLS certificate?
An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security) certificate is a digital document that serves two purposes: it proves a website's identity through a trusted Certificate Authority, and it enables encrypted communication between the browser and the server. When a certificate is installed, browsers display the padlock icon and the site address begins with https://. Without a certificate, any data you submit — passwords, credit card numbers, personal details — travels across the internet in plain text that anyone on the same network can intercept and read.
Why does your website need HTTPS?
HTTPS is no longer optional. Google Chrome and Firefox both mark plain HTTP sites as "Not Secure" in the address bar, which erodes visitor trust and increases bounce rates. Google has confirmed HTTPS is a ranking signal in its search algorithm, meaning HTTP sites rank lower than equivalent HTTPS sites. Additionally, many modern browser features — Progressive Web App service workers, the Geolocation API, camera and microphone access, and payment requests — are restricted to secure contexts and simply do not work on HTTP. Switching to HTTPS with a free certificate from Let's Encrypt, ZeroSSL, or Google Trust Services takes minutes and costs nothing.
Which Certificate Authorities does freessl.cloud support?
freessl.cloud supports three free Certificate Authorities. Let's Encrypt is a free, automated CA operated by the Internet Security Research Group (ISRG), a California non-profit. Launched in 2016 and backed by Google, Mozilla, Cisco, and the EFF, it has issued over four billion certificates. ZeroSSL is a European CA, fully trusted by all major browsers with no domain restrictions. Google Trust Services is Google's own CA, part of Google Cloud's infrastructure and trusted worldwide. All three issue 90-day certificates at no cost. ZeroSSL is especially useful when Let's Encrypt refuses to issue a certificate — domains belonging to entities on the US OFAC sanctions list are blocked by Let's Encrypt with a "forbidden by policy" error. ZeroSSL is an Austrian (EU) company and is not subject to US sanctions law, so it can issue certificates in these cases. Google Trust Services, being a US company, may apply similar restrictions as Let's Encrypt.
DNS vs HTTP validation — which should I use?
Both methods prove to the Certificate Authority that you control the domain. HTTP-01 validation works by placing a specific token file at a well-known path on your web server — the CA fetches it over port 80 to confirm you control the server. It's simple but requires a running, publicly accessible web server. DNS-01 validation works by adding a TXT record to your domain's DNS settings. The CA queries DNS to confirm the record exists. DNS validation is more flexible: it works when port 80 is firewalled or blocked, works for servers that don't yet exist, and is the only method that supports wildcard certificates. If in doubt, choose DNS validation.
What is a wildcard certificate?
A wildcard certificate uses an asterisk as a placeholder to secure a domain and all of its first-level subdomains with a single certificate. A cert for *.example.com automatically covers www.example.com, api.example.com, blog.example.com, and any other subdomain you create in the future — without needing to reissue the certificate. Note that the wildcard covers only one level deep: a cert for *.example.com does not cover sub.api.example.com. Wildcard certificates require DNS-01 validation.
What is a SAN / multi-domain certificate?
A Subject Alternative Name (SAN) certificate lists multiple domain names in a single certificate's SAN extension, allowing one cert to secure many domains simultaneously. For example, a single SAN cert can cover example.com, www.example.com, api.example.com, and shop.example.com. This is particularly useful for microservice architectures, multi-tenant applications, or any setup where different hostnames serve different services but share the same server infrastructure. Let's Encrypt, ZeroSSL, and Google Trust Services all support multi-domain SAN certificates. freessl.cloud allows you to add up to 10 domains per certificate.
Frequently asked questions
Is freessl.cloud really free? ▼
Yes, completely free — no account, no credit card, and no hidden fees. Certificates are issued via Let's Encrypt, ZeroSSL, or Google Trust Services — all trusted free Certificate Authorities. Let's Encrypt is a non-profit CA funded by Google, Mozilla, Cisco, and the EFF. ZeroSSL is a European CA with no domain restrictions. Google Trust Services is Google's own CA trusted worldwide. freessl.cloud provides a user-friendly web interface on top of all three ACME APIs so you can generate certificates without installing any software.
How long is the SSL certificate valid? ▼
All certificates issued via freessl.cloud are valid for 90 days — whether from Let's Encrypt, ZeroSSL, or Google Trust Services. This is intentional — a shorter lifetime limits the window of exposure if a private key is ever compromised, and it encourages automated renewal. Most production environments use automated tools like Certbot or ACME.sh to renew certificates automatically before expiry. If you manage renewal manually, set a calendar reminder at the 60-day mark so you always have 30 days of buffer.
Does it support wildcard SSL certificates? ▼
Yes, wildcard certificates (e.g. *.example.com) are fully supported via DNS validation. Enter your domain with an asterisk prefix, select DNS Validation, and you will be prompted to add a specific TXT record to your DNS provider. Once the record propagates, your certificate is issued. The wildcard covers all first-level subdomains — www, api, blog, mail, etc. — with a single certificate.
What is DNS validation vs HTTP validation? ▼
DNS-01 validation proves domain ownership by having you add a TXT record under _acme-challenge.yourdomain.com. The Certificate Authority queries DNS and verifies the record before issuing the certificate. It works even without a running web server and is the only method that supports wildcard certs. HTTP-01 validation proves ownership by placing a challenge token file at http://yourdomain.com/.well-known/acme-challenge/. It's simpler if your server is already running on port 80, but cannot be used for wildcards.
My domain was refused by Let's Encrypt — what should I do? ▼
Let's Encrypt may refuse to issue certificates for certain domains due to US OFAC sanctions policy. It is not entire country TLDs that are blocked — rather, specific organizations or entities that appear on the sanctions list. If you see an error like "forbidden by policy", select ZeroSSL from the Certificate Authority selector. ZeroSSL is an Austrian (EU) company and is not subject to US sanctions law, so it can issue certificates that Let's Encrypt cannot. Note: Google Trust Services is also a US company and may apply similar restrictions.
Is the private key secure? ▼
Your private key is generated server-side during the certificate signing request and transmitted to your browser over an encrypted HTTPS connection. It is never logged or written to persistent storage on our servers — once your session ends, the key is gone from our side. You are responsible for keeping your private key confidential: store it securely, restrict file permissions (chmod 600 on Linux), and never include it in version control or share it via unencrypted channels.
How do I install the certificate on my server? ▼
Download the privkey.pem (private key) and fullchain.pem (certificate + intermediates) files from the results page. Copy them to your server — typically /etc/ssl/private/ for the key and /etc/ssl/certs/ for the cert. For Nginx, set ssl_certificate to fullchain.pem and ssl_certificate_key to privkey.pem. For Apache, use SSLCertificateFile and SSLCertificateKeyFile. Copy-paste configuration snippets for all major servers are provided on the results page after certificate generation.
Does this work with any web hosting provider? ▼
Yes. freessl.cloud generates standard PEM-format certificates that work with any hosting platform — shared hosting (cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin), VPS/dedicated servers (Nginx, Apache, Caddy, LiteSpeed), cloud platforms (AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, Azure), and control panels (WHM, Webmin, ISPConfig). After generation, you download the certificate files and upload them to your hosting panel or server manually. Most shared hosting providers have an "SSL/TLS" section in cPanel where you can paste the certificate directly.
How do I get a free SSL certificate for my website? ▼
Getting a free SSL certificate with freessl.cloud takes under 5 minutes: (1) Enter your domain name in the generator above. (2) Choose HTTP or DNS validation — DNS is recommended as it works for any server. (3) Add the verification record to prove domain ownership. (4) Click Proceed — your certificate is generated and ready to download. No registration, no credit card, and no software installation required. The certificate is issued by a globally trusted Certificate Authority (Let's Encrypt, ZeroSSL, or Google Trust Services) and will show the padlock in all browsers.
Can I get a free wildcard SSL certificate? ▼
Yes — freessl.cloud supports free wildcard SSL certificates at no cost. Enter your domain as *.example.com to cover all subdomains (www, api, blog, shop, etc.) with a single certificate. Wildcard certificates require DNS validation — you add a TXT record to your DNS provider, and once it propagates (usually 1–5 minutes), the certificate is issued. You can also combine a wildcard with the root domain by adding both *.example.com and example.com as a SAN certificate.
Is a free SSL certificate trusted by browsers? ▼
Yes, fully trusted. Certificates issued by freessl.cloud come from Let's Encrypt, ZeroSSL, or Google Trust Services — all of which are publicly trusted Certificate Authorities included in the root stores of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and all major operating systems. Visitors to your site will see the padlock icon and "https://" in the address bar, identical to a paid certificate. The only difference from paid certificates is the 90-day validity period (vs. 1 year for paid certs) and the absence of an extended validation (EV) green bar — which most websites do not need.
What is an SSL certificate and why do I need it? ▼
An SSL/TLS certificate encrypts the connection between your website and visitors, ensuring data like passwords, form submissions, and payment details cannot be intercepted. It also authenticates your domain — proving to visitors that they are on your real website, not a fake. Without SSL, browsers show a "Not Secure" warning on your site. With SSL, you get "https://" and a padlock icon. SSL is also a Google ranking signal — HTTPS sites rank higher than HTTP sites. All websites — personal blogs, business sites, e-commerce stores, and web apps — benefit from having SSL.