Applies to: All plans (Self-Managed and Managed).
Every Maxinodes plan includes a free, auto-renewing SSL certificate through AutoSSL, so your site is encrypted and shows the browser padlock from day one. There is no paid or upgraded certificate to buy from us — if you have a specific requirement, you can install a certificate you bought elsewhere. This article explains what you get by default, how to add your own certificate, and where to look when HTTPS is not working.
What AutoSSL gives every plan
AutoSSL is included on all Self-Managed and Managed plans at no cost.
- A free certificate issued by Let's Encrypt.
- Automatic issue once your domain points to us, and automatic renewal before it expires — nothing to buy, install or remember.
- Full HTTPS encryption and the browser padlock for your domain and subdomains.
- Coverage for both the IPv4 and IPv6 addresses your site is served on.
- Domain validation, which is what the overwhelming majority of websites need.
AutoSSL cannot issue a certificate until your domain resolves to our server, so set your nameservers first. See Free SSL (AutoSSL) and how to force HTTPS.
Do you need anything more than AutoSSL?
For a standard website, blog, shop or brochure site, AutoSSL is all you need.
A domain-validated certificate and an organisation-validated (OV) or extended-validation (EV) certificate use exactly the same encryption — the difference is only in how much of your company identity the issuer checks before signing. Since Chrome 77 and Firefox 70 (both 2019), browsers no longer show a company name or a green bar in the address bar for OV or EV certificates; the padlock looks the same either way, and the organisation details are only visible if a visitor clicks the padlock and inspects the certificate.
So OV and EV are worth considering only if something outside the browser requires them — for example a payment processor, an auditor, or a corporate procurement rule. We do not sell those certificates, but you can buy one from any certificate authority and install it yourself.
Installing your own purchased certificate
If you have bought a certificate elsewhere, or your organisation issues its own, you can install it on your account in cPanel -> Security -> SSL/TLS. You will need the certificate, its private key and any intermediate (CA bundle) files from the issuer, and you are responsible for renewing it before it expires — AutoSSL does not renew a certificate it did not issue.
For the full steps, see How to install a third-party or purchased SSL.
If HTTPS is not working
- No certificate yet, or it will not issue: your domain must point to our nameservers and resolve to our server before AutoSSL can validate it. See How to check or reissue your SSL certificate.
-
Padlock missing or "Not secure": usually hard-coded
http://links to images, scripts or stylesheets. See Why does my site show "Not Secure" or mixed content?. - Visitors still land on http://: turn on Force HTTPS Redirect in cPanel -> Domains. See Free SSL (AutoSSL) and how to force HTTPS.
- Anything else: start with My SSL or HTTPS isn't working.
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