Find out more about the Most Affordable Website Security worldwide

Hassle-free, High-end Security, and Cost-effectiveness are the three terms best-suited to define RapidSSL Domain Validated Certificates.

Established in 2003, RapidSSL is a leading certificate authority that specializes in issuing quality and cost-effective Domain Validated Certificates. For decades, RapidSSL has been exceeding expectations by offering faster and stronger levels of encryption – currently utilizing industry-standard SHA -256 (signature hash algorithm) for SSL certificates.

Who is Rapid SSL SHA 256 CA best suited for?

Rapid SSL SHA 256 CA best suited for individuals or small businesses, who require reliable and budget-friendly encryption to secure blogs, low-volume websites, testing domains, etc.,

RapidSSL CA provides two types of Certificates:

RapidSSL Standard and RapidSSL Wildcard

RapidSSL Standard is a Standard Domain Validated Certificate which is a basic but secure certificate, capable of securing a single domain or subdomain.

RapidSSL Wildcard, on the other hand, is a high-value certificate as it allows you to secure your website, as well as all your sub-domains.

Here is a brief comparison of the two:

Why choose RapidSSL?

Hassle-free, Super-fast Issuance:

Forget about Paper-work and getting on calls to prove your authenticity. Rapid SSL can easily issue certificates digitally within minutes, through a simple automated validation process that requires the customer to confirm the ownership of the respective Domain.

Affordable:

RapidSSL is an economical Certificate Authority known for its super-fast issuance and strong encryption levels. The reason that they are so affordable is that they are especially suited for Individuals and Small Enterprises to conduct basic transactions securely.

Unlimited Server Licenses & Free Re-issuance

RapidSSL Domain validated certificates provide an infinite number of server licenses at no extra cost. Moreover, during the SSL lifetime period, enjoy free unlimited RapidSSL Reissues.

Guarantee & Warranty:

At RapidSSL Customers are our most important priority. In case you are not satisfied with what you’ve got, RapidSSL provides a 30-day Money-back Guarantee on the product. Also, an additional $10,000 warranty is provided against any CA failure.

Customer Support:

RapidSSL provides round the clock customer support, with offerings such as Live Chat, E-mail, Telephone and Ticket Support.

Standard Encryption

RapidSSL uses SHA-256, a signature hash algorithm that generates a digital fingerprint to verify that information passed between the server and client was not tampered with. This method helps to protect confidential data and secure transactions.

Universally Supported:

RapidSSL Certificates are compatible with all modern desktop browsers and mobile devices.

Browser

• Chrome
• Firefox
• Microsoft Edge
• Internet Explorer
• Opera
• Safari

Server and Client OS

• Control Panels: cPanel, Ensim, Citrix, DotNet Panel, Plesk, Hsphere, Helm, and more.
• Web Servers: Apache, Microsoft IIS, IBM HTTP, Tomcat, Weblogic, Cobalt, etc.
• E-Mail Servers: Lotus, Mail (Mac OS X & iOS), Exchange 2016, 2013 2010, 2007, Thunderbird, etc.
• Client OS: Mac OS X, iOS, Android, Ubuntu, Windows Mobile, Chrome OS, Windows (all versions), etc.
• Server OS: Linux, Windows Server (all versions), NGINX, UNIX, Solaris, Novell, Palm OS, etc.
• Proxy Server, Routers & Firewalls: Microsoft ISA (all versions), CISCO, F5 Big-IP, Juniper, etc.

Mobile Browser

• ACCESS NetFront
• Atomic
• Chrome
• Dolphin HD
• Fennec Alpha
• Firefox
• Internet Explorer (All Windows Devices)
• Opera Mini
• Opera Mobile
• Openwave
• Safari (iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch)

Steps to install the Certificate

Step 1. Download the RapidSSL / Wildcard SHA-2 Intermediate CAs (under SHA-2 Root)
Step 2. Copy and paste the contents below (including the —–BEGIN CERTIFICATE—– and —–END CERTIFICATE—-) This CA bundle is applicable for the RapidSSL Certificate and RapidSSL Wildcard.

RSA SHA-2 (under SHA-2 Root) Intermediate CA

—–BEGIN CERTIFICATE—–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—–END CERTIFICATE—–

RSA SHA-2 (under SHA-2 Root) Root CA

—–BEGIN CERTIFICATE—–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—–END CERTIFICATE—–

Step 3. Activate the certificate

Please note that RapidSSL has a standard format of providing certificates; therefore, the installation process entirely depends on the control panel the client is using.

Alternatively, you can purchase the RapidSSL Installation Service (USD $29.99 for one certificate) which helps you by assigning a member of the team to install the certificate. Do note that in case of an extra server, an additional $25.00 is charged.

RapidSSL has grown to be an internationally trusted, and established Certificate Authority whose mission is to ensure the safety and security of manifold domains across the globe. Since RapidSSL is owned by DigiCert, one of the world’s largest digital certificate provider, authenticity and reliability does not even come into the question.

Step-by-step instructions on renewing your website’s SSL certificate.

It is necessary to renew SSL certificates regularly. Usually, SSL certificates need to be renewed or reissued every year. Shortly before the certificate expires, the user starts receiving notifications regarding its expiry. It’s necessary to renew SSL certificates before the expiration to prevent your website from being left unsecured.

Failure to renew SSL certificate in a timely manner will lead to the padlock sign or green address bar being removed from the website’s URL in the browser. Furthermore, Google will flash the “Not Secure” sign, which will deter other viewers from accessing the website, turning traffic away.

In this article, we’ll show you how to renew SSL certificates and answer some pertinent questions about SSL renewal.

How to Renew SSL Certificate And How to Renew Wildcard Certificate

Step 1: First, you must generate a new CSR. The only exception here is if you use an Apache server and if you haven’t changed your business details after purchasing your previous certificate.

Step 2: From your account, you need to select the Renew SSL link.

Step 3: Now select the specific SSL certificate you wish to renew.

Step 4: Your renewal request will be approved shortly. Following that, the certificate will be transferred to your registered email address.

Step 5: Backup the old certificate and then install and verify the new one. Be sure to uninstall the old certificate only after the new one has been verified so your site isn’t left without an SSL.

With these simple steps, you’ll have successfully renewed SSL certificate.

SSL Renewal FAQ

Can the expiration date of a certificate be extended?

All SSL certificates are hard-coded with the expiration date. As such, they cannot be changed. You simply have to “renew” the certificate — which essentially means getting a new certificate while using the same information used previously — and installing that.

When is it ideal to renew SSL certificate?

Users start receiving renewal reminders about 30 days prior to the certificate’s expiration. You should ideally renew the certificate any time before the certificate expires.

You won’t lose any time by renewing early–the certificate authority will add the unused time from your previous certificate to your new certificate.

What do I need to renew an SSL Certificate?

You will need a new CSR for the domain and your user name/password to access your account. If you don’t have username/password for your account, you can re-produce them from here.

Can I re-use my existing CSR or old CSR for SSL certificate renewal?

Some web servers will allow this, but we recommend a new CSR for every renewal.

Do I need to re-validate my company/organization details for EV SSL certificate renewal?

Yes, you need to re-validate your company/organization information If you are renewing an EV SSL certificate. However, in most cases the documents you previously supplied can be re-used for the validation process, so the process is often a lot quicker and easier.

Do I need to install the new SSL certificate after a complete renewal process?

Yes, you need to install the new certificate file on your web server. You cannot modify your previously installed certificate file – you have to install the new file.

If I renew before the expiration date, don’t I lose some of the time I paid for?

Nope! When renewing a certificate ahead of time, you’ll automatically get extra time added to your new certificate to make up for the “lost” time from your old certificate. In fact, you almost always get extra time, so it’s to your benefit to renew early.

As such, it’s beneficial to renew SSL certificates as soon as possible.

The Norton Secured Site seal is no longer offered starting Oct. 16, 2023.

Everything you needed to know about the top Certificate Authority/CA certificate in the industry

In this highly competitive market, there are a lot of certificate authorities vying for the users’ attention. In order to help you decide which are the most reliable and trustworthy, we’ve compiled a trusted certificate authority list.

Top 4 Trusted Certificate Authority List

In this certificate authority list, we’ll show you which certificates are the safest, most reasonable, and most reliable. Read on for a list of trusted certificate authorities.

DigiCert

DigiCert provides 2048-bit SSL certificates complete with a Norton Secured Seal on the website and priority support. They also provide a CertCentral® Management Platform that makes it easy for webmasters to guard their websites by automating and controlling every aspect of the certificate’s lifecycle. Furthermore, DigiCert provides certification to reputable sites like PayPal and Verizon as well.

Their StandardSSL Certificate starts at $188/yr and their advanced wildcard SSL Certificate starts at $625/yr.

RapidSSL

RapidSSL certificates are reasonable and known for their quick service. They can be issued within a few minutes, are compatible with over 99% of all browsers, and they come insured with a $10,000 warranty.

A basic RapidSSL certificate starts at just $14.95/yr and an advanced Wildcard certificate costs $130/yr.

GeoTrust

GeoTrust is the world’s second largest SSL provider with over 100,000 customers across 150 countries. Their certificates provide 256-bit SSL encryption and they come with a range of identifiable GeoTrust® True Site Seals that can indicate to users that your website is secure.

A basic QuickSSL Premium certificate is available for $68.50/yr and advanced Extended Validation and Wildcard certificates are available at $149/yr and $384/yr respectively.

Symantec

Symantec is one of the most reputable names when it comes to SSL certification. Their website places special emphasis on security since they provide 256-bit encryption and a Norton Secured Seal, and all their certificates have a built-in Malware Scanning feature for added protection. They also have a reliable 24/7 customer support service.

Symantec offers a range of SSL/TLS certificates, from basic certificates like Secure Site and Secure Site with EV to advanced certificates like Secure Site Wildcard. However, their services are also considerably expensive, ranging from $279/yr to $1,999/yr. Symantec was purchased by DigiCert in 2017.

Conclusion

In short, the most trusted certificate authority list according to us is as follows:

• DigiCert
• RapidSSL
• GeoTrust
• Symantec

In this list of trusted certificate authorities, we’ve provided you with a detailed overview of these certificate authorities’ various features and differences. Now it’s up to you to decide which of these is most suitable for your SSL needs.

Related Important Blog Posts

• Looking at the Top Certificate Authorities to buy a Wildcard SSL Certificate From
• Why RapidSSL Wildcard is the best option?
• Compare RapidSSL Vs. Comodo Vs. Godaddy Vs. GlobalSign SSL Certificates
• RapidSSL SSL Certificate Review

SHA1 vs SHA2 vs SHA256 – The Secure Hash Algorithm explained

One of the most common topics that we field questions on is the Secure Hash Algorithm, sometimes known as SHA1, SHA2, SHA256. Obviously, the different numbers at the end mean something, but there are also misperceptions about what they’re used for, what hashing is and how it all plays into PKI and TLS.

Continue reading SHA1 vs SHA2 vs SHA256 – What’s the difference? →