{"id":680,"date":"2020-01-07T22:36:03","date_gmt":"2020-01-07T22:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rapidsslonline.com\/ssl\/?p=680"},"modified":"2021-09-30T08:36:00","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T08:36:00","slug":"does-a-wildcard-certificate-cover-a-root-domain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rapidsslonline.com\/ssl\/does-a-wildcard-certificate-cover-a-root-domain\/","title":{"rendered":"Does a Wildcard Certificate Cover a Root Domain?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">We\u2019ll explore what a root domain name is and whether a RapidSSL wildcard\ncertificate covers it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a question we receive every so often from customers: Does a wildcard certificate cover a root domain? But before we can answer the question, it\u2019s important to first understand what a root domain is, as well as what a wildcard certificate is and what it covers. And that\u2019s why we\u2019re here \u2014 we seek to answer these challenging questions about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rapidsslonline.com\/ssl-types.aspx\">SSL\/TLS certificates<\/a> and their uses and help users make informed purchasing decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, let\u2019s get right to it then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is a Root Domain Name?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In terms of a website, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quora.com\/What-is-a-root-domain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"root domain (opens in a new tab)\">root domain<\/a> is the highest level of the domain name system. It\u2019s the highest hierarchical level of your website that\u2019s located right before the top level domain (TLD, i.e. .com, .net, .co.uk, .biz, etc.) in your website\u2019s URL. It\u2019s like the \u201capple\u201d in \u201capple.com\u201d or \u201crapidsslonline\u201d in rapidsslonline.com.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"587\" height=\"253\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.rapidsslonline.com\/ssl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/wildcard-certificate-covers-root-domain.png\" alt=\"Graphic: Does a wildcard certificate cover root domain?\" class=\"wp-image-682 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rapidsslonline.com\/ssl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/wildcard-certificate-covers-root-domain.png 587w, https:\/\/www.rapidsslonline.com\/ssl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/wildcard-certificate-covers-root-domain-300x129.png 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 587px) 100vw, 587px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 587px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 587\/253;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You get what we\u2019re putting down?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, this means that when you register your website \u2014 let\u2019s\nsay your website is <strong>yoursite.com<\/strong> \u2014 then you\u2019re registering yoursite.com\nas a root domain. This would encompass subdomains and other web pages that spawn\nfrom it, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>www.yoursite.com<\/li><li>yoursite.com\/about<\/li><li>email.yoursite.com<\/li><li>blog.yoursite.com\/news<\/li><li>login.yoursite.com<\/li><li>products.yoursite.com<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With this understanding in mind, of course, it\u2019s easy to understand that you likely want to jump straight into answering your original question. But before we can address whether a wildcard SSL certificate covers your root domain name, it\u2019s important to first recap what a wildcard SSL certificate is and what it covers in general. (Don\u2019t worry, it\u2019ll be a quick refresher just to ensure we&#8217;re on the same page.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is a Wildcard SSL Certificate? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rapidsslonline.com\/ssl-types\/wildcard-ssl-certificates.aspx\">wildcard SSL certificate<\/a> is a type of SSL certificate that secures a root certificate and an unlimited number of subdomains on a single level \u2014 typically first-level subdomains. To do this, you\u2019ll register your certificate for the following domain: <em>*.yoursite.com.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this example, the asterisk represents any type of subdomain\non that level. This way, you don\u2019t have the tedious task of writing out every specific\nsubdomain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Note: To secure second-level subdomains, you\u2019ll need to purchase a separate wildcard SSL certificate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wildcard SSL certificates are typically issued with either domain validation (DV) or organization validation (OV). This means that the CA vets you or your organization before issuing a certificate, which helps you to better assert your identity and build trust with your customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With all of this in mind, let\u2019s answer your original\nquestion: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So, Does a Wildcard Certificate Cover Your Root Domain?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a word? Yes. A wildcard SSL certificate secures not only\nan unlimited number of single-level subdomains, but it also secures the root\ndomain that they stem from as well! This means that any wildcard SSL\ncertificate, including one from a trusted CA like RapidSSL, would cover your\nroot domain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, if you use a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rapidsslonline.com\/ssl-brands\/rapidssl\/rapidssl-wildcard-certificates.aspx\">RapidSSL\nwildcard certificate<\/a> from RapidSSLonline.com registered to *.yoursite.com, this\nmeans you can cover an unlimited number of subdomains! In fact, as one of the\nindustry\u2019s cheapest SSL certificates, it covers both the WWW and non-WWW\nversion of your root level domain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">See for yourself why so many of our customers trust RapidSSL\nwildcard with covering their root domains and first-level subdomains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"graysection\"><h2>Save Up to 82% on SSL Certificates from RapidSSLonline!<\/h2>\n<p>Protect your website within few minutes with a RapidSSL DV SSL Certificate.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"more-link floatnone\" style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rapidsslonline.com\/ssl-brands\/rapidssl.aspx\">Get a RapidSSL DV SSL certificate, starting at $12.42\/year<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"graysection\"><h2>Secure Subdomains with GeoTrust True BusinessID Wildcard<\/h2>\n<p>GeoTrust TrueBusinessID Wildcard is one of the premium wildcard SSL security which offers the premium features at afordable prices.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"more-link floatnone\" style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rapidsslonline.com\/ssl-brands\/geotrust\/true-businessid-wildcard.aspx\">Shop GeoTrust Tru BusinessID Wildcard<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019ll explore what a root domain name is and whether a RapidSSL wildcard certificate covers it It\u2019s a question we receive every so often from customers: Does a wildcard certificate<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-wpr-button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rapidsslonline.com\/ssl\/does-a-wildcard-certificate-cover-a-root-domain\/\" class=\"btn btn-green\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[53],"class_list":["post-680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-uncategorized","tag-root-domain"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Does a Wildcard Certificate Cover a Root Domain? - SSL\/TLS Certificates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are you wondering &quot;Does a wildcard certificate cover your root domain?&quot; We&#039;ve got your answer and other info about what wildcard SSL certificates cover.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rapidsslonline.com\/ssl\/does-a-wildcard-certificate-cover-a-root-domain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Does a Wildcard Certificate Cover a Root Domain? - SSL\/TLS Certificates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Are you wondering &quot;Does a wildcard certificate cover your root domain?&quot; We&#039;ve got your answer and other info about what wildcard SSL certificates cover.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rapidsslonline.com\/ssl\/does-a-wildcard-certificate-cover-a-root-domain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SSL\/TLS Certificates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/rsosslcertificates\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-01-07T22:36:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-09-30T08:36:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rapidsslonline.com\/ssl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/wildcard-certificate-covers-root-domain.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Casey Crane\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@RSOSSL\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@RSOSSL\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Casey Crane\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Does a Wildcard Certificate Cover a Root Domain? 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