SSL Certificate General Process

Introduction

Purchasing and installing a certificate isn't overly complicated. This article will guide you through the process, ensuring you understand how SSL certificates work and outlines the steps to purchase and install an SSL certificate for your website from Database Mart.

Part 1: Order an SSL Certificate

Database Mart offers four types of SSL certificates, allowing you to select based on your website's security requirements. You can place your order either on our SSL sales page or through the Client Console.

Proceed to the order page, enter the domain name for which you want to purchase an SSL certificate, and click the 'Check Out' button.

On the Order Confirmation page, fill in the purchaser information, and then click the 'Confirm' button to make a payment.

Part 2: Complete SSL Certificate Information

Upon completing the payment for your SSL order, the system automatically initiates the SSL activation process. This process involves submitting additional information to confirm the purchase of the SSL certificate.

Here are the steps:

Step 1: Generate CSR

Generating a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) is the initial step in acquiring your SSL Certificate. There are two options for submitting the CSR.

Option1: Generates the CSR in our system. You can select 'NO' in the 'Have a CSR?' section shown below. It will prompt for details such as the common name, organization, and country, which the Certificate Authority (CA) uses to generate your certificate. Once filled out, click the 'Next' button to proceed to the next step.

Option2: Possess a CSR file on your web service. You can select 'Yes' in the 'Have a CSR?' section shown below. Input your CSR file content, click 'Verify CSR' to confirm accuracy, then proceed to the next step by clicking 'Next'. About how to generate a CSR on a Windows-based server, please refer to How to Generate a CSR on a Windows-based Server .
About how to generate a CSR on a Linux-based server, please refer to How to Generate a CSR on a Linux-based Server.

Step 2: Complete Relevant Information

At this step, you'll need to provide the Site Administrator Contact Information and Technical Contact Information.

Step 3: Choose Authentication Method

The certificate authorities (CA) need to verify the legitimacy of your business before issuing an SSL certificate for your website. The information required for validation varies based on the type of SSL certificate chosen. You have three options to approve the Certificate Authority: HTTP, DNS TXT Record, or Email. Please select one method and click the 'Finish' button.

Step 4: Approve the Certificate Authority for Validation

Once you've selected a specific authentication method, you need to respond to the approve/validate request from the certificate authority to get the SSL certificate issued. For detailed instructions on how to approve the certificate request, please refer to How to Approve the Certificate Authority for Validation. After approving the certificate request, the certificate will be issued shortly.

Part 3: Download and Install SSL Certificate

After your certificate has been successfully issued, you can proceed with the installation process. The specific steps are as follows:

Step 1: Download the Issued SSL Certificate File

To download the certificate, navigate to the 'SSL Overview' page in the client Console, and locate the 'Download Certificate' section. Click on 'Download Certificate' to initiate the download process.

Please ensure to select the appropriate SSL certificate format based on your web server type:

For Nginx web service, choose “Nginx” format.
For Apache web service, choose the Apache format.
For Windows IIS service, if you generated the CSR on our Client Console , please select the .pfx format.

If the CSR is generated from your own IIS service, please follow the steps outlined in How to Complete a Certificate Request to complete the certificate request process.

Step 2: Apply the SSL to the Website

Install your certificate according to the type of web services you're using and the corresponding certificate format.

Apply the SSL certificate on Windows IIS. You'll need the .pfx SSL file and its import password, provided upon completing Step 1.For instructions on applying the SSL on Windows IIS, please refer to our guide on How to Apply an SSL on Windows IIS.

Apply the SSL certificate on Apache or Nginx.You'll need a .crt file and a .key file. You can download the .crt file during Step 1 of the SSL certificate download process. If you are using your own CSR, the .key file is generated when you create the CSR.
For instructions on applying the SSL on Apache, please refer to our guide on How to Apply an SSL on Apache.
For instructions on applying the SSL on Nginx, please refer to our guide on How to Apply an SSL on Nginx.

Part 4: Test and Confirm

Testing and confirming SSL installation is a crucial step to ensure its effectiveness. Here are the main tips:
Visit Your Website: Open your website in a web browser using the 'https://' prefix.
Check the SSL site at https://www.sslshopper.com/ssl-checker.html

If you encounter any issues during the SSL installation process, please feel free to contact our technical support team at any time.