Free SSL certificate And Paid SSL Certificate What's the difference? How to choose? With the further popularization of the Internet, the original http link has many security problems and is easy to be hijacked. In this article, Weieis Blog will explain the difference and choice between free SSL certificates and paid SSL certificates in detail.
At present, Google has defaulted that https links are safe links, and displayed unsafe prompts for http links. At the same time, Firefox and Google Browser also have corresponding unsafe warnings. The major search engines also give higher weight and ranking consideration to https links. All kinds of signs indicate that the era of https has come, and websites that have not yet added SSL certificates have been distrusted by search engines and mainstream browsers. The top priority is to quickly add SSL certificates. For personal blogs and small and medium-sized websites, it is enough to use free SSL certificates.
1、 Learn about free certificates and paid certificates
1. The free SSL certificate is a free DV SSL certificate, which can protect a complete domain name. Some SSL certificate brands support wildcards. The free SSL certificate only needs to verify the domain name information. It can be issued very quickly in a few minutes. For example, the common Let's Encrypt certificate is a typical representative of free SSL certificates and is also the most commonly used.
2. Paid SSL certificates mainly include paid DV SSL certificates, enterprise OV SSL certificates and enhanced EV SSL certificates. The OV SSL certificate and EV SSL certificate need to conduct strict identity audit and verification for the applicant, and provide reliable identity proof.
2、 Difference between free certificates and paid certificates
The free certificate is generally not subject to review, as long as you have a domain name, you can apply. The charging SSL needs to review the enterprise data, and write the enterprise data into the certificate after passing. When a user visits, it will be displayed to the customer in the browser. If a website wants to simulate a similar domain name to apply for such a certificate, the certificate authority will not issue it, which can prevent phishing websites.
Compared with free SSL certificates, OV SSL certificates and EV SSL certificates require strict identity review, which involves important information such as the applicant's letter of authorization, business license, organization code certificate, etc. Identity authentication is to enable users to verify the authenticity of the website, help them identify the real identity of the website, and from a security perspective, avoid attacks or entering the phishing website by mistake. Among them, the EV SSL certificate can make users experience security encryption more intuitively, the green address bar can be directly displayed to users, and the embodiment of security locks and organization names can make it easier for users to identify the authenticity and security of the website.
3、 How to select free SSL certificates and paid SSL certificates
Free SSL certificate: personal blogs, small and micro enterprises, API services and other business uses, which are sufficient to meet encryption requirements, improve users' trust in websites, and optimize search engines. It can also save a lot of money.
Paid SSL certificate: applicable to websites of large and medium-sized enterprises, financial platforms and government agencies. The paid SSL certificate has higher encryption verification for the information transmission process, which can highlight the brand image and create a more reliable company image.
If personal websites or corporate websites with less sensitive data, free certificates are enough; If it is a business in which data such as finance, banking and e-commerce are strictly confidential, it is necessary to prevent phishing, improve website security and enhance corporate image, so that users can use it with confidence, and it is easier to identify genuine and fake websites, and it is better to use charging certificates.
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Reference article: Apply for an AliCloud free SSL certificate to open https tutorials for websites
AliCloud Free SSL Certificate Application Tutorial Add https Security Green Lock to Website
Detailed types of AliCloud SSL certificates and introduction to websites https-based more trusted/anti hijacking/anti tampering/anti listening
4、 How to add a free SSL certificate
1. The command line panels like lnmp and oneinstack don't say much. People who use such panels will install SSL certificates themselves. Reference article: Install Let's Encrypt Free Certificate Tutorial
Old Wei doesn't recommend that novice friends choose these two panels. Many functions are implemented on the command line, which is unfriendly to novices, too complicated and troublesome.
Disadvantages: It is obvious that those who understand it can use it like a fish in water, while those who do not understand it will get dizzy at a glance.
Advantages: Low system resource consumption.
2. The pagoda panel, wdcp panel, amh panel and other visual panels are relatively simple.
Reference article: Tutorial of getting Let's Encrypt free certificate with one click on the pagoda Linux panel
Tutorial for obtaining Let's Encrypt free certificate manually on the pagoda Linux panel
Disadvantages: It takes up a little more system resources. The resource consumption can be reduced through optimization, but it is not as low as the command line panel in any case. However, the ECS configuration is quite high now, which is not bad for resource consumption.
Advantages: This kind of panel is convenient for users to use. Many functions are opened with one button, saving time and trouble.
The paid SSL certificate can be manually added to the server using the pagoda panel above, which is very convenient.
