Certificate Lifecycle
Learn how to choose products, place orders, complete validation, download certificates, and renew before expiry.
Practical guides for certificate purchase, DCV validation, issuing, deployment, renewal, and automation.

Choose the path that matches what you are doing right now:
| Task | Guide |
|---|---|
| Buy a certificate | Select a product, fill in domain information, and submit the order in the console. |
| Validate domain ownership | Use DNS/CNAME validation when you want the most reliable automation path. |
| Install a certificate | Download the certificate chain and private key, then deploy them to your web server or CDN. |
| Keep certificates healthy | Enable certificate monitoring and configure renewal reminders or automated deployment. |
Recommended workflow
For most production websites, use DNS validation and connect DNS authorization before placing orders. This makes future issuance and renewal much smoother.
server {
listen 443 ssl http2;
server_name example.com;
ssl_certificate /etc/nginx/ssl/example.com/fullchain.pem;
ssl_certificate_key /etc/nginx/ssl/example.com/private.key;
}Keep the private key private
Never upload your private key to chat tools, tickets, public repositories, or unsupported third-party pages.