Overview
You can add a free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate to your domain to secure it over HTTPS. This article covers preparing your domain, adding the certificate, and confirming it's working.
Every domain must have a separate certificate, which means that if you wish to add an SSL certificate, for example.com and blog.example.com, you must add them separately.
Step 1 — Preparing your domain
Before you add the certificate, you must make sure the domain is configured correctly, otherwise the installation may fail.
How do I point my DNS to DreamHost?
Before installing, confirm that your domain's DNS is currently pointing to DreamHost. This is necessary because a Let's Encrypt certificate locates your domain using DNS. It then adds a .well_known/ directory to your site to authenticate the certificate. If your site's DNS does not resolve to DreamHost, the certificate is not able to authenticate.
You must point the nameservers (recommended) or the A records to DreamHost. See this article to determine the best option for your website.
If you choose to point A Records, you must point both the @ (non-www) and the www records for your website. For example:
example.com
www.example.com
How do I disable my .htaccess file?
If your site uses an .htaccess file, it must be temporarily disabled. Certain .htaccess rules, such as IP blocking, rewrite rules, and password protection, may cause the installation to fail.
To disable the file, rename it to something like .htaccess_OFF. Then, install the certificate. Once installed, you can then rename the file back to .htaccess.
If disabling your .htaccess breaks your site, try adding the following rule, which should allow the installation to process:
RewriteRule ^.well-known/(.*)$ - [L]
If the process fails, you might also need to rename your .htaccess file before installing the certificate.
If the certificate still fails with this rule, temporarily rename the .htaccess file while the certificate is added. Your site may not display correctly during this time. Rename the file back to .htaccess when the certificate is active.
Step 2 — Adding the certificate
After the DNS is pointing to DreamHost, you can then add the certificate.
Navigate to the Manage Websites page.
Click the Manage button to open Website settings, which allows you to modify various configurations for your site.
If in Grid view, click the Manage button at the bottom of the website box.
If in List view, click the Manage button at the far right of your domain name.
Click the Security tab.
Next to Let's Encrypt SSL Certificate, click Add Certificate.
The panel shows Certificate Setup in Progress. This usually takes 5 to 10 minutes. The page updates automatically when the certificate is ready.
When the certificate is added:
Your site redirects to HTTPS automatically. You can change this with the Automatic HTTPS setting on the certificate's Manage page.
If your site runs WordPress, its site URLs are updated to HTTPS.
If the panel shows Action Needed or Order Failed, see Troubleshooting a Let's Encrypt SSL certificate.
If your domain uses Cloudflare
Some Cloudflare settings can prevent Let's Encrypt certificates from being issued or renewed. If your domain uses Cloudflare nameservers, the panel shows a notice in the Security tab. See the Cloudflare section in Troubleshooting a Let's Encrypt SSL certificate to configure Cloudflare before you add the certificate.
Step 3 — Testing the certificate
If you just installed the certificate, you may need to wait a few hours for it to update online. After that, you can confirm it is functioning by visiting your website's secure HTTPS URL (e.g., https://example.com).
You should see a lock icon in the browser bar, which confirms the connection is secure.
