🔐 How to Generate and Install Free SSL Certificate Using Let’s Encrypt (Step-by-Step Guide)

If you want a completely free SSL certificate for your website without paying ZeroSSL or other providers, you can use Let’s Encrypt.

This guide explains how to:

• Generate a free SSL certificate
• Verify using DNS (GoDaddy example)
• Install it manually in cPanel
• Fix common errors

📌 Why Use Let’s Encrypt?

• 100% Free
• Trusted by all browsers
• 90-day validity
• Renewable forever

🛠 Step 1: Generate SSL Certificate Using Certbot

On your Linux machine, run:

✅ STEP 1 — Install Certbot (On Your Machine)

If using Ubuntu/Linux:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install certbot

If using Windows: Install WSL (Ubuntu) first, then run same commands.

sudo certbot certonly --manual --preferred-challenges dns -d raghvendra.com -d www.raghvendra.com

Certbot will ask you to create DNS TXT records.

It will show something like:

_acme-challenge.raghvendra.com
Value: ABC123

_acme-challenge.www.raghvendra.com
Value: XYZ789

🌐 Step 2: Add DNS TXT Records in GoDaddy

Go to:

GoDaddy → DNS Management

Add two TXT records:

Record 1

• Type: TXT
• Name: _acme-challenge
• Value: ABC123

Record 2

• Type: TXT
• Name: _acme-challenge.www
• Value: XYZ789

Save changes.

⏳ Step 3: Verify DNS

Before pressing Enter in terminal, verify:

dig TXT _acme-challenge.raghvendra.com @ns17.domaincontrol.com
dig TXT _acme-challenge.www.raghvendra.com @ns17.domaincontrol.com

Each must show only one correct value.

If old values exist, delete them first.

▶ Step 4: Complete Certificate Generation

After DNS verification:

Press Enter in the terminal.

If successful, you will see:

Successfully received certificate.

Certificate files will be saved in:

/etc/letsencrypt/live/raghvendra.com/

You will see 4 important files:

cert.pem
chain.pem
fullchain.pem
privkey.pem

📂 Step 5: Install SSL in cPanel

Go to:

cPanel → SSL/TLS → Manage SSL Sites

You will see 4 important files:

cert.pem
chain.pem
fullchain.pem
privkey.pem

🔹 What to Paste Where

Certificate (CRT)

Paste content of:

cat cert.pem

Private Key (KEY)

Paste content of:

cat privkey.pem

Certificate Authority Bundle (CABUNDLE)

Paste content of:

cat chain.pem

Click Install Certificate.

Your site is now HTTPS-enabled 🎉

🔁 Renewal (Important)

• Certificate valid for 90 days
• Must renew manually using same command
• You will need to repeat DNS verification
• Set reminder 70–80 days after issue date.

🚨 Common Errors & Fixes

1️⃣ Incorrect TXT Record Found

Cause: Old TXT records still exist Fix: Delete all _acme-challenge records before retrying

2️⃣ NXDOMAIN Error

Cause: Missing _acme-challenge.www record Fix: Add separate TXT record for www

3️⃣ Certificate Not Valid in cPanel

Cause: Wrong file pasted Fix:

• CRT → cert.pem
• KEY → privkey.pem
• CABUNDLE → chain.pem

🏁 Final Result

After successful installation:

• 🔒 HTTPS enabled
• Free SSL
• Browser trusted
• Valid for 90 days
• Renewable forever

🎯 Conclusion

Using Let’s Encrypt, you can generate and install a completely free SSL certificate for your website without paying for premium plans. With proper DNS configuration and manual verification, the process is simple and reliable.

By following the steps above, you now know how to:

• Generate a free SSL certificate
• Validate using DNS challenge
• Install it correctly in cPanel
• Troubleshoot common errors

Secure websites build trust, improve SEO rankings, and protect user data — and now you can do it for free.

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