Types of SSL Certificates
Which one should you choose?
An SSL or Secure Sockets Layer certificate is extremely crucial for a website or a web app to prevent cyber attacks. With so many different types of SSL certificates, choosing the right one for your website can be confusing. You should know about these various types to make an informed decision. Primarily, SSL Certificates are dependent on two main criteria - Validation Level & Number of domains. Let's check out a few of these types:
Types of SSL Certificates by Validation Level
1. Domain Validation SSL Certificate: Domain validation is the lowest level of validation. This certificate is the best for blogs, websites with basic information or small business without e-commerce functionalities. The only thing you need to do to acquire this certificate proves your ownership of the domain to the Certificate Authority (CA). The process is fast and inexpensive. You only have to respond to an automated call from the CA or reply to an email, and you'll receive your certificate with an HTTPS connection and a browser with a padlock.
2. Organizational Validation SSL Certificate: This is a medium level of SSL validation and provides more security than domain validation. If you run a commercial website that represents a company or an organization, this is the recommended SSL certificate. The certificate is delivered to you within a few days after you verify your ownership and the name and address of your company.
3. Extended Validation SSL Certificate: An Extended Validation SSL Certificate is the highest form of validation available to assure your customers and clients of your credibility. An Extended Validation SSL Certificate is required by e-commerce stores, large enterprises and online transaction sites such as banking websites. In case you need an Extended Validation SSL Certificate, the CA conducts a complete background check of your company to confirm its authenticity, physical existence and legal registration. The verification is time-consuming and can be expensive. Make sure that your business actually needs an extended certificate, and get one only if it is required.
Types of SSL Certificates based on Number of Domains:
1. Standard SSL Certificate: A standard SSL certificate works for a single domain only, and is alternatively called single domain certificate. Standard certificates are valid for a single domain and do not work with Subject Alternative Names (SANs) of the domain.
For example - a standard SSL Certificate is valid for www.abcd.com/community/ but would not be valid for community.abcd.com.
2. Wildcard SSL Certificate: If you need to secure the main domain and the subdomains all under the same SSL Certificate, the Wildcard SSL Certificate is recommended. With a Wildcard SSL Certificate, you can make as many subdomains as you want. These subdomains are all secured by the same certificate.
For example - if your domain is abcd.com, the SSL Certificate will secure not only that domain but also subdomains such as blog.abcd.com, community.abcd.com, careers.abcs.com, etc.
There can be some security risks with a wildcard certificate, and additional security measures may be required to combat them. If you plan to reuse the certificate on subdomains hosted on different servers, the security may be compromised.
3. Multi-domain SSL Certificate: A multi-domain SSL certificate can secure several domains under a single certificate using SAN capabilities. This certificate can single-handedly secure domains, subdomains and public IPs. Alternate names for this certificate include Unified SSL Certificate & Multi-domain SSL certificate.
For example - For a domain abcd.com, a multi-domain certificate can secure several domain names like abcd.co, abcd.org, abcd.us. It also secures subdomains such as blog.abcd.com.
How to select the right SSL certificate
The right SSL certificate for your website depends on the level of security the website needs and how many domains or subdomains you plan to secure. It also depends on the kind of business the website represents, the functionality it serves and the overall budget that the website owner is willing to spend on an SSL certificate.
In Conclusion
An SSL certificate is a key to getting your customers to trust you when they visit your website. There needs to be a good amount of time and effort that should go into choosing the right SSL certificate.
If you’re looking to build a website or a web application with excellent security, our experts at TechRev would be happy to assist you in taking your vision and turning it into a great end product.
