Providers

The * indicates how many recommendations a provider received in the HN articles listed in the Resources section. One star means two mentions, two stars means three mentions.

• StartSSL (free) * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
• Namecheap * * * * * *
• Gandi * * * *
• RapidSSL * * *
• DigiCert * *
• Comodo * *
• DNSimple *
• GetSSL * *
• Cacert (free)
• GeoTrust
• GlobalSign
• Verisign
• StartCom
• CheapSSL *
• PositiveSSL
• Trustico
• GoDaddy
• Exoware
• AlphaSSL

Scenarios

• Self Signed Cert ( $0 ). Internal ( not public ) consumption only. Avoid.
• Simple Cert ( $0 ). Secure login page for personal use. Recommended.
• Basic Cert ( < $10 / yr ). Give access to more people.
• Wildcard Cert ( < $90 / yr). Support all sub-domains of the primary domain.
• EV Cert ( < $100 / yr ). Get the green bar; maybe important for your image, if you’re selling something.

Terminology & Jargon

• EV. Extended Validation. This causes the green bar on the browser. Worth it?
• Wildcard Certificates. These work on all sub-domains.
• CA. Certificate Authority. This is the organization that issues the certificate.
• MITM
• Bundling in the CA
• Certification Chaining
• Certificate Bundling
• CSR
• Primary
• Multiple domains, one certificate
• Certificate acceptance (e.g. “They have slightly lower acceptance…”)
• SNI Certificate

Resources

Ask HN: What's the best company to buy SSL certificates from? (from 2011 – lots of comments)

Ask HN: Recommended SSL CA? (from 2014 – few comments)

Ask HN: what provider do you use for SSL certificates? (from 2014 – few comments)

Ask HN: What SSL certificate provider are you using and why? (from 2013 – few comments)

Ask HN: Where should someone buy a SSL certificate? (from 2014 – few comments)

Ask HN: Recommended SSL CA? (from 2014 – few comments)

https://stripe.com/help/ssl (good advice on setting up SSL)

https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/ (check whether you correctly setup your SSL Certificate)

https://konklone.com/post/switch-to-https-now-for-free?hn (explains how to use StartSSL)