Top 5 sources to get a free SSL Certificate

What is an SSL Certificate?

It’s not enough to just develop a website, the security of the website and the protection of the data of its users are more important. For this purpose, SSL certificates are used. SSL certificates are digital certificates authenticating the ownership of the website and protecting the data in it. It stands for Secure Sockets Layers.

Why is it necessary to have an SSL certificate?

An SSL certificate ensures a secure internet connection and saves the website from being hacked which can result in hackers stealing the user’s data or adding misleading information to the website or adding a link to the malware or running the website itself. The theft can be not just of personal data, but that data loss can lead to financial loss and blackmailing, which can either hurt the owner or any or all of the users financially and emotionally.

How do you know a website is protected?

For the naked eye, it’s quite easy to know if the site is protected or not. All one needs to do is take a good look at the URL. If there is a lock sign before the URL, it means that the site is protected.

How do SSL certificates protect websites?

The working of SSL certificates is quite simple and takes only a few milliseconds. SSL certificates use encryption algorithms to protect the website’s data. In simple words, the SSL certificates work in the following manner,

·       When requesting for a website to open, the browser first provides its identity

·       The website responses with a copy of its SSL certificate

·       If the browser trusts the SSL certificate, it responds to the website

·       The website then starts the SSL encryption by sending an acknowledgement which is digitally signed

·       After encryption, the data is shared between the website, browser and the server

Where to get free SSL certificates?

Generally, the SSL certificates cost at least $250, but some websites offer authentic, secure and free SSL certificates. Some of the websites that offer cheap wildcard SSL certificates are listed below,

Wildcard certificates:

Wildcard certificates offer cheap and free SSL certificates.  They don’t just have the SSL certificates at the best prices but also provide a variety of choices for the kind of website one needs to protect. They have different options if the website is personal or professional and they have the SSL certificate options like PositiveSSL Wildcard, PremiumSSL Wildcard and Essential Wildcard.

PositiveSSL wildcard certificate comes at a quite reasonable price and is very suitable for personal websites, blogs, etc.

Essential Wildcard provides a bit more protection than Positive and is more suitable for small businesses and e-commerce websites.

PremiumSSL Wildcard, represented by its name, is the most secure and can be used for government websites, large businesses, and NGO websites.

Conclusion:

Getting a cheap Wildcard SSL Certificate is the best thing one can do for himself and his website as well. Moreover, it provides protection to infinite subdomains. One can just buy the certificate and add the subdomains later.