How to Register an SSL Certificate

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a technology that encrypts information that is sent from a user's computer to the server. It ensures that people visiting your site have encryption when submitting private information like credit cards or social security numbers. Providing SSL on a server is the responsibility of the website owner. Registering an SSL certificate is accomplished through a valid provider.

1. Step 1

   Register the domain name for the website. A fully qualified domain name is needed to register an SSL certificate. Several domain registries exist. Some popular ones are godaddy.com, dotster.com and register.com.

2. Step 2

   Verify "whois" entries are valid. SSL verification involves a background check with the person registering the certificate with the information in the Whois Directory. The Whois Directory is a registry of domain names and the owners. The domain information must be valid and public. Check your domain information at whois.net.

3. Step 3

   Generate a key by opening a new command prompt in Linux and entering the following commands:
   openssl genrsa -out www..com.key 1024
   openssl req -new -key www..com.key -out www..com.csr
   Replace "" with the name of the domain from step one. This creates a csr file needed for step four.

4. Step 4

   Register the SSL certificate with a secure authority. The most popular company for SSL certification is Verisign. Register the certificate at verisign.com/ssl/buy-ssl-certificates/index.html. The company takes your private information and checks for contact information validity for registration.