How to Install an SSL Certificate on Red Hat Linux

In this article, we will show you how to install an SSL certificate on Red Hat Linux (RHEL) Apache server. In the final section, we will give you useful tips on where to buy the best SSL certificate for Red Hat Linux. If you’ve already generated the CSR, you can skip the next section.

Table of Contents

1. Generate the CSR on Red Hat Linux
2. Install an SSL certificate on Red Hat Linux
3. Where to buy the best SSL certificate for Red Hat Linux?

Generate the CSR on Red Hat Linux

The Certificate Signing Request, or simply CSR, is a small text file containing information about your domain ownership and/or company. Generating CSR is an integral part of the SSL buying process. All commercial Certificate Authorities require SSL applicants to complete this step.

You have two options:

1. Generate the CSR automatically using our CSR Generator.
2. Follow our step-by-step tutorial on how to create the CSR on Red Hat Linux

Install an SSL certificate on Red Hat Linux

Your Certificate Authority will provide the necessary installation files via email. You need to download the zip folder and extract its contents to your server/desktop.

Follow the steps below to complete the SSL installation:

Step 1: Create the yourdomain.crt file

Open your primary SSL certificate file with a text editor of your choice and copy the entire content including the Begin Certificate and End Certificate tags, and paste it into a new file. Name it yourdomain.crt.

Step 2: Copy yourdomain.crt on your server

Copy the yourdomain.crt file into your server directory where you’ll store the SSL certificates. For example, /yourdomain/httpd/conf/ssl.crt/.

Therefore, you should store your certificate files in the following locations:

• /yourdomain/httpd/conf/ssl.crt/ – You need to store all the certificates here.
• /yourdomain/httpd/conf/ssl.key/ – You need to store the private keys here.
• /yourdomain/httpd/conf/ca-bundle/ – All the bundle files should go here.

Step 3: Install your SSL certificate

In the Virtual Host settings for your site, in the httpd.conf file, you will need to add the following:

• Copy the PEM formatted Bundled CA file onto the directory location of all your CA-Bundle files. Example, /etc/httpd/conf/ssl.crt/.
• Open your httpd.conf file with any text editor.
• Add the following line to the SSL section of the httpd.conf SSLCACertificateFile /yourdomain/httpd/conf/ssl.crt/ca-chain-pem.txt

The updated SSL section of httpd.conf file should look like the example below:

• SSLCertificateFile /yourdomain/httpd/conf/ssl.crt/server.crt
• SSLCertificateKeyFile /yourdomain/httpd/conf/ssl.key/server.key
• SSLCACertificateFile / yourdomain /httpd/conf/ssl.crt/ca-chain-pem.txt

Step 4: Save the httpd.conf file and restart your Apache server

Congrats, you’ve successfully installed your SSL certificate. You can use one of these excellent SSL tools to check the status of your installation. The instant scans will discover any potential errors and vulnerabilities that may affect the certificate’s performance.

Where to buy the best SSL certificate for Red Hat Linux?

The best place to get an SSL Certificate for Red Hat Linux is from SSL Dragon. We offer unbeatable prices and discounts on the entire range of our SSL products. We’ve carefully selected the best SSL brands on the market to equip your website with bulletproof protection. All our SSL certificates are compatible with Red Hat Linux.

To help you choose the perfect SSL certificate, we developed two exclusive SSL tools. Our SSL Wizard needs just a couple of seconds to find the best SSL deal for your website, while the Advanced Certificate Filter lets you sort and compare various SSL certificates by price, validation, and features.

If you find any inaccuracies, or you have details to add to these SSL installation instructions, please feel free to send us your feedback at [email protected]. Your input would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

Frequently Asked Questions