GeoTrust AutoInstall SSL supports using the ACME protocol to install your SSL/TLS certificate. There are several ways you can choose to use ACME:
Option 1: Select ACME as Your Environment
Option 2: Select Your Environment for Step-By-Step Instructions
Then select Agent Options and click on ACME for IIS, Apache and NGINX. Other environments currently default to ACME.
How to Setup ACME Automation
Step 1: Installing the ACME Agent
Unless your website hosting environment supports ACME natively (Caddy web server, for example) you’ll need to install an ACME-compatible agent on your server. GeoTrust AutoInstall SSL will suggest a compatible ACME agent for your environment, or you can choose and install any ACME-compatible agent.
Step 2: Issuing & Installing your SSL Certificate
Each ACME client works a bit differently, but in general you’ll need to run one or more commands to:
- register your ACME agent with the certificate authority’s server, using provided ACME EAB (external account binding) credentials
- request a certificate and complete validation (using file or DNS validation)
- install the certificate in the desired location (eg in your web server)
GeoTrust AutoInstall SSL provides pre-built commands for popular environments, with your credentials pre-populated in the commands.
A Note About Validation Methods
In most cases, file validation is the easiest and best validation option to use.
For wildcard SSL/TLS certificates, you’ll need to use DNS validation. This requires:
- a DNS provider that supports API access
- an ACME agent with a connector/plugin for your DNS provider