Introduction to SSL Certificates and AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates are digital certificates that provide a secure and encrypted connection between a web server and a web browser. This ensures that any data transmitted between the two is protected and cannot be intercepted by unauthorized parties. SSL certificates are crucial for website security, as they help protect sensitive information such as personal data, login credentials, and credit card information from being accessed by malicious actors.
An SSL certificate works by authenticating the identity of the website and establishing an encrypted connection using public key cryptography. This means that the certificate confirms the website’s identity and enables the secure exchange of data between the server and the browser.
There are several types of SSL certificates, including Domain Validated (DV), Organization Validated (OV), and Extended Validation (EV). DV certificates only verify the domain ownership, while OV and EV certificates require a more rigorous authentication process that includes verifying the organization’s legal identity.
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is a service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that allows users to manage and deploy SSL/TLS certificates for their AWS-based websites and applications. It offers a user-friendly and automated way to provision, renew, and deploy SSL certificates, eliminating the need for manual certificate management.
Some of the benefits of using AWS Certificate Manager are:
Secure and automated certificate management: ACM retrieves, manages, and deploys SSL certificates automatically, making it easier and more secure for users.
No additional cost: The use of ACM is free, and users only pay for the AWS resources they use to run their websites or applications.
Integration with other AWS services: ACM integrates seamlessly with other AWS services like Elastic Load Balancing, Amazon CloudFront, and Amazon API Gateway, making it easier to deploy SSL certificates across multiple AWS resources.
Easy deployment: With ACM, users can easily deploy SSL certificates to their AWS resources with just a few clicks, eliminating the need for manual configuration and reducing the risk of human errors.
Automatic certificate renewals: ACM automatically renews certificates before they expire, ensuring continuous website security without any downtime.
Preparing for SSL Certificate Installation on AWS Certificate Manager
1. Set up an AWS account
To access AWS services including the AWS Management Console, you will need an AWS account. You can sign up for an account at https://aws.amazon.com/ and provide your email address, choose a password, and supply a credit card number.
2. Accessing the AWS Management Console
Once you have created an AWS account, you can access the AWS Management Console by going to https://console.aws.amazon.com/ and entering your account credentials.
3. Understanding the different types of SSL certificates available on ACM
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) offers three types of SSL certificates:
ACM certificates: These are free, domain-validated wildcard certificates that can be used with AWS services such as Elastic Load Balancer, CloudFront, and API Gateway.
Private CA certificates: These are issued by a private certificate authority (CA) and can be used to secure internal resources within your organization.
Third-party certificates: These are issued by a trusted third-party CA, such as GoDaddy or DigiCert, and can be imported into ACM for use with AWS services.
4. Choosing a certificate authority (CA) for generating a certificate
If you are using ACM certificates, you do not need to choose a CA as these certificates are automatically generated and managed by AWS. However, if you are using a private CA or a third-party certificate, you will need to choose a CA that is recognized and trusted by web browsers. Some popular CA options include GoDaddy, DigiCert, Symantec, and GlobalSign. You can compare prices and features of different CAs to determine the best option for your needs. Once you have chosen a CA, you will need to follow their instructions for generating and downloading your SSL certificate.
Requesting an SSL Certificate on AWS Certificate Manager
1. Creating a certificate request on ACM:
To create a new SSL certificate on AWS Certificate Manager (ACM), follow these steps:
Step 1: Log in to your AWS account and navigate to the ACM dashboard.
Step 2: Click “Get started” under the “Provision certificates” section.
Step 3: In the next screen, select “Request a public certificate” and click “Request a certificate”.
Step 4: Enter the domain name for which you want to create the certificate. You can enter multiple domains in a single certificate by separating them with a comma. Then click “Next”.
Step 5: Choose a validation method for your certificate. You can choose either email validation or DNS validation. Email validation requires you to have access to an email address associated with the domain, while DNS validation requires you to add a specific DNS record to your domain’s DNS configuration. Choose the one that is most convenient for you and click “Review”.
Step 6: Review the details of your certificate request and click “Confirm and request” to submit the request.
Step 7: Once the request is submitted, you will see a list of “pending validation” certificates on the ACM dashboard. Your certificate will remain in this state until you complete the validation process.
2. Verifying ownership of the domain:
To complete the validation process and obtain your certificate, you must prove that you own the domain included in the certificate request. This can be done through the following methods:
a. DNS validation: To verify your ownership through DNS validation, you must add a special CNAME record to your domain’s DNS configuration. This record will be provided by ACM when you submit your certificate request. Once the record is added, ACM will check for its existence and validate your ownership. This method is recommended if you have access to your domain’s DNS settings.
b. Email validation: To verify your ownership through email validation, you must have access to an email address associated with the domain included in the certificate request. ACM will send an email to this address with a validation link. Click on the link to validate your ownership. This method is recommended if you do not have access to your domain’s DNS settings.
c. Alternative methods: In some cases, ACM may provide alternative validation methods such as HTTP validation or TLS validation. These methods require you to add a specific file or certificate to your website for verification. These methods are typically used for wildcard certificates or for domains with unique verification requirements.
3. Successful validation and download:
Once your ownership is successfully verified, your certificate will be issued and will appear in the “Issued certificates” section of the ACM dashboard. You can then download the certificate and use it for your website or application.
It is important to note that certificates issued by ACM are only valid for use with AWS services, such as Amazon Elastic Load Balancing or Amazon CloudFront. You cannot export the certificate for use with other third-party services or servers.
Installing and Configuring SSL Certificate on AWS Certificate Manager
Step 1: Obtaining the SSL Certificate from ACM
Log into your AWS account and navigate to the ACM (Amazon Certificate Manager) service.
Click on “Get started” if you have not used ACM before, or “Request a certificate” if you have used ACM before.
In the “Request a certificate” page, enter the domain names for which you want to obtain the SSL certificate. This can include subdomains as well.
Select the validation method — “DNS validation” or “Email validation”. DNS validation is the recommended method as it is faster and does not require any additional steps.
If you choose DNS validation, you will need to add a CNAME record to your DNS settings. If you choose email validation, you will receive an email at the registered email address for your domain, which you will need to approve.
Once the validation is complete, the status of your certificate will change to “Issued”.
Click on the certificate to view its details. On the next page, click on “Copy to clipboard” next to the “ARN” field to save the certificate’s ARN (Amazon Resource Name) for future use.
Step 2: Integrating the SSL Certificate with the Desired AWS Service
The process of integrating the SSL certificate with different AWS services may vary slightly, but the basic steps are similar. Here is a general guide on how to integrate the SSL certificate with some commonly used AWS services.
For Elastic Load Balancer (ELB):
Log into your AWS account and navigate to the EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) service.
Under the “Load Balancing” section, click on “Load Balancers” and select the ELB for which you want to enable SSL.
In the “Listeners” tab, click on “Add listener”.
In the “Add listener” window, select the new HTTPS listener option and choose the SSL certificate from the drop-down menu.
Save the changes. Your ELB will now be accessible through HTTPS.
For CloudFront:
Log into your AWS account and navigate to the CloudFront service.
Select the distribution for which you want to enable SSL and click on “Edit”.
In the “General” tab, change the “Viewer Protocol Policy” to “HTTPS only”.
In the “Origins and Origin Groups” tab, edit the origin for which you want to enable SSL and choose “HTTPS only” under “Origin Protocol Policy”.
In the “Behavior” tab, edit the behavior for which you want to enable SSL and choose “Redirect HTTP to HTTPS” under “Viewer Protocol Policy”.
Save the changes. Your CloudFront distribution will now serve your content through HTTPS.
For API Gateway:
Log into your AWS account and navigate to the API Gateway service.
Select your API and navigate to the “Custom Domain Names” section.
Click on “Create Custom Domain Name” and enter the domain name for which you want to enable SSL.
Under “Security”, choose “Use ACM Certificate” and select the SSL certificate you obtained from ACM in step 1.
Save the changes. Your API will now be accessible through HTTPS.
Step 3: Configuring SSL Settings and Redirection
For Elastic Load Balancer, you can configure your SSL settings under the “Security” tab in the load balancer’s configuration. Here, you can choose the SSL ciphers, protocols, and other security settings.
For CloudFront, the SSL settings can be configured under the “General” tab in the distribution’s configuration. Here, you can choose the SSL certificate, minimum SSL protocol version, and other security settings.
For API Gateway, you can configure your SSL settings under the “Custom Domain Names” section for your API. Here, you can choose the SSL certificate, minimum SSL protocol version, and other security settings.
To ensure proper redirection from HTTP to HTTPS, you can create a rewrite rule in your web server configuration to automatically redirect all HTTP requests to the HTTPS version of your website.
Save the changes and test your website to ensure that all HTTP requests are being automatically redirected to HTTPS.
Congratulations, you have successfully obtained an SSL certificate from ACM and integrated it with your desired AWS
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