• What is a CDN?
• What does SSL normally require?
• What changes when using SSL with CDN?
• Do I still need SSL on my server?
• How do I know it’s working?
• What if I don’t want to use CDN?

Setting up an SSL can be time-consuming and technical. But when your domain uses our free CDN, SSL is installed automatically. This guide walks you through how it works and what to expect.

What is a CDN?

A CDN (Content Delivery Network) is a network of servers that helps your website load faster, stay online during traffic spikes, and blocks certain types of attacks. Think of it as a smart shield between your site and the outside world — speeding things up while keeping you safe.

What does SSL normally require?

Traditionally, installing an SSL certificate meant doing everything yourself:

• Creating a CSR and private key
• Submitting a request to the SSL provider
• Completing Domain Control Validation
• Downloading and installing the certificate on your server

Then, doing it all over again every year.

What changes when using SSL with CDN?

When you enable a CDN, it becomes the entry point for all traffic to your site instead of your server. That means an SSL must be installed on the CDN to protect that connection.

Our system handles the entire process: it generates the CSR and private key directly on the CDN, validates domain control, and installs the certificate for you. You don’t need to do a thing.

Your site gets a secure connection, faster load times, and a fully automated SSL setup. The CDN is completely free when using our SSL. Learn more about Supersonic CDN.

Want to learn more about setting up SSL automation on CDN? Check out this quick guide.

Do I still need SSL on my server?

No, it's optional. When you use our CDN, visitors connect securely to the CDN using a trusted SSL we manage for you.

The CDN then fetches content from your server. This connection happens behind the scenes, without any browsers involved. If your server uses HTTP only, the connection between the CDN and your server won't be encrypted — but public traffic is still secure. If your server supports HTTPS (even with a self-signed SSL), the entire chain stays encrypted.

Why does a self-signed SSL work? Because browsers aren't part of this connection. The CDN talks directly to your server. The only thing that matters is that your server responds over HTTPS.

If you want full end-to-end encryption, you can install a self-signed SSL on your server. If you don't, your site will still stay fully secure for visitors, since the connection to the CDN is already protected.

Here's how to generate a self-signed SSL — you'll only need to install it once.

1. Visit https://decoder.link/csr_generator
2. Enter your website details and click "Generate"
3. In the popup, copy the codes from the "Private Key" and "Certificate" tabs (You can ignore the CSR tab).

If you're using a hosting control panel (like cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin), paste both the Certificate and Private Key into the SSL or TLS manager section.

If you're installing via SSH, create two files: your_domain.crt — paste the Certificate code, your_domain.key — paste the Private Key code

For IIS, you'll need to convert the .crt and .key files into a single PKCS#12 file (.pfx).

1. Go to https://decoder.link/converter — it opens to the "PEM to PKCS#12" tab by default, which is exactly what you need.
2. Upload .crt as "Certificate file" and .key as "Key file"
3. (Optional) Set a password — recommended, as some setups require it
4. Click "Convert"

Once you have the files, follow these installations steps for your server or contact us for help.

Coming soon: we'll offer a trusted long-term cert for this exact purpose, so you won't need to generate anything yourself.

How do I know it’s working?

Your site will show "Connection is secure" in Chrome when you click the site info icon in the address bar. In browsers like Firefox or Safari, you'll still see a padlock icon.

In your Namecheap account, the SSL status will be marked as "Installed".

What if I don’t want to use CDN?

If you remove the CDN record from your DNS zone, traffic will stop going through the CDN. So the SSL installed on the CDN will stop working, even if the SSL in your Namecheap account still shows it as "Installed".

Alternative options to the CDN are:

• Manual SSL flow (generate CSR, activate, install)
• SSL Manager if your site runs on cPanel
• Built-in NamecheapSSL plugin if you're on our shared hosting

If something didn't work as expected, we really want to hear about it. Your feedback helps us improve.

Let us know what went wrong at sslsupport@namecheap.com or start a live chat.