How to install auto SSL in cPanel WHM

March 8, 2024

What is AutoSSL?

auto SSL is a feature available in WHM on our VPS and Dedicated server plans. It installs free SSL certificates for specific websites that are hosted in the correspondent WHM.

With User-responsible and Basic hosting plans, you can enable AutoSSL for your websites through WHM.

If you’re using a Complete hosting plan or you don’t want to go through the hassle of enabling AutoSSL yourself, you can submit a ticket to the “Hosting – VPS and Dedicated Servers” department here and our team can assist you with the process.

How to enable Auto SSL in WHM

To enable the AutoSSL feature for specific websites, follow the steps below:

  • Go to the WHM panel, open the “SSL/TLS” section and click “Manage AutoSSL”.
  • Click the “Run AutoSSL For All Users” button to enable the SSL certificates for all the domains and subdomains in this WHM panel and its cPanel accounts.
  • To enable or disable AutoSSL for a specific user, go to the “Manage Users” tab.
  • Choose the corresponding option:
  1. “Enable AutoSSL” – to enable AutoSSL for a specific user;
  2. “Disable AutoSSL” – to disable AutoSSL for a specific user;
  3. “Reset to Feature List Setting” – to enable the default AutoSSL settings that were specified during the Feature list creation.

You can also enable AutoSSL for several specific users. To choose the exact users, just tick their names in the list. Then, you can use the buttons above the user list to enable, disable or reset to the default settings.

  • If there are issues with the AutoSSL setup, you can check the issue on the “Logs” tab by choosing the specific log and clicking “view log”.
  1. Login to cPanel:
    • Open your web browser and navigate to your cPanel login URL. This is typically https://yourdomain.com/cpanel, replacing “yourdomain.com” with your actual domain name.
    • Enter your cPanel username and password to log in.
  2. Access SSL/TLS Status:

Once logged in, locate the “SSL/TLS Status” or “SSL/TLS” option in cPanel. It is often found under the “Security” or “SSL/TLS” section.

Click on the “SSL/TLS Status” or “SSL/TLS” option to access the SSL/TLS management interface.

Enable AutoSSL:

  • In the SSL/TLS management interface, you’ll see an option to manage AutoSSL. It may be labeled as “Manage AutoSSL” or “AutoSSL” depending on the cPanel version.
  • Click on the “Manage AutoSSL” or “AutoSSL” option to proceed.

Configure AutoSSL:

  • In the AutoSSL management interface, you’ll have options to configure AutoSSL settings.
  • Review the options available, such as enabling AutoSSL, selecting domains for AutoSSL coverage, and setting notification preferences.
  • Ensure that the “Enable AutoSSL” option is checked to activate AutoSSL.

Run AutoSSL:

  • Once AutoSSL is enabled and configured, you can initiate an AutoSSL run to secure your domains with SSL certificates automatically.
  • Look for an option to “Run AutoSSL” or “Check for AutoSSL” and click on it to start the AutoSSL process.
  • Depending on your cPanel settings, AutoSSL may run automatically on a scheduled basis, or you may need to run it manually.

Monitor AutoSSL Status:

  • After initiating an auto SSL run, monitor the progress and status of the auto SSL process.
  • You should see notifications or progress indicators indicating whether AutoSSL is running, completed successfully, encountered errors, or issued SSL certificates for your domains.

Verify SSL Installation:

Once AutoSSL completes successfully, verify that SSL certificates have been installed for your domains.

You can check SSL/TLS status, view installed certificates, and test SSL connections using the SSL/TLS management interface in cPanel.

How to Check auto SSL On The Command Line:

Many users prefer to get work done on the command line, as this can often speed up various tasks, there is a cPanel script available that can check SSL status on the command line.

This script runs on a daily cron job. But it can be useful to run it manually in the event of troubleshooting unexpected issues.

Using the cPanel AutoSSL Script:

To run this script, log into your server via SSH, and type in the following:

/usr/local/cpanel/bin/autossl_check

Useful Options

You can check SSL for a specific user using the --user option:/usr/local/cpanel/bin/autossl_check –user=username

Likewise, you can check all domains in your cPanel configuration:/usr/local/cpanel/bin/autossl_check –all

By following these steps, you can enable AutoSSL in cPanel to automatically issue and install SSL certificates for your domains, ensuring secure HTTPS connections for your websites.