Wildcard SSL Certificates

Wildcard certificates offer a practical solution for organizations managing multiple subdomains under a single primary domain. A single wildcard certificate can secure unlimited subdomains at one level, making it an economical choice for complex websites. For example, a wildcard certificate for *.example.com would secure www.example.com, shop.example.com, blog.example.com, mail.example.com, and any other subdomain you create in the future.

The flexibility of wildcard certificates makes them particularly valuable for growing organizations that frequently add new subdomains for different services, regions, or departments. Instead of purchasing and managing individual certificates for each subdomain—which becomes an administrative nightmare as sites grow—a single wildcard certificate simplifies management while reducing costs. This consolidation also simplifies renewal processes, as you only need to track and renew one certificate rather than dozens.

However, wildcard certificates come with important security considerations. Since a single certificate secures all subdomains, the compromise of the private key would affect every subdomain simultaneously. This broader exposure requires more stringent key management practices. Additionally, wildcard certificates only cover one level of subdomains, so *.example.com wouldn't secure sub.subdomain.example.com. Organizations with multi-level subdomain structures need to carefully plan their certificate strategy.

From a validation perspective, wildcard certificates are available in both DV and OV variants (EV wildcard certificates don't exist due to the specific subdomain validation requirements of EV standards). The choice between DV and OV wildcard certificates follows the same considerations as standard certificates, balancing the need for organizational validation against cost and deployment speed. Many organizations find DV wildcard certificates provide the perfect combination of flexibility, security, and affordability.