Modern Hosting Platforms

Contemporary hosting platforms increasingly provide simplified SSL installation. cPanel environments offer AutoSSL for automatic Let's Encrypt certificates or traditional certificate installation through the SSL/TLS interface. These tools handle CSR generation, certificate installation, and Apache configuration automatically. Similar features exist in Plesk, DirectAdmin, and other control panels.

Cloud platforms provide integrated certificate services. AWS Certificate Manager offers free certificates for CloudFront and Elastic Load Balancers. Google Cloud provides managed certificates for Load Balancers. Azure integrates with Key Vault for centralized certificate management. These platform services handle renewal automatically but typically work only within their ecosystems, creating vendor lock-in considerations.

Content Delivery Networks often provide SSL termination at edge locations. Cloudflare's Universal SSL automatically provides certificates for proxied domains. Configure origin certificates to secure communication between CDN and origin servers. Understand the security implications of different SSL modes - Full SSL versus Flexible SSL - to maintain end-to-end encryption.