The Let's Encrypt Revolution

No discussion of DV certificates would be complete without acknowledging the transformative impact of Let's Encrypt. Launched in 2016, this free, automated, and open Certificate Authority has issued billions of certificates and fundamentally changed the web security landscape. By providing DV certificates at no cost and developing the ACME protocol for automated certificate management, Let's Encrypt removed the primary barriers to HTTPS adoption: cost and complexity.

Let's Encrypt's 90-day certificate validity period, while shorter than traditional certificates, encourages automation and regular key rotation, actually improving security. The requirement for frequent renewal has driven the development of numerous tools and integrations that make certificate management effortless. Popular web servers, hosting control panels, and cloud platforms now include built-in Let's Encrypt support, often enabling HTTPS with just a few clicks.