How to Install & Enable SSL Certificate in Magento 2?

Need & Importance of SSL cert for Magento 2 Stores

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates are crucial for Magento 2 stores for several reasons:

Security:

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates notarize the data that exchanges between the user’s browser and the web server. This encryption hence certain the fact that any of the sensitive data transmitted, like login credentials, payment detail, and personal data is adequately protected from tapping and messing with hackers.

With SSL, this data is not intercepted by hackers. The relevance of SSL is shown in cases where both hackers are after your data and customers’ info.

Trust:

The website will be the place where you see the padlock shown in the Browser’s address bar, thus be able to identify the site as one that uses SSL Certificate. This visual cue alerts the visitors that he is at a secured site that is transmitting information to them without any traces of interception.

Recommended: What is an SSL Certificate? Purpose, Benefits & Use Cases of SSL Certificates

This makes users feel comfortable because they have an impression that their data is secured. Such kind of data security has a special meaning for e-commerce stores since customers reveal some personal information while making an online purchase.

SEO Benefits:

Search engines which predominantly are Google do favor the sites that guarantee a secure browsing process.

In 2014, Google made an announcement that there will be security labeled as a ranking signal, which means pages with SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certification are suggested to be boosted in the search engine rankings when compared to websites with local network.

Although the contribution of SSL to SEO does not reach a level of the second heavens, at least, there is every chance of it coming first.

Compliance:

Different compliance standards and industry regulatory practices, PCI DSS Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard for instance, demand rights to installation of SSL certificates for secure online payments.

Full compliance with these standards not only helps secure your customers’ information but also prevents you from paying expensive fines and being penalized from non-compliance. Further, observance of these standards implies the formation of the client’s confidence through demonstrating the company’s interest in data confidentiality.

Prevention of Phishing Attacks:

Phishing is an attack whereby actors create fake websites that look like real ones so that they can trick users into giving up security information such as login credentials and payment details.

Through SSL certificates, your site is qualified, and it becomes impossible for hackers to fake your site and intercept the messages. If clients look for the closed padlock icon in the address bar, they can be sure that a hacker hasn’t taken a detour through your genuine website, landing them on a duplicate one.

How to Install SSL Certificates on Magento 2?

In order to Install an SSL on Magento 2, you must follow the following several steps:

1. Purchase an SSL Certificate

First, you must get an SSL certificate that was issued by a well-recognized Certificate Authority (CA). You can get the SSL certificates from different dealers, including domain registrars, hosting companies, and SSL certificate vendors.

2. Generate a CSR (Certificate Signing Request)

The step following is to produce a CSR on your Magento 2 server. As a rule, it means that you have to access your server’s control panel or a command-line interface to produce a CSR and a private key.

3. Submit CSR to Certificate Authority

After this step, you’ll need to send your CSR to the CA you have chosen to validate your certificate. The CA will confirm that you own your domain and give you the SSL certificate, after completing the verification.

4. Receive and Install SSL Certificate

Once the SSL certificate is successfully issued by the CA, you can get it via email or through your CA’s account management platform. Proceed with the provider’s instructions to download.

5. Upload SSL Certificate to Server

Log in to your Magento 2 server’s control panel through the panel or access it via SSH. Place the SSL certificate files (which usually consist of the certificate itself, any intermediary certificates and the private key) in the corresponding directory on your webserver.

6. Configure Magento 2 to Use SSL

Reach Magento 2 admin section and move to Stores> Configuration > General > Web. In the Base URLs section, update the Base URLs for both the Secure and Unsecure sections to use “https:// and //”.Save the changes.

7. Flush Cache

Clear or clear the Magento cache to make the changes effective. You can do this by running the following command in the Magento root directory:

php bin/magento cache:flush

8. Test SSL Configuration

Make use of the Magento 2 shop by using the HTTPS protocol (e.g., https://yourdomain.com) to check if the SSL certificate is being used properly, and that the website is loading without any errors.

How to Enable SSL Certificates in Magento 2?

Steps to Enable SSL in Magento 2:

Step 1: Access Magento Admin Panel

To get a Magento 2 SSL working you need to first go to your Magento 2 admin panel by using your admin account credentials.

This is the panel where you have to click many buttons having different names, but when you press them you choose various settings and configurations for your Magento store.

Step 2: Navigate to Stores Configuration

In the area called “admin panel”, find and select the “Stores” option within the main menu.

Through this submenu able to expand will be a submenu. This submenu in the opening list is for “Configuration“. This leads to the settings table where you can edit your Magento store settings.

Step 3: Configure Base URLs

In Configuration, the iteration of configuration sections is shown on the left side.(the number of configuration sections will be pointed out, only).

Click on the “General” tab followed by clicking on the “Web” option within the “General” section that appears. These Settings, Base URLs; are related to web management; are the ones that you can adjust for your Magento e-commerce.

Step 4: Update Base URLs

As for the web settings, they contain fields for “Base URL” and ‘Base Link URL“. This is where you identify the home page for your store and the page that will be used for its administration.

Update both of these fields to start with “https:” People do not type the whole-length sentence sometimes, shorter denominators are respected more as the inbox gradually gets empty. This change ensures that your store uses the secure HTTPS protocol for communication.

Step 5: Enable HTTPS Options

Scroll down to the Web settings, where you will see the options for “Use Secure URLs On Storefront” and “Use Secure URLs on Admin.” Set both of them to be “Yes.”

With this configuration, insecure URLs will not be an issue because secure URLs will be used on all your Magento 2 store’s pages that are retail-related and in the admin area.

Step 6: Save Configuration Changes

When finished with the required Base URLs and the Enable HTTPS item, press the “Save Config” button that is located in the upper right corner of the page. This way, the save button stores your custom options and automatically updates them for your Magento store.

Step 7: Flush Cache

After that, the new configuration files have to be saved, and Magento cache should be quickly flushed to make sure that new settings go into force instantaneously. You can do this by running the following command in the Magento root directory via SSH or a terminal:

php bin/magento cache:flush

This command empties the cache, after which Magento has freedom to reload settings that have been updated.

Step 8: Test SSL Configuration

After the cache flush and on saving of the configuration changes, use the https protocol (it could be https://yourdomain.com) in your browser to visit your Magento 2 store.

This step helps you see whether your SSL certificate is enabled correctly or not, and if the connection between your site and the visitor is secured via HTTPS. It must be done to display the padlock icon in the address bar of the browser, indicating thereby a secure connection.

Conclusion

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