Automatic Renewal of SSL/TLS Certificates
In this section, we will discuss the various options for the automatic renewal of certificates created in the RCL portal.
RCL CertificateBot
If you are hosting your website in a Windows or Linux Server in a Virtual Machine, Container or Hosting System, CertificateBot is the ideal option to automatically renew the SSL/TLS certificates.
It is recommended that you create certificates using the following options :
Certificates created with an Azure DNS Zone qualifies for automatic renewals.
Certificates created with Stand Alone or Stand Alone - SAN cannot be automatically renewed.
If you are using CertificateBot, please DO NOT use the AutoRenew Function. CertificateBot will carry out the same operations of the AutoRenew function and both should not be used together.
Windows Server
CertificateBot runs as a Windows Service in a Windows Server. It saves SSL/TLS certificates from the RCL portal to a folder in the Windows Server. Every four days, it sends a request to renew SSL/TLS certificates. Certificates that are about to expire are automatically renewed and the certificate files are saved in the server to a specified folder.
Please follow the instructions in this link : CertificateBot for Windows to use CertificateBot.
Web Servers on Windows
The web servers in the Windows Server must be configured to use the SSL/TLS certificate files saved in the specified folder in the server. You can use the following guidance for installing SSL/TLS certificates in the following web servers :
Special Support for IIS
CertificateBot in a Windows Server has Special Support for IIS. You can configure CertificateBot with the bindings of the websites hosted in IIS. Once the bindings are configured, CertificateBot will automatically install and renew SSL/TLS certificates for each of the websites’ binding.
Linux Server
CertificateBot runs as a Linux Daemon in a Linux Server. It saves SSL/TLS certificates from the RCL portal to a specified folder in the Linux Server. Every four days, it sends a request to renew SSL/TLS certificates. Certificates that are about to expire are automatically renewed and the certificate files are saved in the server.
Please follow the instructions in this link : CertificateBot for Linux to use CertificateBot.
Web Servers on Linux
The web servers must be configured to use the SSL/TLS certificate files saved in the specified folder in the server. You can use the following guidance for installing SSL/TLS certificates in the following web servers :
RCL AutoRenew Function
The AutoRenew Function is the ideal choice for the automatic installation and renewal of certificates created for Azure App Services.
The AutoRenew function can also be used to automatically renew and install certificates for Azure Key Vault and Azure Key Vault - SAN.
The AutoRenew Function is an Azure Function that runs on a Consumption plan.
The AutoRenew function will run every week, if it finds a certificate about to expire, it will automatically renew the certificate and bind it to the App Service or save it to Azure Key Vault. The older certificate is replaced with the newer one.
If you are using the AutoRenew Function, please DO NOT use CertificateBot. The AutoRenew Function will carry out the same operations of CertificateBot and both should not be used together.
Please follow the instructions in this link : AutoRenew Function to use the AutoRenew Function.
RCL API and SDK
If you need to create a custom solution to renew SSL/TLS certificates in your server or hosting system, you can use the RCL API or the RCL SDK.
RCL API
The RCL API is a REST API Service to get and renew SSL/TLS certificates in the RCL portal. You can explore the API in the RCL API Developer’s site.
RCL SDK
The RCL SDK is a C# library available on NuGet. You can use the SDK to make authorized requests to the RCL API. The SDK makes development easier and requires less lines of code than if you were using the RCL API directly.