If you want to secure your website with an SSL/TLS certificate, you can purchase one directly via Plesk. You can also purchase one from a Certification Authority, as well as protect your website with a free self-signed SSL/TLS certificate, or with a certificate you already own.

To purchase a certificate via Plesk, go to Websites & Domains and click SSL/TLS Certificates > Add SSL/TLS Certificate. Fill out the fields marked with the red asterisk symbol (*), such as the certificate name (you will use it to identify the certificate in the list of all certificates), your personal information, the name of the domain the certificate will be protecting, and so on. Make sure that all information you provide is correct, as mistakes may make the certificate unsuitable and make it necessary to pay for a new one.

Note: If you want to purchase a wildcard SSL/TLS certificate, your domain name must start with an asterisk symbol (*). For example, a certificate generated for *.example.com can be used to secure any subdomain of example.com.

When you have finished, click Buy SSL/TLS Certificate. This will result in you being redirected to the Plesk online store. Select the desired Certificate Authority, then proceed with the purchase. Your certificate will be delivered to you via email in the form of either a *.crt file, a *.pem file, or in text form.

To secure your website with the certificate you have purchased, you need to upload it first. Go to Websites & Domains > SSL/TLS Certificates and click the name of the certificate, then upload it as described below:

  • If you received the certificate in the form of a *.crt or a *.pem file, scroll down to the Upload the certificate files section and upload the file. Click Upload Certificate when you have finished.
  • If you received the certificate as text, scroll down to the Upload the certificate as text section and paste the certificate into the corresponding field. Click Upload Certificate when you have finished.

This will result in the certificate being placed in your repository. You can see a list of all SSL/TLS certificates in your repository by going to Websites & Domains > SSL/TLS Certificates.

Now that the certificate has been uploaded, you need to install it. Go to Websites & Domains and click Hosting Settings. Select the SSL/TLS support checkbox, select the certificate you have just uploaded from the Certificate menu, then click OK.