How to create a custom SSL certificate

This guide explains how to create a custom SSL certificate that can be uploaded to your Staq-hosted WordPress website. By the end of this process, you will have the following files ready for upload:

• ca_bundle.crt
• certificate.crt
• private.key

Follow these steps to generate your SSL certificate files:

Step 1: Generate a Private Key

The private key is used to encrypt data and is essential for generating a Certificate Signing Request (CSR).

1. To generate a private key, open Terminal on your Mac or Command Prompt on your Windows computer.
2. Inside Terminal or Command Prompt, open the directory where you want to save the file i.e. Downloads folder:

   

3. Run the following command to generate a private key:

   openssl genrsa -out private.key 2048

   • This command generates a 2048-bit RSA private key and saves it as private.key in your current directory i.e. Downloads folder.
   • Keep this file secure as it is critical for your SSL certificate.

     

Step 2: Create a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)

The CSR contains your domain and organization details, which are used to generate the SSL certificate.

1. Run the following command to generate the CSR:

   openssl req -new -key private.key -out certificate.csr

2. You will be prompted to enter details for the CSR. Fill in the fields as follows:
   • Country Name: Enter the two-letter country code (e.g., US for the United States).
   • State or Province Name: Enter your state or province.
   • Locality Name: Enter your city.
   • Organization Name: Enter your company or organization name.
   • Organizational Unit Name: Enter your department (e.g., IT or Web Security).
   • Common Name: Enter your domain name (e.g., example.com).
   • Email Address: Enter your contact email address.

     

   After completing these steps, the CSR will be saved as certificate.csr in your current directory.

   

Step 3: Submit the CSR to an SSL Provider

1. Choose an SSL certificate provider (e.g., GoDaddy, DigiCert, Let’s Encrypt, ZeroSSL).
2. Log in to your account on the provider’s website.
3. Follow their process to submit the CSR for validation. For example, this is how to do on ZeroSSL (open file and copy/paste):

   

4. Once the CSR is validated, the SSL provider will issue the following files:
   • certificate.crt: The primary certificate for your domain.
   • ca_bundle.crt: The Certificate Authority bundle used to validate the SSL chain.

Step 4: Upload Your SSL Certificate to Staq

Once you have obtained the required files, follow this guide on how to install your custom SSL on Staq.