Securing your website with an SSL certificate is no longer optional — it’s essential. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encrypts communication between your server and visitors’ browsers, protecting sensitive data and building trust. You’ve probably noticed the padlock icon in a browser’s address bar; that’s SSL at work.

The good news? You don’t need to pay for SSL. With AutoSSL using CertBot, you can automatically issue and renew SSL certificates for free. In this guide, we’ll show you how to install and configure AutoSSL for your domain on a LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL/MariaDB, PHP) running on AlmaLinux OS.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you already have:

• A VPS or server running AlmaLinux OS
• A LAMP stack installed and configured
• An Apache Virtual Host file set up for your domain

If you need help with setting up a LAMP stack or creating a Virtual Host, check out our earlier tutorials.

Step 1: Update Your Server

Start by logging into your server via SSH. Once logged in, update your system’s packages:

dnf update -y

This ensures your server has the latest updates and security patches.

Step 2: Rename Your Virtual Host File

If you created your Apache Virtual Host file with a placeholder domain, update it now. This step is important because CertBot detects the domain names from your configuration.

For example, rename it with this command:

mv /etc/httpd/conf.d/0001-domain.com.conf /etc/httpd/conf.d/0001-yourdomain.com.conf

Replace domain.com with your actual domain name. Skipping this step may cause SSL generation errors.

Step 3: Install CertBot

First, install the EPEL repository (if you haven’t already from a previous setup):

dnf -y install epel-release

Then, install CertBot for Apache:

dnf -y install certbot-apache

Step 4: Generate Your SSL Certificate

Run CertBot with:

certbot

A wizard will guide you through the setup. You’ll be asked to:

• Enter your email address (for renewal notifications)
• Agree to the terms of service
• Select your domain name from the detected list
• Choose whether to redirect all traffic to HTTPS

Once complete, CertBot will install and configure your SSL certificate automatically.

Step 5: Verify SSL Installation

Open your browser and visit your website using https://yourdomain.com. If everything is configured correctly, you’ll see the padlock icon in the address bar.

Your SSL certificate will now auto-renew. CertBot handles this for you, but in the rare event renewal fails, you’ll receive an email notification to take action.

Conclusion

With just a few commands, you’ve successfully installed a free AutoSSL certificate on your LAMP stack using CertBot. This not only secures your site but also boosts visitor trust and helps improve SEO rankings.

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