SSL/TLS Status feature in cPanel

SSL, also known as Secure Socket Layer, is utilized to establish an encrypted connection between the server and the consumer. It will aid in preventing various attacks and eavesdropping. Additionally, SSL plays a crucial role in search engine optimization.

An SSL certificate is installed to secure a website with SSL. It can be a self-signed certificate or a certificate from a reliable authority. If a self-signed certificate is used, web browsers will not trust the certificate and will display an insecure sign on the address bar, where the URL of the website is located. On the other hand, if the certificate is issued by a trusted authority, the browsers will show a secured icon for the website.

A control panel like cPanel allows you to install SSL certificates. How can you check if an SSL certificate is installed on a website? How can you determine if the certificate is self-signed or from a trusted authority? There are several online tools available for this purpose, such as https://www.sslshopper.com/. However, is there a server-side option to check this without logging in via SSH and using commands? The answer is yes. cPanel provides an interface to perform such verifications. In this documentation, we will explain how to check the SSL/TLS status from cPanel, including whether a certificate is installed for a domain and if it is a self-signed certificate or from a trusted authority.

Steps to Check the SSL/TLS Status

Step 1: Log in to cPanel

You can log in to cPanel by appending the cPanel port to the domain name. An example is shown below.

e.g. https://www.domain.com:2083

Step 2: Access SSL/TLS Status

Now that we are in cPanel, we need to navigate to the SSL/TLS Status section. You can find this option under the Security section.

This interface will display a list of domains under the cPanel account and the details of the installed certificates. It includes all domains, including sub-domains and add-on domains. The certificates are symbolically represented by lock icons. A self-signed certificate will have one lock icon, whereas a certificate from a trusted authority will have multiple lock icons. The next column on the page indicates the type of certificate, mentioning if it is self-signed. It also provides additional information such as the certificate’s expiration date and whether it will be renewed by cPanel’s AutoSSL feature.

Please refer to the screenshot below for further clarification:

You can also view the installed certificate on this page. Additionally, you have the option to install a new certificate from this interface. The relevant screenshots are attached below:

To install a certificate, you can proceed to the next window. After browsing for the certificate, you can install it by clicking on the “Install Certificate” button.

This is how you can use cPanel’s SSL/TLS Status feature to view the status of SSL certificates on your domains.

If you require further assistance, please contact our support department.