This article covers the manual setup of a Let’s Encrypt certificate on Webhosting. To use automatic setup, follow the guide Webhosting – Automatic HTTPS. To install your own certificate, follow the article Webhosting – Installing a Custom SSL Certificate.
After the setup in the administration, also configure HTTPS on the website according to the guide Webhosting – Setting Up HTTPS on a Website.
In this article you will learn:
- When to use this guide
- How to manually enable HTTPS on Webhosting
- How to set domains and subdomains in the certificate
- How to set up HTTPS on a website
- Common problems
- Frequently Asked Questions
When to use this guide
- The browser reports “not secure” or a certificate error for the website. See The website is not secure, certificate is missing.
- HTTPS works on the domain without www, but not on www. See Adding domains to the certificate.
- Installation of WordPress or another application reports that the installation target is not available via HTTP(S). See Application installation reports an unavailable target.
- The certificate reports that the domain is not pointed to the webhosting, or that it has no DNS records. See The domain does not point to the webhosting and The domain has no DNS records set.
- After changing DNS servers the website does not work and displays Not found on accelerator. See Not found on accelerator.
- You don’t know how long to wait after applying changes. See Frequently Asked Questions.
Manual HTTPS activation on Webhosting
Manual HTTPS activation with a Let’s Encrypt certificate consists of:
- Activating SNI support
- Enabling HTTPS with a Let’s Encrypt certificate
- Setting domains in the certificate
After activating the certificate, we recommend setting up HTTPS on the website.
Activating SNI support
HTTPS on a domain (SNI) is a Webhosting extension that enables the deployment of HTTPS certificates. We provide it free of charge, and most webhostings have it activated automatically and for free.
To check or enable it, follow the guide Services – Add-on Services:
- An active Add-on Service has a magnifying glass icon to the left of its name for settings/deactivation.
- An inactive Add-on Service has a green button to the left of its name + for activation.
SNI support alone is not enough to run a website over HTTPS. Continue by by enabling a Let’s Encrypt certificate according to this guide, or install your own certificate according to the article Webhosting – Installing a Custom SSL Certificate.
Enabling HTTPS with a Let’s Encrypt certificate
Enable HTTPS with a Let’s Encrypt certificate by following these steps:
- Log in to Customer Administration ⧉.
- In the top menu, select Hosting services Webhosting.
- Select your webhosting from the list of services.
- In the left menu, select HTTPS.
- In the box HTTPS variant selection select HTTPS with a Let’s Encrypt certificate.
- Confirm your selection with the button Make Changes.
Continue by adding domains and subdomains to the certificate.
Setting the domains and subdomains of the certificate
Setting the domains and subdomains in the certificate is an essential step to get it working. If you do not perform or save the setup, HTTPS will not work on the website.
After every application of changes in the certificate, wait up to 90 minutes (30 minutes for activation, 60 minutes for the changes to propagate) for the HTTPS setup to complete for the given domains or subdomains.
After enabling HTTPS with a Let’s Encrypt certificate as described in the previous chapter you will see a link next to the item certificate domain settings. If no domains are set in the certificate, the link also appears in the red notice.
This link takes you to an interface that allows you to:
- Using the button Add Domains add domains and subdomains to the certificate that are either the name or an alias Webhosting.
- Delete domains or subdomains using the cross icon on the left side of the table row.
- Use the checkboxes together with the buttons Delete Selected and Validate Selected to make bulk edits.
- Using the button Apply Changes start generating the certificate.
Adding domains to the certificate
Using the button Add Domains open the interface for adding domains and subdomains.
In the table Webhosting domains tick the checkbox:
- In the left part of the table, if you want to add this domain and any subdomains.
- In the column domain, if you want to add the domain only.
- In the column www subdomain, if you want to add the www subdomain.
With the checkboxes below the table, you can tick or untick all matching options.
When you are done, click the button Add Domains and, once you are finished, in the HTTPS administration click Apply Changes. The certificate will be set up and propagated within 90 minutes.
Continue setting up HTTPS on the website.
Adding subdomains to the certificate
Using the button Add Domains open the interface for adding domains and subdomains.
Then follow these steps:
- In the left part of the list Webhosting domains tick the domain or domains to which you want to add subdomains.
- In the field Subdomains enter a comma-separated list of subdomain names. Enter only the subdomain names without the domain extension (e.g. eshop, not eshop.domain.tld).
- Click the button Add Domains.
Once you are finished, in the HTTPS administration click Apply Changes. The certificate will be set up and propagated within 90 minutes.
Continue setting up HTTPS on the website.
Setting up HTTPS on the website
If the website still uses the HTTP protocol after you have successfully set up HTTPS in the Customer Administration, adjust its settings according to the guide Webhosting – Setting Up HTTPS on a Website.
Common problems
Common problems with HTTPS setup include:
- The website is not secure, certificate is missing
- Application installation reports an unavailable target
- The domain does not point to the webhosting
- The domain has no DNS records set
- is in progress.
- An error is displayed on the page
- The website is accessible via HTTP
- HTTPS does not work on a subdomain with www
The website is not secure, certificate is missing
Problem: The browser reports “not secure” next to the website address, or shows a certificate error after you enter an address with https://.
Cause: No certificate has been generated for the domain. This often happens after pointing the domain to the webhosting, for example from another service, because the certificate is not created automatically.
Solution: Enable HTTPS with a Let’s Encrypt certificate and add the domain to it following the chapters Enabling HTTPS with a Let’s Encrypt certificate and Setting the domains and subdomains of the certificate. After the certificate is deployed, set up HTTPS on the website as well, following the Setting up HTTPS on the website chapter.
Application installation reports an unavailable target
Problem: The installation of WordPress or another application ends with an error saying that the installation target is not available via HTTP(S) and that you should check the .htaccess file.
Cause: The installer connects to the domain via HTTPS, but HTTPS is not yet active on the domain, or the domain is not in the certificate. This also applies when you select the http protocol in the installer.
Solution: Enable HTTPS and add the domain to the certificate following this guide, apply the changes and wait for them to take effect (up to 90 minutes). Then repeat the installation. The error may also be caused by a modified .htaccess file, see default .htaccess file.
The domain does not point to the webhosting
Problem: The message the domain is not pointed to this webhosting.
Cause: The A and/or AAAA records of the domain do not point directly to Webhosting. Most often it points to another hosting, to a miniweb (which does not support HTTPS), or uses a proxy such as CloudFlare or WEDOS Global.
Solution: Make sure the domain is pointed to the webhosting where you are activating HTTPS. If it uses our DNS servers (NSSET), you can point it to the service according to this guide. If the domain uses external DNS servers, make sure you have pointed it to the webhosting correctly, for example using diagnostics.
If the problem occurs on a subdomain, make sure a record named after the subdomain points to the webhosting, or a record named * and the subdomain does not have any other DNS records at the same time.
If this error is displayed because the domain is placed on WEDOS Protection ⧉, contact us via the form ⧉ with a request for us to add the domains and subdomains to the certificate on our side.
The domain has no DNS records set
Problem: The message the domain has no DNS records set.
Cause: The domain has no DNS servers or records propagated, or it has been deleted or suspended.
Solution: If you are adding a newly purchased domain, make sure it has been set up and that enough time has passed since its creation for the DNS servers to propagate (usually 6 – 48 hours). For older domains, make sure the domain records exist at the DNS server provider and that no DNS server change.
is in progress.
Problem: The certificate domain overview shows Error – contact customer support.
Solution: If you cannot see any cause of the error (for example the DNS problems mentioned above), check the DNS records and servers of the (sub)domain named in the error message, and then try removing the domain from the certificate, adding it again and applying the changes.
If the error persists, contact customer support via the form ⧉. Provide the name of the webhosting and tell Support that removing and re-adding the domain failed.
Not found on accelerator
Problem: The website displays the error Not found on accelerator.
Cause: HTTPS is not activated correctly, or the certificate has not propagated yet. The error often appears right after changing DNS servers or when the certificate could not be issued.
Solution: Check that HTTPS is set up correctly following this guide and that at least 90 minutes have passed since the setup. After changing DNS servers, wait; the change propagates gradually. If the certificate domain overview shows an error, remove the domain from the certificate, add it again and apply the changes. If that doesn’t help even after several hours, contact us via form ⧉.
Insecure website
Problem: HTTPS is set up and working, but the website is also accessible via HTTP.
Cause: The website allows access via both HTTP and HTTPS and does not enforce a secure connection in any way.
Solution: Set up HTTPS on the website according to the guide Webhosting – Setting Up HTTPS on a Website.
Non-working subdomain with www
Problem: We have added a certificate on a subdomain, including the version with www. The subdomain itself works, the version with www does not. The certificate is active for both.
Cause: This problem is common for domains that use WEDOS.protection. The certificate for a fourth-level domain (such as www.sub.domain.tld) is located on Webhosting, but not on the proxy server, so the connection is evaluated as insecure.
Solution: Redirect the subdomain with www to the fully secured subdomain without www. If you are using our default .htaccess file, add immediately below RewriteEngine On this code:
# 301 redirect www.sub.domain.tld -> sub.domain.tld
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.([^.]+\.[^.]+\.[^.]+)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^ https://%1%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]
Frequently Asked Questions
I have the domain, DNS and webhosting with you and I have not changed anything, but the certificate claims that the domain does not point to the webhosting. What is going on?
The most common cause is that the domain is routed through the WEDOS Protectionservice. Contact us via the form ⧉ to have the problem with certificate generation verified and fixed.
HTTPS setup is not compatible with the Cloudflare proxy. What should I do?
Contact us via the form ⧉ to have the problem with certificate generation verified and fixed. Provide the domain name and point out that you have the DNS proxy set up on Cloudflare.
HTTPS works for me on the domain without www, but not on www. What should I do?
Add the www subdomain to the certificate: in the certificate’s domain settings, tick the column for the domain www subdomain, click Add Domains and in the administration of HTTPS on Apply Changes. You can find details in the chapter Adding domains to the certificate.
How long does it take for HTTPS to start working after clicking Apply Changes?
Up to 90 minutes: 30 minutes for activation and 60 minutes for the changes to propagate. Keep this in mind also when adding a domain to the certificate again.