SSL certificates
The SSL certificate is what gives your site the padlock and the https:// address. Certificates expire, and if yours isn’t renewed, browsers show visitors a full-page warning — and most people leave straight away.
- At a glance
- Group
- Security
- Mellonbot
- Can fix it
- What it does
- Renews it and repairs automatic renewal.
- Approval
- Always with your OK
What you’ll notice
- 01“Your connection is not private” or “Not secure” in the browser
- 02Visitors or customers say they see a security warning
- 03Emails from your certificate provider about expiry
- 04Payment or API connections to your site start failing
Why it usually happens
- 01Automatic renewal was never set up, or was switched off
- 02Renewal fails because the web server settings changed
- 03The domain moved to a new server and renewal wasn’t moved with it
- 04Port 80 is blocked, so the renewal check can’t reach your site
Fix it yourself
How to fix it by hand
Comfortable with a terminal? Here’s what an experienced admin would do. Start with the read-only commands.
- 01
Check when your certificates expire
Lists the certificates Certbot manages and their expiry dates.
sudo certbot certificates - 02
Test the renewal
A dry run shows whether renewal will work, without changing anything.
sudo certbot renew --dry-run - 03
Make sure automatic renewal is on
The certbot timer should be listed as active.
systemctl list-timers | grep certbot - 04
Renew and reload the web server
Renews anything due, then reloads nginx to use the new certificate.
sudo certbot renew && sudo systemctl reload nginx
With Mellonbot
How Mellonbot fixes it
- Checks when your certificate expires and whether automatic renewal actually works.
- Warns you well before the expiry date, in plain English.
- Offers to renew it and repair automatic renewal, then verifies the padlock is back.
- Scheduled checks email you if renewal starts failing, not on the day it expires.
Not sure this is your problem? Ask us →
FAQ
SSL certificates: common questions
Why does my site say “Your connection is not private”?
Usually the SSL certificate has expired or doesn’t match your domain. Renewing it and reloading the web server normally fixes it.
Do Let’s Encrypt certificates renew automatically?
They can, but only if the renewal job is set up and keeps working. It often breaks silently after a server or settings change.
Still have a question?
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