For web-applications, securing the communication between client and application is essential. As containerisation of such applications becomes the standard, I will be looking into one another method to achieve SSL encryption with a containerised NGINX web server using Let’s Encrypt.
A full-blown multi-application server typically runs a web server that hosts applications. To secure the communication between this server and clients, a secure (HTTPS) connection is initiated that uses an SSL/TLS certificate and a corresponding key to encrypt the data on a per-domain basis. A trusted Certificate Authority like Let’s Encrypt can issue certificates that indicate that you are the valid owner of a domain. To proof this ownership, Let’s Encrypt uses a protocol called ACME. Tools like CertBot and acme.sh implements this protocol and can as such allow you to obtain and renew SSL/TLS certificates signed by the Let’s Encrypt CA.
As you might have noticed this site uses HTTPS. Obtaining SSL certificates was always a bit of a hassle. Finding a certificate authority, doing regular payment, renewals and installing the certificate on your server. Let’s Encrypt is an initiative to provide a better way of enabling encryption on websites. It is open, automated and above all: it offers free SSL certificates. Learn to use Let’s Encrypt on an ISPConfig 3.0 server.