Ubuntu Server 23.10

How to Install Let's Encrypt SSL in Apache on Ubuntu 23.10

To install Let's Encrypt SSL on Apache in Ubuntu 23.10, you can use the Certbot tool, which is the recommended client for Let's Encrypt. Here are the steps:

Step 1 : Update Package Lists:

Update the package lists to make sure you have the latest information about available packages:

sudo apt update

Step 2 : Install Certbot:

Install Certbot and the Apache plugin:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache

Step 3 : Apache Configuration:

Create a new Apache configuration file for example.devtutorial.io: Replace example.devtutorial.io with your actual domain

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/example.devtutorial.io.conf

Add the following configuration. Adjust the paths and settings based on your specific requirements:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerAdmin webmaster@devtutorial.io
    ServerName example.devtutorial.io
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/example.devtutorial.io

    <Directory /var/www/html/example.devtutorial.io>
        Options -Indexes +FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Save and exit the text editor.

Step 4 : Enable the New Site:

Enable the new site configuration:

sudo a2ensite example.devtutorial.io.conf

Step 4 : Restart Apache:

Restart Apache to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 5 : Obtain SSL Certificate:

Run the following command to obtain and install the SSL certificate for example.devtutorial.io:

 sudo certbot --apache -d example.devtutorial.io

- Certbot will check for the Apache configuration and prompt you to enter your email address for renewal and security notifications. Type in your email address and press Enter.

- You will then be asked to read and agree to the terms of service. If you agree, type Y and press Enter.

- Certbot will ask if you want to share your email address with the Electronic Frontier Foundation for their newsletter. You can choose Y or N based on your preference and press Enter.

- Certbot will communicate with the Let's Encrypt server to verify the domain ownership. Certbot will display a success message, indicating that the SSL certificate has been obtained and installed.

Step 6 : Automatically Renew Certificates:

Certbot can automatically renew your certificates. The renewal process is typically set up as a cron job. Certbot will automatically deploy the renewal configuration, so there's no need to add a separate cron job.

Step 7 : Verify Automatic Renewal:

You can test the automatic renewal process by running:

sudo certbot renew --dry-run

If this runs without errors, your renewal process is correctly set up.

Step 8 : Test Website Access:

Open a web browser and navigate to https://example.devtutorial.io. Ensure that your website is accessible over HTTPS. You should see a padlock icon in the address bar, indicating a secure connection.

You've successfully installed Let's Encrypt SSL on Apache in Ubuntu 23.10. Your website should now be accessible over a secure HTTPS connection.