Is a free SSL/TLS certificate good enough for a business website?
Short answer
Yes, for encryption. A free certificate from a trusted authority such as Let’s Encrypt provides the same strength of encryption as a paid domain-validated certificate. Paid options mainly add support, warranties or organization validation, which browsers no longer display prominently.
The details
What matters more is automatic renewal, redirecting all HTTP traffic to HTTPS, and enabling HSTS once everything works over HTTPS.
Useful next reads and tools
- Website Security Check · tool
Terms explained
- HTTPS and TLS
- HTTPS is HTTP protected by TLS encryption, which keeps data between a browser and a website private and tamper-resistant and confirms the site controls its domain.
- Encryption
- Encryption transforms readable data into ciphertext that can only be turned back into readable form with the correct key.
Sources
Related questions
- What are SPF, DKIM and DMARC?
- How do I stop someone from spoofing my email domain?
- How do I read email headers to check if a message is fake?
- What are HTTP security headers and which ones should my website have?
- How can I check if my website is secure?
- What is a DDoS attack and how do I protect a website from one?
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