The Ultimate Guide Of SSL Certificate Providers and Its Importance
What is an SSL Certificate?
SSL is short for secure socket layer – a technology that encrypts communication between users and a website. This encryption ensures that important data such as usernames, passwords, and credit card information is sent from the user to the site without the risk of interception.
An SSL certificate is a certified piece of code on a website that binds this encryption to the organization responsible for the website.
An SSL-certified website runs on https protocol. This activates the browser padlock or a prominent green browser bar to show visitors it is safe to browse. Reputable websites use SSL to protect their customer’s data and their online transactions; their reputation depends on it.
What does SSL do ?
SSL is a way to encrypt data that is sent from a web browser (like Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome) to the web server. While it was primarily used in the past to protect sensitive information like credit card numbers and other data, these days it’s being adopted on a wider basis. In recent years, it’s become the norm for secure browsing of all sites, particularly social media.
SSL protocol is used when someone browsing the web wants to open a secure website. Their browser needs to connect to a web server over the inherently insecure Internet.
Without SSL encryption, the traffic exchanged during any browsing session is vulnerable.
- Any information sent from the web browser to the web server can fall prey to eavesdroppers. Not only can they see what you’re doing online, but also intercept and manipulate it. Hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPs) sites ensure this doesn’t happen.
- There also the threat of so-called man-in-the-middle attacks when unsavory characters grab data after it leaves a browser but before it makes its way to the server. Encrypting the data exchanged between browser and a server makes these attacks much harder to pull off.
A website using the HTTPS protocol is best placed to protect personal data such as login information and keep sensitive information like bank account details and credit card details from being stolen. Keeping this information out of the wrong hands prevents occurrences of identity theft too. SSL also prevents others eavesdropping on our online activities, and helps keep the information transmitted via emails and chats, confidential.
Primary Functions of SSL
Authentication and Verification
SSL certificates granted by Certificate Authorities such as Namecheap contain information about the accuracy of the of the identity of the person or company holding issuance. Visitors can check the website’s identity to verify their ID simply by clicking the padlock symbol in their browser.
Data Encryption
Encryption is the process of scrambling data to allow for the safe transfer through the Internet. While data is exchanged during an SSL protocol, information is encrypted so that a third party can’t access or read the data without an encryption key. Also known as an Encryption key.
Top SSL Certificate Providers
1. SSLs.com
| Positive SSL | Positive SSL Multi-Domain | Positive SSL Wildcard | Instant SSL | Unified Communications | EV_SSL | EV Multi-Domain SSL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starts from $3.75 /YR Free Trial | Starts from $16.75 /YR Free Trial | Starts from $38.53 /YR Free Trial | starts from $15.75 /YR | tarts from $44.99 /YR | Starts from $39.75 /YR | Starts from $69.99 /YR |
 Issued In 15 Mins | Issued In 15 Mins | Issued In 15 Mins | Issued In 2 Days | Issued In 2 Days | Issued In 2 Weeks | Issued In 2 Weeks |
| Brand: Comodo | Brand: Comodo | Brand: Comodo | Brand: Comodo | Brand: Comodo | Brand: Comodo | Brand: Comodo |
| Domains : 1 | Domains : 3-100 | Domains : 1 + all subdomains | Domains: 1 | Domains : 3-100 | Domains: 1 | Domains: 3-100 |
| Great for : Personal | Great for: E-commerce | Great for: Personal | Great for: Business | Great for: E-commerce | Great for: E-commerce | Great for: Business |
| Validation : Domain | Validation: Domain | Validation: Domain | Validation: Organization | Validation: Organization | Validation: Extended | Validation: Extended |
| Greenbar: No | Greenbar: No | Greenbar: No | Greenbar: No | Greenbar: No | Greenbar: No | Greenbar: Yes |
| Paperwork: No | Paperwork: No | Paperwork: No | Paperwork: Yes | Paperwork: Yes | Paperwork: Yes | Paperwork: Yes |
| Secures: www.site.com + site.com | Secures: www.site.com + site.com | Secures: www.site.com + site.com | Secures: www.site.com + site.com | Secures: www.site.com + site.com | Secures: www.site.com + site.com | Secures: www.site.com + site.com |
| Local domains: No | Local domains: No | Local domains: No | Local domains: No | Local domains: No | Local domains: No | Local domains: No |
| Mobile support : Yes | Mobile support: Yes | Mobile support: Yes | Mobile support: Yes | Mobile support: Yes | Mobile support: Yes | Mobile support: Yes |
| Assurance: Low | Assurance: Low | Assurance: Low | Assurance: high | Assurance: high | Assurance: Very high | Assurance: Very high |
| Refund: 15 days | Refund: 15 days | Refund: 15 days | Refund: 15 days | Refund: 15 days | Refund: 15 days | Refund: 15 days |
| Warranty: $10,000 | Warranty: $10,000 | Warranty : $10,000 | Warranty: $50,000 | Warranty: $250,000 | Warranty: $1,750,000 | Warranty: $1,750,000 |
| Browser support: 99.9% | Browser support: 99.9% | Browser support: 99.9% | Browser support: 99.9% | Browser support: 99.9% | Browser support: 99.9% | Browser support: 99.9% |
| Reissues: Free, unlimited | Reissues: Free, unlimited | Reissues: Free, unlimited | Reissues: Free, unlimited | Reissues: Free, unlimited | Reissues: Free, unlimited | Reissues: Free, unlimited |
| Key length: 2048 – 4096-bit | Key length: 2048 – 4096-bit | Key length: 2048 – 4096-bit | Key length: 2048 – 4096-bit | Key length: 2048 – 4096-bit | Key length: 2048 – 4096-bit | Key length: 2048 – 4096-bit |
| Encryption : up to 256-bit | Encryption: up to 256-bit | Encryption: up to 256-bit | Encryption: up to 256-bit | Encryption: up to 256-bit | Encryption: up to 256-bit | Encryption: up to 256-bit |
2. namecheap.com
| Positive SSL | Positive SSL Multi-Domain | Positive SSL Wildcard | Essential SSL | Essential SSL Wildcard | Instant SSL | Multi-Domain SSL | EV_SSL | EV Multi-Domain SSL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starts from $5.99 /YR | Starts from $19.50 /YR | Starts from $39.99/YR | Starts from $13.89 /YR | Starts from $79.89 /YR | Starts from $19.99 /YR | Starts from $61.99 /YR | Starts from $45.99 /YR | Starts from $92.99 /YR |
| Issued In 15 Mins | Issued In 15 Mins | Issued In 15 Mins | Issued In 15 Mins | Issued In 15 Mins | Issued In 2 Days | Issued In 2 Days | Issued In 10 Days | Issued In 10 Days |
| Brand: Comodo | Brand: Comodo | Brand: Comodo | Brand: Comodo | Brand: Comodo | Brand: Comodo | Brand: Comodo | Brand: Comodo | Brand: Comodo |
| Domains : 1 | Domains : 3-100 | Domains : 1 + all subdomains | Domains : 1 | Domains : 1 + all subdomains | Domains: 1 | Domains : 3-100 | Domains: 1 | Domains: 3-100 |
| Great for: Personal | Great for: Personal | Great for: Personal | Great for: Personal | Great for: Personal | Great for: Business | Great for: Business | Great for: Ecommerce | Great for: Ecommerce |
| Validation : Domain | Validation: Domain | Validation: Domain | Validation: Domain | Validation: Domain | Validation: Organization | Validation: Organization | Validation: Extended | Validation: Extended |
| Greenbar: No | Greenbar: No | Greenbar: No | Greenbar: No | Greenbar: No | Greenbar: No | Greenbar: No | Greenbar: Yes | Greenbar: Yes |
| Paperwork: No | Paperwork: No | Paperwork: No | Paperwork: No | Paperwork: No | Paperwork: Yes | Paperwork: Yes | Paperwork: Yes | Paperwork: Yes |
| Secures: www.site.com, site.com | Secures: blog.mysite.com, secure.mysite.co.uk, payment.mysite.net, www.blog.mysite.org | Secures: www.site.com, site.com, login.mysite.com, mail.mysite.com | Secures: www.site.com + site.com | Secures: www.site.com, site.com, login.mysite.com, mail.mysite.com | Secures: www.site.com + site.com | Secures: blog.mysite.com, secure.mysite.co.uk, payment.mysite.net, www.blog.mysite.org | Secures: www.site.com + site.com | Secures: blog.mysite.com, secure.mysite.co.uk, payment.mysite.net, www.blog.mysite.org |
| Local domains: No | Local domains: No | Local domains: No | Local domains: No | Local domains: No | Local domains: No | Local domains: No | Local domains: No | Local domains: No |
| Mobile support : Yes | Mobile support: Yes | Mobile support: Yes | Mobile support: Yes | Mobile support: Yes | Mobile support: Yes | Mobile support: Yes | Mobile support: Yes | Mobile support: Yes |
| Assurance: Low | Assurance: Low | Assurance: Low | Assurance: Medium | Assurance: Medium | Assurance: high | Assurance: Medium | Assurance: Very high | Assurance: Very high |
| Refund: 15 days | Refund: 15 days | Refund: 15 days | Refund: 15 days | Refund: 15 days | Refund: 15 days | Refund: 15 days | Refund: 15 days | Refund: 15 days |
| Warranty: $10,000 | Warranty: $10,000 | Warranty: $10,000 | Warranty: $10,000 | Warranty: $10,000 | Warranty: $50,000 | Warranty: $250,000 | Warranty: $1,000,000 | Warranty: $1,000,000 |
| Browser support: 99.9% | Browser support: 99.9% | Browser support: 99.9% | Browser support: 99.9% | Browser support: 99.9% | Browser support: 99.9% | Browser support: 99.9% | Browser support: 99.9% | Browser support: 99.9% |
| Reissues: Free, unlimited | Reissues: Free, unlimited | Reissues: Free, unlimited | Reissues: Free, unlimited | Reissues: Free, unlimited | Reissues: Free, unlimited | Reissues: Free, unlimited | Reissues: Free, unlimited | Reissues: Free, unlimited |
| Key length: 2048 – 4096-bit | Key length: 2048 – 4096-bit | Key length: 2048 – 4096-bit | Key length: 2048 – 4096-bit | Key length: 2048 – 4096-bit | Key length: 2048 – 4096-bit | Key length: 2048 – 4096-bit | Key length: 2048 – 4096-bit | Key length: 2048 – 4096-bit |
| Encryption : up to 256-bit | Encryption: up to 256-bit | Encryption: up to 256-bit | Encryption: up to 256-bit | Encryption: up to 256-bit | Encryption: up to 256-bit | Encryption: up to 256-bit | Encryption: up to 256-bit | Encryption: up to 256-bit |
Domain Validation (DV)
Perfect for blogs, personal websites, and Facebook apps. It does not verify the site owner information and is not recommended to be used for e-Commerce or sites that have a user login.
- Easy to activate
- Available in 15 minutes or less
- No paperwork needed
Organization Validation (OV)
Ideal for securing sites that take in customer info and require login credentials. Site owner information is verified by the Certificate Authority.
- Company information inside SSL details
- Visitors can check company/organizational information, ensuring greater user trust
- Paperwork needed
Extended Validation (EV)
Recommended for sites requiring encryption for more sensitive customer information, such as credit cards. Site owner information is more thoroughly vetted by the Certificate Authority.
- Company information inside SSL details
- Highest Trustworthy feature available
- Paperwork needed
Single Domain SSL
Single domain SSL certificates provide security for a single unique domain name or one subdomain. For example:
domain.com or domain.us or domain.org or subdomain1.domain.com or subdomain2.domain.com
Wildcard SSL
Wildcard SSL certificates allow site owners to provide security for multiple subdomains on a single unique domain. A wildcard SSL certificate issued to *.domain.com can be used to secure hostnames such as:
domain.com; www.domain.com; login.domain.com; mail.domain.com
Multi-Domain SSL
Site managers with multiple domains can use a multi-domain SSL certificate to secure several websites by including many domains on one certificate. It’s ideal for organizations with multiple unique domains hosted on a single server. For example:
blog.mysite.com, secure.mysite.co.uk, payment.mysite.net, blog.mysite.org
