Plesk

Getting Free Wildcard SSL/TLS Certificates from Let’s Encrypt

Note: This topic describes the old procedure present in Plesk Onyx.
Go to the new one offered by the SSL It! extension in Plesk Obsidian.

You can request wildcard SSL/TLS
certificates

using the Let’s Encrypt extension version 2.6.0 and later. A single
wildcard certificate can be used to secure a main domain together with
any number of subdomains, which is useful if you have many subdomains.

To issue a wildcard SSL/TLS certificate:

  1. Go to Websites & Domains, find the domain you want to secure, and
    click Let’s Encrypt.

  2. Select the “Issue wildcard certificate” checkbox and select the
    domain aliases you also want to secure (if any).

  3. Click Install (or Renew if the domain is already secured with
    a Let’s Encrypt certificate).

  4. The Let’s Encrypt extension will add a DNS record necessary for
    issuing a wildcard SSL/TLS certificate:

    Note: If Plesk does not manage the DNS for the domain, the Let’s Encrypt
    extension cannot add the DNS record automatically. In this case,
    you will see the following message: “Please add a DNS record with
    the following parameters”. Add a DNS record with the specified
    parameters manually. If you are unsure how to do it, ask your DNS
    hosting provider for assistance.

  5. Whether the Let’s Encrypt extension adds the DNS record automatically
    or you do it manually, it can take some time before it propagates. We
    recommend that you check that the DNS record was added before going
    to the next step. Here is how you can do it:

    • Run the following command:

      dig -t txt _acme-challenge.<your_domain_name> +short
      

      If the output matches the record shown by the Let’s Encrypt
      extension, you can go to the next step.

    • Use a DNS check service, for
      example,  MxToolbox.

      Enter…