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AWS Certificate Manager
What AWS Certificate Manager is
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) provisions, manages, and deploys public and private SSL/TLS certificates for AWS, hybrid, and multicloud workloads. Certificates can cover one domain, multiple named domains, wildcard domains, or combinations. Teams can manage them through the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or ACM APIs, and audit their use through AWS CloudTrail logs. For Amazon-issued certificates, ACM provides managed renewal: DNS-validated certificates renew automatically, while email notices are sent as expiration approaches otherwise. Public-certificate integrations include Elastic Load Balancing, Amazon CloudFront, Amazon API Gateway, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, and AWS CloudFormation. AWS Key Management Service helps protect private keys stored by ACM. Customers can also import third-party CA certificates and deploy them with Elastic Load Balancers, CloudFront, and API Gateway; importing certificates costs nothing. The default quota is 10 domain names per certificate, with requests available to raise it to 100. Public certificates for integrated AWS services are listed as free and are non-exportable.
Who it suits
ACM may suit teams securing websites, applications, or communications among connected servers, mobile and IoT devices, and applications. It is accessible through web and API platforms.
What it does well
- Manages public and private SSL/TLS certificates.
- DNS-validated Amazon-issued certificates renew automatically.
- Certificates can be managed through console, CLI, or APIs.
- Importing third-party CA certificates costs nothing.
What to know first
- Integrated-service public certificates are non-exportable.
- Default certificate quota is 10 domain names.
- Some certificate pricing is charged by domain and renewal.
Limits
The free plan covers non-exportable public certificates for integrated AWS services. The default quota is 10 domain names per certificate, with requests available to increase it to 100; ACME public certificates are charged per domain at issuance and each automatic renewal.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Public certificate for integrated AWS services | Non-exportable · for integrated AWS services | Free |
| ACME public certificates | Per account per month; charged per domain at issuance and each automatic renewal · First 1k FQDNs: $1.00/domain · next 3k FQDNs: $0.50/domain · 4k+ FQDNs: $0.25/domain · first 500 wildcard domains: $5.00/domain · 500+ wildcard domains: $2.50/domain · first 30k API calls: $0 · next 10,000 API calls: $.50 | On request |
| Exportable public certificates | Upon issuance and again only on certificate renewal · First 10K export-certificate API calls: $0 per account per month · next 10,000 API calls: $0.50 per 10k per account per month | On request |
As aws.amazon.com lists them, read 4 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open the AWS Certificate Manager website or use its APIs.
- Manage certificates through the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or ACM APIs.
- Choose a certificate type for a single domain, multiple domains, wildcard domains, or a combination.
- Use DNS validation for automatic renewal of Amazon-issued certificates.
- Connect public certificates to supported AWS services, or import third-party CA certificates for supported deployments.
Verdict
ACM centralizes certificate management for AWS and other listed workloads, with automated renewal for DNS-validated Amazon-issued certificates. Check certificate exportability and applicable issuance and renewal charges for the certificate type you need.
Questions
Is AWS Certificate Manager free?
The free plan includes non-exportable public certificates for integrated AWS services at no cost. Importing third-party CA certificates does not cost anything.
How are ACME public certificates priced?
The listed rates are $1.00 per domain for the first 1,000 FQDNs, $0.50 for the next 3,000, and $0.25 for 4,000 and above. Wildcard-domain rates are $5.00 per domain for the first 500 and $2.50 for 500 and above; charges apply at issuance and each automatic renewal.
What platforms can I use to manage ACM?
ACM is available through web and API platforms. Certificates can be managed with the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or ACM APIs.
Which AWS services integrate with ACM public certificates?
The listed integrations are Elastic Load Balancing, Amazon CloudFront, Amazon API Gateway, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, and AWS CloudFormation.
Can ACM certificates cover multiple domains?
ACM supports certificates for a single domain, multiple specific domains, wildcard domains, or combinations. The default quota is 10 domain names per certificate, and customers can request up to 100.
How does certificate renewal work?
ACM automatically renews Amazon-issued certificates when DNS validation is used. Otherwise, it sends email notices as expiration approaches.
Facts from AWS Certificate Manager's own pages
- Automatic renewal
- ACM provides managed renewal for Amazon-issued SSL/TLS certificates, renewing automatically when DNS validation is used or sending email notices as expiration approaches. · docs.aws.amazon.com, 4 Oct 2026
- AWS launch
- Amazon Web Services says it launched in 2006. · aws.amazon.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Certificate management
- Certificates can be centrally managed from the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or ACM APIs, and their use can be audited through AWS CloudTrail logs. · aws.amazon.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Certificate types
- ACM supports certificates for singular domain names, multiple specific domain names, wildcard domains, or combinations of these. · docs.aws.amazon.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- ACM integrates with Elastic Load Balancing, Amazon CloudFront, Amazon API Gateway, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, and AWS CloudFormation for public certificates. · aws.amazon.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Key security
- ACM uses AWS Key Management Service to help protect certificate private keys that it stores. · docs.aws.amazon.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Notable quota
- The default quota is 10 domain names per ACM certificate, and customers can request up to 100 domain names. · docs.aws.amazon.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- AWS Certificate Manager provisions, manages, and deploys public and private SSL/TLS certificates for AWS, hybrid, and multicloud workloads. · aws.amazon.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Third-party certificates
- ACM allows customers to import third-party CA certificates and deploy them with Elastic Load Balancers, CloudFront, and APIs on API Gateway; importing certificates does not cost anything. · aws.amazon.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Who it is for
- AWS says ACM can protect websites and applications and secure communication between connected resources such as servers, mobile and IoT devices, and applications. · aws.amazon.com, 4 Oct 2026
Where AWS Certificate Manager stands on Freedom251
- Certificate Management Software#6 of 31