Side by side
Certbot vs Dogtag Certificate System
Both stand on certificate management software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1
Certbot can automate certificate installation and renewal for manually administered websites. Its command-line workflow is aimed at server administrators, while shared hosting users may be better served by asking their provider to configure HTTPS.
Visit Certbot Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted
Dogtag combines certificate authority, key recovery, responder and smartcard functions for large-scale PKI deployments. Its directory-server requirement and self-hosted Linux deployment are central considerations.
Visit Dogtag Certificate SystemThe facts
| Certbot | Dogtag Certificate System | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows | API, Linux, Self-hosted |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | certbot.eff.org | dogtagpki.org |
| On certificate management software | #4 of 31 | #8 of 31 |
Certbot: what it does well
- Free and open source.
- Can install Let’s Encrypt certificates automatically in many cases.
- Supports Apache, Nginx, webroot and standalone methods.
- DNS validation does not require an inbound connection.
- Automatically renews certificates.
What to know first
- Runs from a command line.
- Less suitable for most shared hosting environments.
- Most users administer a remote server over SSH.
Dogtag Certificate System: what it does well
- Supports certificate issuance, revocation and retrieval.
- Includes key archival and recovery.
- Lists ACME, CMC, EST and SCEP responders.
- REST interface programming guide is available.
- Licensed under GPL-2.0.
What to know first
- Requires access to a 389 Directory Server.
- Deployment is self-hosted on Linux.
- No free trial is listed.
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