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What you need before requesting a certificate
Let’s Encrypt does not issue a certificate merely because Apache is installed. The certificate authority must verify that you control each hostname in the request. For the normal Apache workflow, that verification is an HTTP-01 challenge: Let’s Encrypt makes an HTTP request to your server on port 80 and expects the challenge response from the requested hostname.
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example.comandwww.example.com. - Public DNS: Every requested hostname must resolve to the public address that reaches this Ubuntu server. Check both the apex name and any subdomains you plan to include.
- Internet reachability: Inbound TCP port 80 must reach Apache during both issuance and renewal. Firewalls, cloud security groups, reverse proxies, and load balancers must pass the challenge request.
- An Apache VirtualHost: Apache should already be serving the site for the requested names. Certbot uses that configuration to select the site it will modify.
- Administrative access: The commands below use
sudo. You also need enough disk space for the certificate files and Apache configuration changes.
Do not close port 80 after the first successful issuance. Automatic renewal uses the same validation route unless you deliberately choose DNS-01 or another supported arrangement. A site that works over HTTPS but is no longer reachable on port 80 can still fail its next renewal.
Choose the validation and installation method
Most single-server Apache sites should start with the Apache plugin and HTTP-01. Other deployments need a different split between validation and installation. Decide this before running Certbot so you do not accidentally overwrite a carefully managed TLS configuration.
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| Approach | Inbound port 80 | Wildcard certificates | Does Certbot edit Apache? | What you manage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
HTTP-01 with --apache |
Required; the hostname must reach the server during issuance and renewal | No | Yes. The Apache plugin authenticates and installs the certificate, then reloads Apache | DNS, port 80 reachability, and the Apache VirtualHost |
| DNS-01 | Not required for validation | Yes. DNS-01 is the only Let’s Encrypt challenge type that can issue wildcard certificates | Usually no; a DNS plugin performs validation, and you choose how to install the files | DNS API credentials or the required TXT-record workflow, plus certificate installation |
certonly --apache |
Required when Apache is used for HTTP-01 | No for HTTP-01 | No certificate installation changes; Certbot obtains the files and you configure Apache or another TLS terminator | Apache directives, reloads, and any other service that consumes the certificate |
Use --apache when Certbot should make the conventional Apache changes for you. Use certonly --apache when a manually maintained configuration, a separate load balancer, or a non-Apache TLS service must remain authoritative. If port 80 cannot be exposed, DNS-01 avoids an inbound connection to Apache, but it introduces DNS credentials or manual TXT records that must be protected and renewed correctly.
Install Certbot on Ubuntu
Install the current Snap package
Ubuntu’s documented installation is the classic Certbot Snap:
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sudo snap install --classic certbot. - If the
certbotcommand is not found because the Snap binary directory is not on your shell’s path, create the documented link:sudo ln -s /snap/bin/certbot /usr/local/bin/certbot. - Confirm that the command responds before attempting issuance by running
certbot --version.
The Snap package supplies the Certbot program and its renewal integration. You do not need to download a certificate manually or copy a private key into Apache yourself when using the normal Apache installer mode.
Issue and install the certificate in Apache
Request every hostname that should be covered
From the Ubuntu server, run:
sudo certbot --apache -d example.com -d www.example.comReplace both names with the actual hostnames. Each -d option adds a name to the same certificate. Include the apex name and www explicitly if visitors use both; a certificate requested only for example.com does not automatically cover www.example.com. Add other names only when they resolve to this service and are intended to use the same certificate.
What the Apache plugin does
Certbot’s Apache plugin is both an authenticator and an installer. It identifies the matching VirtualHost, arranges the HTTP-01 challenge, asks Let’s Encrypt to validate the names, writes the certificate configuration, and reloads Apache after a successful change. During the interactive run, Certbot may ask whether HTTP requests should be redirected to HTTPS. Choose the redirect only after confirming that the site and any applications work correctly over HTTPS; leaving HTTP available is sometimes necessary for legacy clients or an upstream proxy design.
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Successful issuance gives Apache a certificate and private key managed by Certbot. The exact VirtualHost layout varies by Ubuntu release and by how the site was configured, so inspect the resulting configuration rather than assuming a particular filename or directive ordering.
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Use certificate-only mode when you need manual control
If another service terminates TLS, or if you maintain Apache’s SSL directives yourself, obtain the files without asking Certbot to install them:
sudo certbot certonly --apache -d example.com -d www.example.comThis still uses Apache for HTTP-01 authentication, but it separates obtaining the certificate from installing it. Configure the consuming service with the certificate and private-key files that Certbot reports, then arrange a renewal deploy hook that reloads that service after a successful renewal. Without that reload, a renewed file on disk may not be used by the running process.
Verify HTTPS before you rely on it
Check the browser result
Open https://example.com and each additional hostname you requested. Inspect the certificate details in the browser and confirm that the subject or alternative names include the hostname in the address bar, that the certificate is currently valid, and that the page loads without mixed-content or application errors. If you enabled the redirect, test an explicit http:// request and confirm it reaches the intended HTTPS URL rather than a different host.
Check Apache’s configuration and reload
Before investigating the certificate authority, make sure Apache accepts its generated configuration. A syntax check catches an accidental edit or an incompatible VirtualHost before a reload:
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sudo apachectl configtestCertbot normally reloads Apache after installation. If the reload fails, read the Apache error output and correct the configuration before trying Certbot again. A certificate can be valid while Apache is still serving an older configuration, so verify the live HTTPS endpoint after every manual change.
Make renewal automatic and prove that it works
Understand the 90-day lifecycle
Let’s Encrypt certificates are valid for 90 days. Ubuntu’s documented Certbot setup installs a systemd timer named snap.certbot.renew.timer; the default timer attempts renewal twice daily. Certbot renews only certificates that are within its renewal window, so these frequent attempts do not replace a healthy certificate twice a day.
Inspect the timer
Check that the timer exists and is scheduled:
sudo systemctl status snap.certbot.renew.timer
sudo systemctl list-timers snap.certbot.renew.timerThe status output should show an active timer and a next-run time. A timer alone is not proof that the Apache validation path still works; DNS, firewall, proxy, or VirtualHost changes can break renewal months after issuance.
Run a safe dry run
Test the complete renewal path without replacing the live certificate:
sudo certbot renew --dry-runA successful dry run demonstrates that Certbot can perform the renewal process with the current challenge and plugin settings. Run it immediately after initial setup, after changing DNS or firewall rules, and after major Apache or load-balancer changes. If you used certonly and a separate TLS service, confirm that your deploy hook also reloads that service during a testable renewal event; the certificate files alone do not update an already running process.
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Use DNS-01 when HTTP-01 is the wrong fit
When DNS-01 is appropriate
Choose DNS-01 when inbound port 80 cannot be exposed, when a wildcard such as *.example.com is required, or when validation must happen independently of the Apache host. Let’s Encrypt’s documentation identifies DNS-01 as the only challenge type that can obtain wildcard certificates.
DNS-01 proves control by checking a TXT record at the required DNS name. It does not require an inbound connection to Apache, but Certbot must be able to create that TXT record through a supported DNS plugin or you must create it manually. DNS API credentials can change every DNS record in an account, so give the plugin the narrowest permissions your provider supports and keep the credential material out of publicly readable files.
Plan installation separately
A DNS plugin performs validation; it is not automatically an Apache installer. After validation, install the resulting certificate in Apache or use certonly for a service that terminates TLS elsewhere. If the service is not Apache, add a renewal deploy hook that reloads it. Test both the DNS update and the service reload rather than assuming that a successful first issuance covers future renewals.
Troubleshoot the common failure points
Validation says the hostname cannot be reached
- Verify that every
-dhostname resolves publicly to the correct address. A stale record, split-horizon DNS, or an unintended IPv6 record can send the challenge to another machine. - Confirm that TCP port 80 is allowed in the Ubuntu firewall, cloud security group, hosting firewall, load balancer, and router. All layers must forward the request to the Apache host.
- Check that Apache is listening for the hostname and that the relevant VirtualHost is enabled. Certbot cannot complete HTTP-01 if the request lands on an unrelated site.
- Keep the site reachable for the entire issuance attempt. Temporarily stopping Apache or switching DNS while validation is in progress can invalidate the challenge.
A redirect or proxy breaks the challenge path
HTTP-to-HTTPS redirects are compatible only when the challenge request can still reach the validation response. Review redirect rules, reverse-proxy mappings, and load-balancer health checks so the ACME challenge path is forwarded to the Apache instance serving it. If a proxy terminates HTTP elsewhere, run the challenge where that proxy can answer it or switch to DNS-01.
Another service already owns port 80
The Apache plugin expects Apache to serve the HTTP-01 response. If a different web server occupies port 80, either arrange for Apache to handle the challenge through your front end or use DNS-01. Certbot’s standalone mode is a different option that starts a temporary server, but it also requires port 80 to be free; it cannot coexist with a service already bound there.
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Apache reload fails after issuance
Run sudo apachectl configtest and inspect Apache’s configuration and logs for the directive or VirtualHost that failed. Correct the syntax or conflicting module, then reload Apache and revisit the HTTPS URL. Do not assume that a successful certificate order means the live web server accepted the new configuration.
The dry run fails after the site worked initially
Start with the same checks as a first issuance: public DNS for every name, TCP 80 reachability, the active Apache VirtualHost, and any proxy or redirect in front of it. Then inspect the timer status and Certbot’s output. Configuration drift is common: a new firewall rule, moved load balancer, changed DNS target, or replacement web server can leave the original certificate valid while making renewal impossible.
The certificate renews but the site still serves the old one
This usually means the certificate files were replaced but the TLS-terminating process was not reloaded. The normal --apache workflow reloads Apache automatically. A certonly workflow or a separate TLS terminator needs an explicit renewal deploy hook that reloads the consuming service; test that hook as part of your operational check.
A repeatable maintenance checklist
- Keep public DNS records for every certificate name pointed at the service that will answer validation.
- Keep TCP port 80 reachable for HTTP-01, including through any proxy or load balancer.
- Check
snap.certbot.renew.timerafter package, server, or operating-system maintenance. - Run
sudo certbot renew --dry-runafter major DNS, firewall, Apache, or proxy changes. - After a successful renewal test, open each HTTPS hostname and inspect the certificate actually presented to clients.
- If you use
certonly, verify the deploy hook reloads every service that terminates TLS.
For a conventional Ubuntu server where Apache serves the public site, sudo certbot --apache with all required -d names is the shortest safe path. The essential security property is not the first green padlock; it is a tested renewal path that still reaches the correct host months later.
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