Obtain SSL certificates from the letsencrypt.org ACME server. Suitable for automating the process on remote servers.
- Upgrade broken in v2.43
- Features
- Installation
- Overview
- Getting started
- Detailed guide to getting started with more examples
- Wildcard certificates
- ISPConfig
- Automating updates
- Structure
- Server-Types
- Revoke a certificate
- Elliptic curve keys
- Preferred Chain
- Include Root certificate in full chain
- Windows Server and IIS Support
- Issues / problems / help
The automatic upgrade in v2.43 is broken as the url is incorrect. If you have this version installed you'll need to manually upgrade using:
curl --silent --user-agent getssl/manual https://raw.githubusercontent.com/srvrco/getssl/latest/getssl --output getssl
- Bash - It runs on virtually all unix machines, including BSD, most Linux distributions, macOS.
- Get certificates for remote servers - The tokens used to provide validation of domain ownership, and the certificates themselves can be automatically copied to remote servers (via ssh, sftp or ftp for tokens). The script doesn't need to run on the server itself. This can be useful if you don't have access to run such scripts on the server itself, e.g. if it's a shared server.
- Runs as a daily cron - so certificates will be automatically renewed when required.
- Automatic certificate renewals
- Checks certificates are correctly loaded - After installation of a new certificate it will test the port specified ( see Server-Types for options ) that the certificate is actually being used correctly.
- Automatically updates - The script can automatically update itself with bug fixes etc if required.
- Extensively configurable - With a simple configuration file for each certificate it is possible to configure it exactly for your needs, whether a simple single domain or multiple domains across multiple servers on the same certificate.
- Supports http and dns challenges - Full ACME implementation
- Simple and easy to use
- Detailed debug info - Whilst it shouldn't be needed, detailed debug information is available.
- Reload services - After a new certificate is obtained then the relevant services (e.g. apache/nginx/postfix) can be reloaded.
- ACME v1 and V2 - Supports both ACME versions 1 and 2 (note ACMEv1 is deprecated and clients will automatically use v2)
Since the script is only one file, you can use the following command for a quick installation of GetSSL only:
curl --silent https://raw.githubusercontent.com/srvrco/getssl/latest/getssl > getssl ; chmod 700 getssl
This will copy the getssl Bash script to the current location and change the permissions to make it executable for you.
For a more comprehensive installation (e.g. install also helper scripts)
use the provided Makefile with each release tarball. Use the install
target.
You'll find the latest version in the git repository:
git clone https://github.com/srvrco/getssl.git
For Arch Linux there are packages in the AUR, see here and there.
If you use puppet, there is a GetSSL Puppet module by dthielking
GetSSL was written in standard bash ( so it can be run on a server, a desktop computer, or even a virtualbox) and add the checks, and certificates to a remote server ( providing you have a ssh with key, sftp or ftp access to the remote server).
getssl ver. 2.36
Obtain SSL certificates from the letsencrypt.org ACME server
Usage: getssl [-h|--help] [-d|--debug] [-c|--create] [-f|--force] [-a|--all] [-q|--quiet] [-Q|--mute] [-u|--upgrade] [-X|--experimental tag] [-U|--nocheck] [-r|--revoke cert key] [-w working_dir] [--preferred-chain chain] domain
Options:
-a, --all Check all certificates
-d, --debug Output debug information
-c, --create Create default config files
-f, --force Force renewal of cert (overrides expiry checks)
-h, --help Display this help message and exit
-i, --install Install certificates and reload service
-q, --quiet Quiet mode (only outputs on error, success of new cert, or getssl was upgraded)
-Q, --mute Like -q, but also mute notification about successful upgrade
-r, --revoke "cert" "key" [CA_server] Revoke a certificate (the cert and key are required)
-u, --upgrade Upgrade getssl if a more recent version is available - can be used with or without domain(s)
-X --experimental tag Allow upgrade to a specified version of getssl
-U, --nocheck Do not check if a more recent version is available
-v --version Display current version of getssl
-w working_dir "Working directory"
--preferred-chain "chain" Use an alternate chain for the certificate
Once you have obtained the script (see Installation above), the next step is to use
./getssl -c yourdomain.com
where yourdomain.com is the primary domain name that you want to create a certificate for. This will create the following folders and files.
~/.getssl
~/.getssl/getssl.cfg
~/.getssl/yourdomain.com
~/.getssl/yourdomain.com/getssl.cfg
You can then edit ~/.getssl/getssl.cfg
to set the values you want as the
default for the majority of your certificates.
Then edit ~/.getssl/yourdomain.com/getssl.cfg
to have the values you
want for this specific domain (make sure to uncomment and specify
correct ACL
option, since it is required).
You can then just run:
getssl yourdomain.com
and it should run, providing output like:
Registering account
Verify each domain
Verifying yourdomain.com
Verified yourdomain.com
Verifying www.yourdomain.com
Verified www.yourdomain.com
Verification completed, obtaining certificate.
Certificate saved in /home/user/.getssl/yourdomain.com/yourdomain.com.crt
The intermediate CA cert is in /home/user/.getssl/yourdomain.com/chain.crt
copying domain certificate to ssh:server5:/home/yourdomain/ssl/domain.crt
copying private key to ssh:server5:/home/yourdomain/ssl/domain.key
copying CA certificate to ssh:server5:/home/yourdomain/ssl/chain.crt
reloading SSL services
This will (by default) use the staging server, so should give you a certificate that isn't trusted ( Fake Let's Encrypt). Change the server in your config file to get a fully valid certificate.
Note: Verification is done via port 80 (http), port 443 (https) or dns. The certificate can be used (and checked with getssl) on alternate ports.
Guide to getting a certificate for example.com and www.example.com
getssl
supports creating wildcard certificates, i.e. *.example.com which allows a single certificate to be used for any domain under example.com, e.g. www.example.com, mail.example.com. These must be validated using the dns-01 method.
A partial example getssl.cfg
file is:
VALIDATE_VIA_DNS=true
export CPANEL_USERNAME=''
export CPANEL_URL='https://www.cpanel.host:2083'
export CPANEL_APITOKEN='1ABC2DEF3GHI4JKL5MNO6PQR7STU8VWX9YZA'
DNS_ADD_COMMAND=/home/root/getssl/dns_scripts/dns_add_cpanel
DNS_DEL_COMMAND=/home/root/getssl/dns_scripts/dns_del_cpanel
There is a need to create a remote user in ISPConfig
to enable the remote API access.
You need to go to System -> Remote Users
and then enable the features for the remote user such as DNS zone functions
.
PHP is required to exeucte soap functions in file ispconfig_soap.php.
DNS_ADD_COMMAND="/home/root/getssl/dns_scripts/dns_add_ispconfig"
DNS_DEL_COMMAND="/home/root/getssl/dns_scripts/dns_del_ispconfig"
export ISPCONFIG_REMOTE_USER_NAME="ussename"
export ISPCONFIG_REMOTE_USER_PASSWORD="password"
export ISPCONFIG_SOAP_LOCATION="https://localhost:8080/remote/index.php"
export ISPCONFIG_SOAP_URL="https://localhost:8080/remote/"
Create the wildcard certificate (need to use quotes to prevent globbing):
getssl "*.example.domain"
You can renew the certificate using getssl -a
to renew all configured certificates.
You can also specify additional domains in the SANS
line, e.g. SANS="www.test.example.com"
.
This cannot contain any of the domains which would be covered by the wildcard certificate.
I use the following cron job
23 5 * * * /root/scripts/getssl -u -a -q
The cron will automatically update getssl and renew any certificates, only giving output if there are issues / errors.
- The -u flag updates getssl if there is a more recent version available.
- The -a flag automatically renews any certificates that are due for renewal.
- The -q flag is "quiet" so that it only outputs and emails me if there was an error / issue.
The design aim was to provide flexibility in running the code. The
default working directory is ~/.getssl
(which can be modified via the
command line).
Within the working directory is a config file getssl.cfg
which is a
simple bash file containing variables, an example of which is:
# Uncomment and modify any variables you need
# The staging server is best for testing (hence set as default)
CA="https://acme-staging-v02.api.letsencrypt.org"
# This server issues full certificates, however has rate limits
#CA="https://acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org"
AGREEMENT="https://letsencrypt.org/documents/LE-SA-v1.0.1-July-27-2015.pdf"
# Set an email address associated with your account - generally set at account level rather than domain.
ACCOUNT_EMAIL="[email protected]"
ACCOUNT_KEY_LENGTH=4096
ACCOUNT_KEY="/home/user/.getssl/account.key"
PRIVATE_KEY_ALG="rsa"
# The time period within which you want to allow renewal of a certificate - this prevents hitting some of the rate limits.
RENEW_ALLOW="30"
# openssl config file. The default should work in most cases.
SSLCONF="/usr/lib/ssl/openssl.cnf"
then, within the working directory there will be a folder for each
certificate (based on its domain name). Within that folder will be a
config file (again called getssl.cfg
). An example of which is:
# Uncomment and modify any variables you need
# see https://github.com/srvrco/getssl/wiki/Config-variables for details
# see https://github.com/srvrco/getssl/wiki/Example-config-files for example configs
#
# The staging server is best for testing
#CA="https://acme-staging-v02.api.letsencrypt.org"
# This server issues full certificates, however has rate limits
#CA="https://acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org"
#AGREEMENT="https://letsencrypt.org/documents/LE-SA-v1.1.1-August-1-2016.pdf"
PRIVATE_KEY_ALG="rsa"
# Additional domains - this could be multiple domains / subdomains in a comma separated list
SANS="www.example.org"
# Acme Challenge Location. The first line for the domain, the following ones for each additional domain.
# If these start with ssh: then the next variable is assumed to be the hostname and the rest the location.
# An ssh key will be needed to provide you with access to the remote server.
# Optionally, you can specify a different userid for ssh/scp to use on the remote server before the @ sign.
# If left blank, the username on the local server will be used to authenticate against the remote server.
# If these start with ftp: then the next variables are ftpuserid:ftppassword:servername:ACL_location
# These should be of the form "/path/to/your/website/folder/.well-known/acme-challenge"
# where "/path/to/your/website/folder/" is the path, on your web server, to the web root for your domain.
#ACL=('/var/www/${DOMAIN}/web/.well-known/acme-challenge'
# 'ssh:server5:/var/www/${DOMAIN}/web/.well-known/acme-challenge'
# 'ssh:sshuserid@server5:/var/www/${DOMAIN}/web/.well-known/acme-challenge'
# 'ftp:ftpuserid:ftppassword:${DOMAIN}:/web/.well-known/acme-challenge')
# Location for all your certs, these can either be on the server (so full path name) or using ssh as for the ACL
DOMAIN_CERT_LOCATION="ssh:server5:/etc/ssl/domain.crt"
DOMAIN_KEY_LOCATION="ssh:server5:/etc/ssl/domain.key"
#CA_CERT_LOCATION="/etc/ssl/chain.crt"
#DOMAIN_CHAIN_LOCATION="" this is the domain cert and CA cert
#DOMAIN_PEM_LOCATION="" this is the domain_key. domain cert and CA cert
# The command needed to reload apache / nginx or whatever you use.
# Several (ssh) commands may be given using a bash array:
# RELOAD_CMD=('ssh:sshuserid@server5:systemctl reload httpd' 'logger getssl for server5 efficient.')
RELOAD_CMD="service apache2 reload"
# Define the server type. This can be https, ftp, ftpi, imap, imaps, pop3, pop3s, smtp,
# smtps_deprecated, smtps, smtp_submission, xmpp, xmpps, ldaps or a port number which
# will be checked for certificate expiry and also will be checked after
# an update to confirm correct certificate is running (if CHECK_REMOTE) is set to true
#SERVER_TYPE="https"
#CHECK_REMOTE="true"
If a location for a file starts with ssh:
it is assumed the next part
of the file is the hostname, followed by a colon, and then the path.
Files will be securely copied using scp, and it assumes that you have a
key on the server (for passwordless access). You can set the user,
port etc for the server in your .ssh/config
file.
If an ACL starts with ftp:
or sftp:
it as assumed that the line is
in the format "ftp:UserID:Password:servername:/path/to/acme-challenge".
sftp requires sshpass.
Note: FTP can be used for copying tokens only
and can not be used for uploading private key or certificates as
it's not a secure method of transfer.
ssh can also be used for the reload command if using on remote servers.
Multiple locations can be defined for a file by separating the locations with a semi-colon.
A typical config file for example.com
and www.example.com
on the
same server would be:
# uncomment and modify any variables you need
# The staging server is best for testing
CA="https://acme-staging-v02.api.letsencrypt.org"
# This server issues full certificates, however has rate limits
#CA="https://acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org"
# additional domains - this could be multiple domains / subdomains in a comma separated list
SANS="www.example.com"
#Acme Challenge Location. The first line for the domain, the following ones for each additional domain
ACL=('/var/www/example.com/web/.well-known/acme-challenge')
USE_SINGLE_ACL="true"
DOMAIN_CERT_LOCATION="/etc/ssl/example.com.crt"
DOMAIN_KEY_LOCATION="/etc/ssl/example.com.key"
CA_CERT_LOCATION="/etc/ssl/example.com.bundle"
RELOAD_CMD="service apache2 reload"
OpenSSL has built-in support for getting the certificate from a number of SSL services these are available in getssl to check if the certificate is installed correctly
Server-Type | Port | Extra |
---|---|---|
https | 443 | |
ftp | 21 | FTP Explicit |
ftpi | 990 | FTP Implicit |
imap | 143 | StartTLS |
imaps | 993 | |
pop3 | 110 | StartTLS |
pop3s | 995 | |
smtp | 25 | StartTLS |
smtps_deprecated | 465 | |
smtps | 587 | StartTLS |
smtp_submission | 587 | StartTLS |
xmpp | 5222 | StartTLS |
xmpps | 5269 | |
ldaps | 636 | |
port number |
In general revoking a certificate is not required.
Usage: getssl -r path/to/cert path/to/key [CA_server]
You need to specify both the certificate you want to revoke, and the
account or private domain key which was used to sign / obtain the
original certificate. The CA_server
is an optional parameter and
defaults to Let's Encrypt ("https://acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org") as
that is currently the only Certificate Authority using the ACME
protocol.
You can use Elliptic curve keys for both the account key and the domain key (different of course, don't use the same key for both). prime256v1 (NIST P-256) and secp384r1 (NIST P-384) are both fully supported. secp521r1 (NIST P-521) is included in the code, but not currently supported by Let's Encrypt).
If a CA offers multiple chains then it is possible to select which chain
is used by using the PREFERRED_CHAIN
variable in getssl.cfg
or specifying
--preferred-chain
in the call to getssl
This uses wildcard matching so requesting "X1" returns the first certificate
returned by the CA which contains the text "X1", Note you may need to escape
any characters which special characters, e.g.
PREFERRED_CHAIN="\(STAGING\) Doctored Durian Root CA X3"
- Staging options are: "(STAGING) Doctored Durian Root CA X3" and "(STAGING) Pretend Pear X1"
- Production options are: "ISRG Root X1" and "ISRG Root X2"
Some servers, including those that use Java keystores, will not accept a server certificate if it cannot valid the full chain of signers.
Specifically, Nutanix Prism (Element and Central) will not accept the fullchain.crt
until the root CA's certificate has been appended to it manually.
If your application requires the full chain, i.e. including the
root certificate of the CA, then this can be included in the fullchain.crt
file by
adding the following line to getssl.cfg
FULL_CHAIN_INCLUDE_ROOT="true"
System and software requirements:
-
Windows Server with DNS and IIS services
-
One of
-
WSL Windows Sub for Linux
-
Ubuntu or any other distro
-
gettssl can be installed inside WSL or using
/mnt/
path to windows
-
-
Bash - gettssl should be installed in Windows
-
Git Bash - https://git-scm.com/downloads
-
Rtools4.0 - https://cran.r-project.org/bin/windows/Rtools/
-
-
WSL
-
Installing and configuring WSL 2
-
Add remove Windows features and choose "Windows for sub Linux"
-
Install a distro like Ubuntu or any other Linux platform
-
If newly added to the system a reboot is required to continue
-
wsl --install -d ubuntu
-
Any user will work
-
Copying files to WSL
- From Windows open
Windows Explorer
and browse to\\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\user\
and then place the getssl files and folders.getssl
andgetssl
into users home directory\\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\user\.getssl .
or in Windows
- From Windows open
-
Open
cmd
in Widnows and type
wsl -d Ubuntu /bin/bash /home/UserName/getssl/getssl domain.eu && exit
-
Using a specific distro if not set as default in WSL then use the
wsl -d distro
command
-
Notes:
-
While configuring WSL please do check the
/etc/hosts
file if the IP of the domain is correct since it overrides the DNS server. -
Make sure running version 2.
-
GIT Bash - MINGW64_NT
-
Install git GIT Bash
-
"C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe" --login -i -- path_to/getssl/getssl domain.eu
Rtools Bash - MSYS_NT
-
Make sure that the path of
\rtools42\usr\bin
in Windows system environment variables is right beforec:\windows\system32\
so that getssl will use theRtools
applications instead of Windows applications such assort.exe
that crashes or speify full path to sort. -
\rtools42\usr\bin\bash.exe \Users\Administrator\getssl\getssl domain.eu 2>&1 1>out.txt
Updating DNS TXT records
-
Using
PowerShell
to add and delete_acme-challenge
records-
dns_add_windows_dnsserver
-
dns_del_windows_dnsserver
Notes: The script supports optional second level
TLDs
.sub.domain.co.uk
You can update the reqexp.(co|com).uk
to fit your needs. -
IIS internet information service
-
Under folder
other_scripts
you can find aPowerSheell
scriptiis_install_certeficate.ps1
which generatesPFX
certificate to be installed inIIS
and binds the domains to thePFX
certificate. -
WSL
RELOAD_CMD=("powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "\\\\wsl$\\Ubuntu\\home\\user\\getssl\\other_scripts\\iis_install_certeficate.ps1" "domain.eu" "IIS SiteName" "\\\\wsl$\\Ubuntu\\home\\user\\ssl\\" "path_to_ssl_dir" )
-
GIT and Rtools4 Bash
RELOAD_CMD=("powershell.exe /c/Users/Administrator/getssl/other_scripts/iis_install_certeficate.ps1 domain.eu domain path_to_ssl_dir")
If you have any issues, please log them at https://github.com/srvrco/getssl/issues
There are additional help pages on the wiki
If you have any suggestions for improvements then pull requests are welcomed, or raise an issue.