What is SSL Certificate?
Turkish: SSL Sertifikası
An SSL certificate proves a site's domain identity and binds encryption keys to a trusted chain for HTTPS connections.
What is an SSL Certificate?
An SSL certificate is the digital document that tells a browser which domain a website belongs to and which public key should be used to establish a secure connection. Modern secure connections are technically provided by TLS, but the phrase “SSL certificate” remains common.
When a browser connects to a site, the server sends its certificate. The browser checks that the certificate matches the domain, has not expired, and chains back to a trusted certificate authority. If those checks pass, the browser can establish the encrypted HTTPS session.
Certificate Types and Operations
DV certificates validate domain control and are enough for most websites. OV and EV certificates include organization validation and may be used where regulation or enterprise trust requirements matter. Wildcard certificates cover multiple subdomains, while SAN certificates can list several different names in one certificate.
Expired certificates, missing intermediate certificates, or leaked private keys directly affect user access and trust. Certificate inventory, automated renewal, private key protection, and SSL/TLS configuration should therefore be managed together rather than treated as a one-time hosting task.
Related Terms
HTTPS encrypts HTTP traffic with TLS, providing confidentiality, integrity, and server identity between user, browser, and server.
Let's EncryptLet's Encrypt is a nonprofit certificate authority that issues free, automated SSL/TLS certificates through ACME for HTTPS.
SSL/TLS (Secure Sockets Layer / Transport Layer Security)SSL/TLS is the protocol family that provides identity checks, key agreement, and encrypted data transfer between clients and servers.