Every ValoHosting plan includes a free SSL certificate, automatically issued and renewed. Here are answers to the questions we get asked most often.
What is SSL, and why do I need it?
SSL (now more accurately called TLS) encrypts the connection between your visitors' browsers and your server. Without it, browsers display a "Not Secure" warning, and most modern browsers actively discourage visitors from continuing. It's no longer optional for any public website.
Is SSL really included for free?
Yes. All plans include a free, auto-renewing certificate powered by Let's Encrypt, a widely trusted certificate authority used across the industry. Premium plans also support extended validation (EV) certificates for e-commerce sites that need the additional verification level — contact support if you need one issued.
How often does my certificate renew?
Free certificates are valid for 90 days and renew automatically about 30 days before expiration. You don't need to do anything for this to happen under normal circumstances.
My browser shows a certificate warning. What do I do?
This usually happens for one of a few reasons:
- You recently pointed a new domain to your server. Certificates are issued per-domain, so a newly connected domain needs its own certificate — this can take a few minutes after DNS propagation completes.
- Automatic renewal failed silently. This is rare, but can happen if your domain's DNS changed unexpectedly. Open a support ticket and we'll reissue it manually.
- You're viewing a cached version of the page. Try a hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R) or an incognito window before assuming there's a real problem.
Can I use my own SSL certificate instead?
Yes — if you've purchased a certificate elsewhere, our support team can help you install it in place of the default one. Open a ticket from your client area with the certificate files and we'll take care of the rest.