You can secure your website on a LumaDock VPS with a free SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt. Certbot automates both installation and renewal, and works with Nginx or Apache on Ubuntu, Debian, and AlmaLinux.
Requirements
Before installing SSL, make sure:
Your VPS has a public IPv4 address.
Your domain name points to that IP through an A record.
You have SSH access as root or a privileged user.
Step 1 — Connect to your VPS
Use your terminal or SSH client to log in.
ssh root@YOUR_VPS_IP
Step 2 — Install Certbot
Certbot handles communication with Let's Encrypt and manages renewal.
Install the appropriate packages for your system.
# Ubuntu / Debian
apt update && apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx
# AlmaLinux / RHEL
dnf install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx
If you use Apache, replace nginx with apache in the package names.
Step 3 — Request and install the SSL certificate
Certbot can update your web server configuration automatically.
# For Nginx
certbot --nginx -d example.com -d www.example.com
# For Apache
certbot --apache -d example.com -d www.example.com
Certbot will ask a few questions and then install the certificate into your web server.
Step 4 — Test automatic renewal
Let's Encrypt certificates are valid for 90 days. Certbot installs a scheduled task so renewal happens on its own.
You can test it with:
certbot renew --dry-run
Step 5 — Verify HTTPS
Open your domain in a browser using https://.
To confirm the certificate from the command line:
openssl s_client -connect example.com:443
Tips
Wildcard domains can be issued using DNS validation:
certbot certonly --manual --preferred-challenges=dns
Keep your Nginx or Apache packages updated so you always use the latest TLS features.
Combine SSL with your LumaDock cloud firewall for stronger protection.
Premium SSL certificates
For businesses or eCommerce websites, you may want extended validation and warranty coverage. LumaDock offers premium SSL options that can be installed on any VPS.
This guide helps you set up secure HTTPS quickly using free, automated tools.