How to Get a DigiCert Domain Validation SSL Certificate

Understanding DigiCert Domain Validation options & the step-by-step process to receive a certificate

Every SSL Certificate purchased has a certain procedure that must be followed before it is issued to you. There are three different validation levels, and each one has a different process. Fortunately, Domain Validation (DV) is the fastest, easiest, and least expensive validation option. Since you’re reading this article, you probably already know that, and you’re looking for a DV SSL certificate signed via the DigiCert root certificate. Let’s walk through the process to get a DigiCert domain validation SSL certificate.

What is Domain Validation (DV)?

SSL certificates can have 3 different validation levels: Domain Validation (DV), Organization Validation (OV), or Extended Validation (EV). Domain validation is the easiest process and it can be completed in minutes. If you want to learn more about Domain Validation compared to the others, head over to Your SSL Validation Guide.

Now that we’ve gone over the context to why a Domain Validation SSL Certificate has its own process, let’s see how to get a DigiCert domain validation certificate.

4 Step Process to Get a DigiCert Domain Validation (DV) SSL Certificate

1. Purchase a DigiCert Domain Validation SSL Certificate

Although DigiCert does not offer Domain Validation SSL Certificates, its sub-brands do.

Thawte offers Thawte SSL 123 as a single-domain SSL certificate and Thawte SSL123 Wildcard for a single domain with multiple subdomains.

GeoTrust presents GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium Certificate for a single domain. Then, GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium Wildcard is a low price and trusted certificate for access to unlimited subdomains under 1 domain.

Both of RapidSSL’s products offered on Cheap SSL Security are Domain Validation SSL Certificates. RapidSSL Certificate is for a single domain and RapidSSL Wildcard Certificate is for a website with one domain and numerous subdomains.

Each of these certificate brands are fully owned and operated by DigiCert, and the certificates are issued via DigiCert’s root certificates. They are the only way to get a DigiCert domain validated SSL certificate.

2. Submit the Certificate Signing Request (CSR)

Once you decide on what type of DigiCert Domain Validation SSL Certificate you need for your website, a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) will be generated. A CSR is a block of encoded text with the organization name, domain name, locality, and country, and private key. It is imperative that you submit the CSR to move on with the next step.

3. Prove Ownership of the Domain

I’m sure you’re wondering how do I verify a domain? There are three ways in which you can prove ownership when DigiCert requests you to complete domain validation:

Email Based Authentication

This is the simplest option. The certificate authority can send an email to one of the accepted email addresses or the email address listed in the WHOIS record. To view the list of accepted emails, read this.

File-Based Authentication

This method requires that you place a text file provided by the certificate authority in the root directory of your website. Then, verification can be done.

CNAME-Based Authentication

To move forward with this type of verification you need to create a new CNAME record that points back to the certificate authority. They will share two unique MD5 and SHA256 hash codes to be entered in your CNAME DNS record. Use the format listed in Your SSL Validation Guide.

The CSR and chosen verification are only two elements of the Issuance/Enrollment form. Once you complete the other prompts, continue.

4.Receive the SSL Certificate

The most awaited part of purchasing a DigiCert SSL certificate is receiving it. The certificate authority will deliver the certificate by mail. The package will also contain the intermediate certificates to install on your web server. This delivery method is safe because the certificate does not include your private key.

In Summary

With a fast and easy validation process that only takes a few minutes, each DigiCert sub-brand has a fully automated certificate validation process for domain validation certificate. Order a DigiCert domain validation (DV) SSL certificate today with Cheap SSL Security and your website will be secured by the #1 CA in no time!