Secure Your Website with the SSL Checker
An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is the digital passport that provides authentication for a website and enables an encrypted connection. Browsers rely on these certificates to verify that the server they are communicating with is legitimate and that data sent—like passwords or credit card numbers—is secure.
Our free Online SSL Checker allows developers and IT administrators to instantly verify the health of a domain's certificate chain. By scanning your domain, you can ensure your certificate is properly installed, valid, trusted by major browsers, and not nearing an unexpected expiration date.
How to Check a Domain
- Enter Domain: Type the target website URL into the search bar (e.g.,
github.com). - Initiate Scan: Click the "Scan" button to ping the server and retrieve its SSL/TLS handshake data.
- Review Status: A green banner indicates a healthy, trusted certificate. A red banner highlights an expiration or trust error.
- Check Expiration: Look at the "Validity Period" card to see exactly how many days remain before the certificate must be renewed.
Key Security Insights
- Trust Verification: Ensures the certificate was issued by a recognized and trusted Certificate Authority (CA) like Let's Encrypt or DigiCert.
- Protocol Validation: Identifies which transport layer protocol is currently active, helping you deprecate older, vulnerable protocols like TLS 1.0.
- Expiration Tracking: Prevents catastrophic site outages by identifying exactly when a certificate will become invalid.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What happens if my SSL certificate expires?
If your certificate expires, modern web browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox) will block users from accessing your site. They will display a severe "Your connection is not private" warning screen, which drastically destroys user trust and traffic.
What is the difference between SSL and TLS?
TLS (Transport Layer Security) is simply the updated, more secure version of SSL. While the cybersecurity industry still universally uses the term "SSL Certificate", you are actually purchasing and using modern TLS encryption protocols.
Why does the checker show an "Untrusted Issuer"?
This error occurs when a certificate is Self-Signed (created by the server owner rather than a recognized authority) or when the intermediate certificate chain is broken during installation on the server.
Are free SSL certificates safe?
Yes! Free certificates issued by non-profits like Let's Encrypt provide the exact same level of 256-bit encryption as paid Domain Validated (DV) certificates. The only difference is that free certificates must be renewed automatically every 90 days.