Cloudflare Universal SSL is a feature provided by Cloudflare that offers free, automatically issued, and publicly trusted SSL certificates to all domains that are using Cloudflare’s services. This SSL certificate helps to ensure a secure connection between the website visitor and the server, encrypting the data that is transmitted.
When you sign up for Cloudflare and change your website’s authoritative nameservers to point to Cloudflare, the Universal SSL feature is automatically activated for your domain. This means that Cloudflare will handle the SSL certificate issuance and renewal process for your domain, eliminating the need for you to manually obtain and install SSL certificates.
One of the key benefits of Cloudflare Universal SSL is its ease of use. Once you have set up your domain on Cloudflare, the SSL certificate is automatically provisioned within 15 minutes to 24 hours. This means that you can quickly secure your website without having to go through the traditional process of purchasing and installing an SSL certificate.
Cloudflare uses a shared SSL infrastructure, which means that all domains using Cloudflare’s Universal SSL feature will share the same SSL certificate. This allows Cloudflare to provide the SSL certificates for free, as the cost is spread across multiple domains. However, it is important to note that while the SSL certificate is shared, the encryption between the visitor and your website is still secure and private.
Cloudflare’s Universal SSL certificates are publicly trusted, which means that they are recognized and trusted by all major web browsers. This ensures that visitors to your website will not encounter any security warnings or errors when accessing your site.
In addition to the free Universal SSL certificates, Cloudflare also offers a paid feature called Advanced Certificate Manager. This allows you to upload your own custom SSL certificate or purchase a dedicated SSL certificate from Cloudflare. This can be useful if you require a higher level of security or if you have specific certificate requirements for your website.
Cloudflare Universal SSL provides a convenient and cost-effective solution for securing your website with a trusted SSL certificate. The automated issuance and renewal process, along with the shared infrastructure, make it easy for website owners to implement SSL security without the hassle and cost associated with traditional SSL certificate providers.