Security is something that must always be present in the network. Especially when browsing web pages we can come across many threats that can compromise our systems and equipment. Therefore, it is essential that we make use of tools that protect us, as well as making sure that we enter sites that are reliable. In this sense, web domains can have features that further protect our data, which ultimately prevent attacks. In this article, we are going to explain what is a wildcard SSL certificate or also known as wildcard certificates.
What are wildcard or wildcard SSL certificates
We can say that an SSL certificate is something basic in our daily life on the Internet. Today most pages have this to offer greater security and protection to users. Basically we can say that it is a global security standard, a layer that allows information to be transferred safely, without possible intruders being able to access it.
These certificates allow that when sending data from a website to a server, that process is encrypted. Thus, there may be intermediaries who access this data, that information that we transfer. It is something that should always be present when we log into a site or send sensitive information.
Now we have something known as a wildcard or wildcard SSL certificate. We are going to explain what this term means and in which situations we are going to use it.
When we talk about wildcard SSL certificates we are referring to those that not only protect the URL of a specific website but also protect it over an unlimited number of its subdomains.
Let’s say for example that we have a certificate that protects the redeszone.net domain. A wildcard or wildcard SSL certificate could also protect all subdomains. For example, if we had a subdomain that was test.redeszone.net, another routers.redeszone.net, wifi.redeszone.net … Any subdomain, in short.
Protect similar to traditional SSL certificates
It should be noted that wildcard SSL certificates protect similarly to traditional ones. We are not going to find problems when it comes to correctly encrypting those subdomains.
However, it is possible that some web servers may require an IP address that is unique for each subdomain.
Who are wildcard SSL certificates for? We can say that they are ideal for those who manage different sites that are hosted in numerous subdomains. By having such a certificate we could issue copies to as many servers as we need.
Each of these servers will have their own private key assigned. We have the possibility of protecting all the additional domains that we want.
Keep in mind that wildcard certificates are logically more expensive than traditional or standard ones. After all, they offer us the possibility of protecting multiple subdomains and not just one URL.
Basically we will be able to assign SSL security to all subdomains of our website, of our domain, but using a single SSL certificate.
There are many providers that offer these types of certificates on the Internet. Whenever we have a web page we will need to make use of tools and configurations that protect the site. On the one hand, we are going to avoid problems that affect operation, loading and general use. But we are also going to improve the reputation of that page and that is something that could attract more visitors.
Today network security is very important, as we have mentioned. Users highly value protecting their data, avoiding problems that could infect their computers, when browsing the Internet. This is especially vital when we manage a website where we deal with customer data, have records, etc. We must always have certificates that protect us and prevent data from being leaked.