How to Secure http with LetsEncrypt in Centos7 | How to Secure http with LetsEncrypt in REdHat 7

Securing your website with Let's Encrypt on CentOS 7 involves a few steps. Let's walk through the process step-by-step:

1. Prerequisites:

   • Make sure you have root access to your CentOS 7 server.
   • Ensure your domain is properly pointed to your server's IP address.
   • 
     

2. Install Certbot: Certbot is a client application that helps you obtain and manage Let's Encrypt SSL certificates. Install Certbot with the EPEL repository:

   bash
   yum install epel-release
   
   yum install certbot python2-certbot-apache
   

3. Set Up Apache: If you're using Apache as your web server, you'll need to enable the required modules:

   bash
   yum install httpd 
   systemctl start httpd
   
   systemctl enable httpd

4. Configure Firewall: Allow HTTP and HTTPS traffic through the firewall:

   bash
   firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http
   
   firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=https
   
   firewall-cmd --reload
   

5. Obtain the SSL Certificate: Use Certbot to obtain an SSL certificate for your domain. Replace domain.com with your actual domain name:

   bash
   certbot --apache -d domain.com -d www.domain.com

   Certbot will guide you through the process, and you may need to provide an email address for renewal notifications.

6. Automate Certificate Renewal: Let's Encrypt certificates are valid for 90 days. To ensure your certificates are automatically renewed, set up a cron job:

   bash
   crontab -e
   

   Add the following line to run the renewal check daily:

   bash
   30 2 * * * /usr/bin/certbot renew >> /var/log/letsencrypt/renewal.log
   

7. Update Apache Configuration: Certbot will automatically update your Apache configuration to use the SSL certificate. However, you might need to adjust your virtual host settings to include the following lines:

   bash
   <VirtualHost *:443>
   
   ServerName domain.com
   
   ServerAlias www.domain.com
   
   DocumentRoot /var/www/html
   
       
   # SSL Configuration
   
   SSLEngine on
   
   SSLCertificateFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/domain.com/fullchain.pem
       SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/domain.com/privkey.pem
   
       
   # Other configurations as needed
   
   </VirtualHost>
   

8. Restart Apache: After making any configuration changes, restart Apache to apply the new settings:

   bash
   systemctl restart httpd
   

That's it! Your website should now be accessible over HTTPS with a valid SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt. Remember to periodically check your SSL certificate's expiration and ensure that the automatic renewal process is working correctly.