How to Setup and Install a Let's Encrypt Certificate on the Endian Management Interface

  Version 6.0

Applies to Platform: Switchboard 6.8.x
Last update: 24 Apr 2025

In the new EndianOS release (6.8), there is an all new certificate management system that offers a consistent user experience across all services. Moreover, it incorporates numerous additional features, such as seamless integration with ACME providers like Let’s Encrypt and ZeroSSL. Using this feature, it's now easy to securely request, install and maintain a public-signed certificate which can be used in various components including the web management interface.

Requirements

Before you begin you will need the following in order to complete this process:

1. You must own or control a registered domain name.
   
   
2. A fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) with a static public IP address and corresponding DNS A-record that maps the (static) public IP to the FQDN.
   
   
3. An EndianOS system that is setup to use the FQDN and DNS A-record IP address (from #2).

Create Enrollment Request

Navigate to Certificates > Enrollment requests and click New order button

1. Certificate ID:  Enter a descriptive identifier name for this certificate
2. Server:  Select the ACME service to use (Let's Encrypt or ZeroSSL)
3. Email:  Enter the email address to use for this certificate request
4. Challenge:  Select the challenge type to use for certificate verification. The default and recommended challenge is HTTP.
5. Domains:  Enter the FQDN for the appliance and click the button to add the domain
6. Click the Create order button

Once done, you can then track the progress of the enrollment request using the Status field on the Enrollment request page. If there is an error, you should see that as the status and you can get more information by clicking the View Certificate button. 

Verify the Certificate

You can now verify the certificate was installed correctly by going to Certificates > Certificates page.

Install the Management Interface Certificate

Now you can install the new certificate to use for the web management interface. Navigate to System > Settings and select the Management interface certificate tab. Here you can use the drop-down to select your new certificate and click Save to install it.

Now you should be able to verify the web management interface is using your new public signed certificate using your browsers integrated certificate inspection method.