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  3. How do I Order a TLS/SSL Certificate?
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Public Trust & Certificates

How do I order a
TLS/SSL certificate?

How do I order a TLS/SSL certificate?

All of our products can easily be ordered from our homepage at www.digicert.com. Our TLS/SSL certificate support pages have detailed instructions that will help you to create your CSR and install your certificate. If you have any questions or issues, you can read full instructions here or contact our award-winning customer support team. They will be happy to assist you.

What is a CSR and how do I create one?

CSR stands for certificate signing request. A CSR is an encrypted block of text that is generated on your server. We will request a CSR when you place your certificate order in order to create your certificate. Go to our CSR Creation Instructions to generate a CSR based on your server type. We have CSR creation tools for common servers such as Microsoft IIS, Microsoft Exchange, Apache, Tomcat and more.

How do I open the CSR to place it in the DigiCert order form?

You can open the CSR with any text editor such as Notepad or Wordpad. Simply copy the CSR to the order form and make sure to include the beginning and ending tags.

What should I do with my private key?

A private key is generated on your server when you generate your CSR. On Windows servers, the private key is contained in the 'Pending Request'. As the name implies, the private key is indeed private and therefore should never be publicly available. You must use the exact same private key with your certificate when you install the certificate files we issue to you. If the private key is deleted or lost then the certificate will not work. Therefore, make sure to keep your private key in a safe place. If you are using a Windows server, make sure not to delete your 'Pending Request'.

What should I do to expedite the validation of my order?

To expedite your order, be sure to have your CSR ready and be availble to verify your organization details for OV certificates. EV certificates will require more steps to verify your employee contact's identity. If we are unable to validate your organization or the employee contact's identity, the issuance of your certificate can be delayed. Please read and follow the validation requirements to ensure that your certificate is issued as quickly as possible.

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