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The supported Ubuntu path is to point your domain at the server, make Apache reachable on TCP port 80, install Certbot, and run sudo certbot --apache -d example.com -d www.example.com. Certbot’s Apache plugin proves control of each name, installs the certificate in the matching VirtualHost, adds the TLS settings, and reloads Apache. Finish by running sudo certbot renew --dry-run and checking the renewal timer, because Let’s Encrypt certificates last 90 days.
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What you need before requesting a certificate
Let’s Encrypt issues a certificate only after a challenge proves that you control every hostname you request. For the normal Apache-integrated HTTP-01 flow, the names must resolve publicly to your Ubuntu server and the server must accept inbound TCP connections on port 80. Keep that path available during both the initial request and later renewals. A DNS record that points somewhere else, a firewall rule that blocks port 80, or a load balancer that never forwards the challenge request will prevent validation.
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- A registered domain name, with its DNS records pointed at the public address that serves the site.
- Apache running on the Ubuntu host and serving the requested hostnames through the intended VirtualHost.
- Inbound TCP port 80 allowed through the server firewall, cloud firewall, router, and any load balancer for HTTP-01.
- Permission to run commands with
sudo. - A decision about whether Certbot should edit Apache automatically or only obtain certificate files for a manual configuration.
The exact VirtualHost layout, firewall frontend, DNS provider, and Ubuntu release can change the implementation details. The commands below follow Ubuntu’s currently documented Certbot and Apache workflow.
Install Certbot on Ubuntu
Ubuntu recommends the snap package for Certbot. Install it with:
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sudo snap install --classic certbotIf the certbot command is not found after installation, create the conventional command-path link shown in the EFF instructions:
sudo ln -s /snap/bin/certbot /usr/local/bin/certbotRun Certbot only after DNS and reachability are ready. Installing the client does not itself create a certificate or alter Apache.
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Certbot supports different challenge methods. Select the one that matches your network design before issuing a certificate.
| Method | How control is proven | Port 80 on the Apache server | Wildcard certificates | Apache changes | Operational consideration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HTTP-01 with --apache |
Let’s Encrypt makes an HTTP request to the requested hostname and Certbot’s Apache integration serves the challenge. | Required; the host must be reachable from the Internet during issuance and renewal. | Not supported for wildcard issuance. | Certbot authenticates and installs the certificate, adds TLS directives, and reloads Apache. | DNS, firewalls, redirects, proxies, and load balancers must pass the challenge request to this Apache host. |
| DNS-01 with a DNS plugin or manual TXT record | A DNS TXT record proves control of the domain. | Not required for validation. | Required method for wildcard certificates. | DNS plugins perform validation; installation can be handled separately. | Automated DNS plugins need DNS credentials. A manual TXT workflow requires you to create the record each time validation is requested. |
certonly |
Uses the selected authenticator to obtain a certificate. | Depends on the authenticator you choose. | Depends on the authenticator; DNS-01 is required for wildcards. | Certbot obtains the certificate but does not install it in Apache. | Use this when Apache is configured manually or another service terminates TLS; you must configure that service and arrange reloads after renewal. |
The standard starting point for one or more ordinary hostnames is HTTP-01 through the Apache plugin. Choose DNS-01 when port 80 cannot be exposed or when the certificate must cover a wildcard name such as *.example.com.
Issue and install a certificate in Apache
Request all names that the site will serve
Pass one -d option for each hostname that should appear on the certificate. For an apex domain and its www name, use:
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sudo certbot --apache -d example.com -d www.example.comReplace both example names with the real DNS names. Every requested name must resolve correctly and reach the same validation path. If you omit a hostname now, it will not be covered by this certificate and visitors using that name can still receive a certificate-name error.
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With --apache, Certbot acts as both the HTTP-01 authenticator and the installer. It finds the matching Apache VirtualHost, completes the ownership challenge, writes the TLS directives needed for the certificate, and reloads Apache so the new configuration takes effect. The reload is intended to apply the change without stopping the web server.
Follow Certbot’s prompts for the names and redirect choice it presents. After the command completes, open the HTTPS address for each requested hostname and inspect the certificate presented by the browser. Also test the HTTP address to confirm that its redirect behavior matches the choice you made during installation.
Obtain a certificate without letting Certbot edit Apache
Use the certonly form when you need to retain complete control of the web-server configuration:
sudo certbot certonly --apacheThis mode still uses Apache to answer the HTTP-01 challenge, but it separates obtaining the certificate from installing it. You are responsible for configuring the TLS-terminating service with the resulting certificate and for reloading that service after a renewal. It is useful when Apache’s configuration is managed manually, when a different service terminates TLS, or when an automated installer could conflict with an existing layout.
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If the TLS endpoint is not Apache, plan the complete lifecycle before choosing certonly: the service must read the renewed certificate, and a renewal deploy hook must reload or otherwise refresh that service. A successful renewal alone does not change a separately managed service’s live configuration.
Use DNS-01 when HTTP-01 is unsuitable
DNS-01 avoids an inbound connection to the Apache server. Certbot or an administrator publishes the challenge as a DNS TXT record, and Let’s Encrypt checks that record. This is the only challenge type that can obtain wildcard certificates.
DNS-01 is the practical alternative when port 80 cannot be exposed because of network policy, a front-end architecture, or another service that cannot pass the challenge through. DNS plugins can automate TXT-record changes, but they require credentials that can modify the domain’s DNS. Treat those credentials as high-impact secrets and grant only the permissions needed for the chosen DNS workflow. A manual DNS process avoids storing API credentials with Certbot but requires a person to create and remove records when prompted.
After DNS validation, you can install the certificate with the Apache plugin or configure Apache yourself, depending on whether you use the normal installer flow or certonly.
Make renewal automatic and prove that it works
Understand the renewal window
Ubuntu documents Let’s Encrypt certificates as valid for 90 days and renewable automatically. The snap installation provides the snap.certbot.renew.timer systemd timer; Ubuntu’s documented default attempts renewal twice daily. Certbot renews only certificates that are close enough to expiry according to its renewal logic, so a timer run does not replace every certificate every time.
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Run a safe renewal test
Immediately after setup, and again after major Apache, DNS, firewall, proxy, or load-balancer changes, run:
sudo certbot renew --dry-runThe dry run exercises the renewal path without replacing the live certificate. A successful result confirms that Certbot can repeat the validation and installation process. When the Apache plugin performs the renewal, it reloads Apache automatically after a successful update.
Check the timer and the live result
- Inspect the
snap.certbot.renew.timersystemd timer to verify that the scheduled renewal mechanism exists and is enabled. - Run the dry test after the initial issuance rather than waiting for the first real expiry window.
- Visit the HTTPS URL and inspect the certificate’s names and expiration date.
- After a real renewal or configuration change, verify that Apache is serving the new certificate, not an older certificate cached by another TLS-terminating layer.
- If a renewal uses
certonlyand a separate service, verify that the service’s deploy hook reloads it after the certificate changes.
Verify HTTPS after installation
Check each hostname you included with a browser or another TLS-aware client. Confirm that:
- The address is using HTTPS and the certificate contains the exact hostname being visited.
- The certificate is current and chains successfully in the client you use.
- The HTTP version behaves as intended, including any redirect selected during Certbot’s Apache installation.
- All requested names, including both the apex and
wwwname when applicable, reach the expected site rather than a different VirtualHost.
If Apache does not reload or the site stops responding, inspect Apache’s configuration and logs before retrying issuance. Correct the underlying VirtualHost, challenge-routing, or syntax problem, then run the dry-run renewal test again.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot the failures that matter most
“Connection” or HTTP-01 validation failure
Start with DNS. Every requested hostname must resolve to the correct public address. Then test the complete network path to TCP port 80: the Ubuntu firewall, cloud security rules, router, reverse proxy, and load balancer must all permit and forward the request to the Apache host. The challenge path cannot succeed if an unrelated server answers, the request is trapped behind an access-control rule, or the name points to an old address.
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Redirects are not automatically harmless. The HTTP-01 request must be able to reach the challenge response through the redirect and proxy arrangement you have built. If a redirect sends the request to a host that cannot serve the challenge, fix the routing or choose DNS-01.
Another service already owns port 80
The Apache plugin expects Apache to serve the HTTP-01 challenge. If another service occupies port 80, make sure Apache is the service answering the challenge request, or select DNS-01. Certbot’s standalone mode is a different option that starts a temporary server and therefore also requires port 80 to be available; it cannot share that port with an existing listener.
Apache configuration was changed manually
If you have a hand-maintained VirtualHost, a non-Apache TLS terminator, or a deployment system that rewrites configuration, use certonly so Certbot does not overwrite your layout. Configure the service with the obtained certificate, add a renewal deploy hook that reloads it, and test the entire path with sudo certbot renew --dry-run.
The dry run fails after a previously successful setup
Compare what changed since the last successful test. Common causes are a DNS address change, a newly blocked port 80, a proxy or load-balancer rule that no longer forwards the challenge, or a modified Apache VirtualHost. Check each requested hostname individually, review Apache’s configuration and logs, restore challenge reachability, and repeat the dry run. Do not assume that an existing unexpired certificate proves the renewal path still works.
The certificate is renewed but visitors still see the old one
This usually indicates a separate TLS-terminating service or a service that was not reloaded after renewal. Confirm which component answers the public HTTPS connection, then ensure that component reads the renewed certificate and has a deploy hook or equivalent reload action. Recheck the certificate from the public URL after the service reloads.
Quick Recap
HTTP-01 or DNS-01: a practical decision checklist
- Choose HTTP-01 with
--apachewhen DNS points directly to the Ubuntu Apache host, TCP port 80 can remain publicly reachable, and automatic Apache installation is desirable. - Choose DNS-01 when port 80 cannot be exposed, when the architecture does not route the challenge to Apache, or when a wildcard certificate is required.
- Choose
certonlywhen a human or deployment system must control Apache’s TLS directives, or when another service terminates HTTPS. - Use the Apache installer when you want Certbot to find the matching VirtualHost, add TLS directives, and reload Apache for you.
- Whichever method you select, test renewal with
sudo certbot renew --dry-runand verify the publicly served certificate.
A repeatable setup sequence
- Register the domain and point every intended hostname at the Ubuntu server’s public address.
- Allow inbound TCP port 80 through every firewall, router, proxy, and load-balancer layer that handles the site.
- Install Certbot with
sudo snap install --classic certbot; create the/usr/local/bin/certbotsymlink if the command is not on the path. - For ordinary Apache HTTP-01 issuance, run
sudo certbot --apache -d example.com -d www.example.comwith the real names. - For a manually managed installation, run
sudo certbot certonly --apache, then configure the TLS service and its renewal reload hook yourself. - For a blocked port 80 or a wildcard name, use a DNS-01 plugin or manual TXT-record workflow instead of HTTP-01.
- Run
sudo certbot renew --dry-run. - Inspect the
snap.certbot.renew.timer, open each HTTPS hostname, check the certificate and redirect behavior, and review Apache configuration and logs if anything fails.
Final checks before you rely on automatic HTTPS
- All certificate names resolve to the intended public service.
- The selected challenge method still works from the public Internet.
- The renewal timer is present, and the dry run succeeds.
- Apache or the actual TLS terminator reloads successfully after renewal.
- The browser sees the renewed certificate at the public HTTPS address.
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