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What this setup does
Let’s Encrypt issues publicly trusted TLS certificates through the ACME protocol. Nginx presents the certificate to browsers, allowing visitors to use HTTPS instead of sending HTTP traffic in clear text. Certbot handles the ACME validation exchange, writes the certificate files, updates Nginx when you use its Nginx plugin, and arranges recurring renewal on a snap-based Ubuntu installation.
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Ubuntu Server documentation describes Certbot as the recommended ACME client for Let’s Encrypt. The snap distribution is also designed to keep Certbot current and includes automated renewal preconfigured. The certificate itself is not permanent: your operational job is to prove that renewal works before the current certificate approaches expiry and to ensure Nginx reloads the renewed files.
Check the prerequisites before installing Certbot
Point DNS at the Ubuntu host
Create or verify an A record for each IPv4 hostname and an AAAA record for each IPv6 hostname you intend to place on the certificate. Every record must resolve to the Ubuntu server that will answer the ACME challenge. If example.com and www.example.com resolve to different machines, validation can reach the wrong server even though Nginx is correctly configured on one of them.
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Check both the apex name and aliases you will pass with -d. DNS changes can take time to appear at different resolvers, so do not begin validation until the records consistently point at this host. A stale AAAA record is a common cause of apparently random failures: an authority may try IPv6 while you are testing over IPv4.
Make sure Nginx has the right server block
Nginx must have an enabled server block whose server_name contains every hostname requested from Certbot. On Ubuntu, enabled configuration files are normally visible in /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/. Check that directory and confirm the intended file is linked or otherwise loaded by the main Nginx configuration.
Before asking Certbot to edit anything, validate the current configuration:
sudo nginx -tFix any syntax or include error reported by that command. Certbot’s Nginx plugin needs a configuration it can parse and a matching server block in which it can add TLS directives. If Nginx is not already serving the requested names, certificate issuance cannot reliably select the correct virtual host.
Keep port 80 reachable for the normal flow
The usual Nginx flow uses the HTTP-01 challenge. The certificate authority must be able to connect to your public server on TCP port 80 and retrieve the challenge response. Allow that traffic through the host firewall and any cloud security-group or edge firewall in front of the machine. Also ensure that another service is not intercepting the hostname on port 80.
You can choose a different validation method when port 80 cannot be exposed, but deciding that in advance prevents a failed automated run from being mistaken for a certificate or Nginx problem.
Install Certbot from the snap
On Ubuntu, install the snap package with:
sudo snap install --classic certbotIf the certbot command is not on your shell path after installation, expose the snap’s executable at a conventional location:
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sudo ln -s /snap/bin/certbot /usr/local/bin/certbotUsing the snap is the documented route in this procedure. It keeps Certbot separate from the operating system’s older package set and supplies the renewal timer used later in this guide.
Obtain and install the certificate automatically
Request every hostname in one certificate
Run one -d option for each name that should be covered:
sudo certbot --nginx -d example.com -d www.example.comThe names become the certificate’s Subject Alternative Name (SAN) set. Include all public aliases that visitors will use; obtaining a certificate for only the apex name does not cover www.example.com, and the reverse is also true. If you add another hostname later, run Certbot again with the complete desired set rather than assuming an existing certificate will acquire it automatically.
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Certbot’s Nginx plugin locates the server block matching the requested names, performs the ACME validation, and adds the TLS directives needed to serve the resulting certificate. After a successful configuration, it reloads Nginx so the running process uses the new settings. This is the fastest path when you want Certbot to manage the integration instead of hand-editing the virtual host.
During the command, Certbot asks how HTTP requests should be handled. Choose the redirect option so requests arriving at http://example.com are sent to https://example.com. Without that choice, the certificate may be valid while users continue reaching an unencrypted HTTP endpoint unless they type the HTTPS URL themselves.
Verify the result immediately
Open the HTTPS URL for each hostname in a browser and inspect the certificate details. Confirm that the displayed names include the hostname you visited and that the page is being served by the expected Ubuntu host. Also test an HTTP URL and confirm it redirects to HTTPS, rather than returning a separate site or an error.
If the page is not the expected virtual host, stop and correct Nginx before attempting repeated issuance. A valid certificate attached to the wrong server block still produces a wrong-certificate warning for users.
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Use manual Nginx configuration when you need control
Obtain files without letting Certbot rewrite the server block
Use the certonly form when you want Certbot to complete issuance but intend to design or maintain the Nginx TLS configuration yourself:
sudo certbot certonly --nginxThis mode obtains the certificate through Nginx-assisted validation while leaving the final TLS wiring to you. It is useful when your configuration is generated by another system, when you need a carefully structured set of server blocks, or when an automatic edit would conflict with local conventions.
Reference the live certificate paths
Certbot stores the active certificate material under /etc/letsencrypt/live/<domain>/. A typical Nginx HTTPS server block references the full chain and private key as follows:
ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem;
ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem;The fullchain.pem file supplies the server certificate together with the intermediate chain that clients need. The private key must remain readable only by the accounts and services that require it. Do not copy the key into a public document root or commit it to a configuration repository.
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Choose the right ACME validation method
Validation proves control of the hostname. The method determines which network path or DNS capability is required; it does not change the trust model of the resulting certificate.
| Method | Port 80 reachability | Nginx handling | Wildcard certificates | DNS API requirement | Operational profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HTTP-01 | Certificate authority must reach the server on port 80 | Normal Nginx flow; the Nginx plugin can configure the challenge and TLS settings | Not suitable for wildcard validation | None | Usually the simplest choice for a public Nginx site |
| Standalone | Port 80 must be free for Certbot’s temporary web server | Existing Nginx listener cannot occupy the required port during validation | Not suitable for wildcard validation | None | Useful when no web server can answer the challenge, but it introduces a listener conflict and service coordination |
| Webroot | Certificate authority must reach the existing site on port 80 | Challenge files are placed in the existing document root; you retain configuration control | Not suitable for wildcard validation | None | Works when the document root and routing are predictable |
| DNS-01 | Inbound port 80 is not required | Nginx does not have to answer an HTTP challenge | Supports wildcard certificates | Usually requires a Certbot plugin or other integration for the DNS provider’s API | More involved to automate, but appropriate for private origins, blocked HTTP, and wildcard names |
The exact DNS-01 command depends on the DNS provider plugin, so use that provider’s Certbot integration rather than guessing a generic flag. Grant the plugin only the DNS permissions it needs; DNS credentials can change the records for the entire zone and therefore deserve stricter protection than ordinary web configuration.
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Understand the two Nginx integration modes
| Choice | Certificate issuance | Nginx TLS edits | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
sudo certbot --nginx -d ... |
Certbot obtains the certificate and completes validation | Certbot finds the matching server block, adds TLS directives, and reloads Nginx after success | A conventional site where automated configuration is acceptable |
sudo certbot certonly --nginx |
Certbot obtains the certificate using Nginx-assisted validation | You maintain the TLS directives and reload process | Generated or tightly controlled Nginx configurations that should not be rewritten automatically |
Both modes rely on the same underlying certificate files. The difference is who owns the final Nginx configuration and the timing of the reload.
Set up and verify automatic renewal
Run a safe renewal rehearsal
Do not wait for an expiry incident to discover that DNS, port access, or a virtual-host change has broken renewal. Run:
sudo certbot renew --dry-runThe dry run exercises the renewal process without issuing or saving a production certificate. Treat a failed dry run as an operational defect: read the reported challenge, correct the underlying DNS, listener, firewall, or Nginx issue, and run the dry run again.
Check the snap renewal timer
On a snap-based installation, inspect the systemd timer with:
sudo systemctl status snap.certbot.renew.timerUbuntu documents that the scheduled job attempts renewal twice daily. Those attempts do not mean a new certificate is issued twice a day; Certbot renews only when a certificate is within its renewal window. The repeated schedule gives transient DNS or network problems another opportunity to succeed before expiry.
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When the Nginx plugin is managing the site, Certbot reloads Nginx after a successful renewal. The running workers then read the renewed certificate while existing connections can finish normally. If you used certonly and maintain Nginx yourself, make sure your own renewal process includes a configuration test and reload at the appropriate time.
Services outside Certbot’s Nginx or Apache plugin flow do not receive that automatic reload. For those services, create a deploy hook such as /etc/letsencrypt/renewal-hooks/deploy/reload-service.sh that runs systemctl reload <your-service>. The hook must target the service that actually presents the certificate; reloading Nginx will not update an unrelated daemon.
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Troubleshoot the failures that matter most
HTTP-01 reports that port 80 cannot be reached
- Confirm the A and AAAA records resolve to this Ubuntu server, not an old address or another proxy.
- Allow inbound TCP port 80 in the host firewall and any external security group.
- Check that another service is not intercepting the hostname or answering with an unrelated site.
- Verify that Nginx is listening for the requested name and that its enabled server block is loaded.
After correcting the cause, rerun the issuance command or the renewal dry run. Changing the certificate command without fixing reachability will produce the same challenge failure.
The browser shows the wrong certificate or site
Inspect the files under /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/ and compare each server_name with the hostname in the browser. Nginx selects a server block by the requested name; a missing alias or an unintended default block can therefore present a different certificate. Run:
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sudo nginx -tOnce the intended block is correct and the test passes, reload Nginx. Then revisit the HTTPS URL and inspect the certificate names again.
Renewal fails even though initial issuance worked
Start with sudo certbot renew --dry-run and use the specific challenge error as the branch point. DNS may have changed, a firewall rule may have tightened, port 80 may now be occupied by another process, or an Nginx edit may have broken the matching server block. Check the timer status with sudo systemctl status snap.certbot.renew.timer after the configuration is repaired so you know the scheduler is active.
Do not revoke or replace a still-valid production certificate merely because one test failed. Correct the cause, obtain a successful dry run, and keep the existing certificate serving traffic while the renewal window remains open.
A certificate is missing one of several names
Pass every required hostname with its own -d flag in one command. For example:
sudo certbot --nginx -d example.com -d www.example.com -d api.example.comThen verify each name independently over HTTPS. A SAN certificate can contain several names, but only the names explicitly requested are covered.
Standalone validation cannot bind to port 80
Standalone mode runs a temporary web server, so Nginx or any other listener must leave port 80 free during the challenge. If stopping or coordinating that listener is undesirable, use the Nginx or webroot flow instead. If inbound HTTP is impossible altogether, DNS-01 avoids the port requirement and is the method that supports wildcard names.
A practical operating checklist
- Each requested hostname has correct A and, where used, AAAA records.
- Nginx has an enabled server block listing every requested name.
sudo nginx -tsucceeds before Certbot edits or reloads the service.- The chosen validation method matches your firewall, listener, and DNS capabilities.
- The HTTP-to-HTTPS redirect is selected when Certbot offers it.
- Every HTTPS hostname displays the intended certificate after issuance.
sudo certbot renew --dry-runcompletes successfully.sudo systemctl status snap.certbot.renew.timershows the scheduled renewal job is present.- Any service not handled by the Nginx plugin has a deploy hook that reloads that service after renewal.
Conclusion
For a standard public Nginx site, the reliable path is DNS verification, a valid enabled server block, the Certbot snap, and sudo certbot --nginx with one -d flag per hostname. Select the HTTPS redirect, verify each name, and prove renewal with a dry run. Choose certonly --nginx when configuration ownership must remain manual, and switch to DNS-01 when port 80 is unavailable or a wildcard certificate is required.
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