SSLMATE(1)

NAME
sslmate - buy and manage SSL certificates

SYNOPSIS

sslmate [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS...]

COMMON COMMANDS

sslmate buy HOSTNAME...

sslmate renew HOSTNAME

sslmate reissue HOSTNAME

sslmate rekey HOSTNAME

sslmate revoke [--all] HOSTNAME

sslmate download HOSTNAME...

sslmate download --all

sslmate list

sslmate show HOSTNAME

sslmate edit OPTIONS... HOSTNAME

sslmate test HOSTNAME

sslmate mkconfig TEMPLATE HOSTNAME

sslmate import KEYFILE CERTFILE

sslmate retry-approval HOSTNAME

sslmate link

DESCRIPTION

sslmate is the command line client for SSLMate (https://sslmate.com), a service for purchasing and managing SSL certificates. SSLMate provides easy-to-use tools for buying, renewing, and revoking certificates, for monitoring the expiration date of your certificates, and for synchronizing your certificates between your servers.

SSLMate emphasizes speed, ease-of-use, and automation. For example, the command to purchase a certificate (sslmate buy) typically completes in under a minute and automates the steps of generating a private key, generating a CSR, and building a certificate bundle. SSLMate can automatically renew your certificates, and you can run sslmate download from a cron job so that renewed certificates are automatically downloaded to your server.

To use the sslmate command, you must create a free account at https://sslmate.com.

COMMANDS

sslmate is logically divided into several sub-commands which perform distinct tasks. Each sub-command, and its arguments, are documented below. Note that arguments and options to sub-commands must be specified on the command line after the name of the sub-command.

buy [OPTIONS] HOSTNAME...
    Generate a private key and purchase a certificate for the given hostname(s).

    If only one hostname is specified, a standard single-hostname certificate is issued. The hostname is placed in the certificate's common name (CN) field as well as a subjectAltName field. If the hostname starts with "www.", then a subjectAltName is also added, free of charge, for the remaining part of the the hostname, ensuring that the certificate is valid for both hostnames (e.g. if the hostname is "www.example.com", a subjectAltName is added for "example.com"). If the hostname does not start with "www.", then a subjectAltName is added, free of charge, for the hostname prefixed with "www." (e.g. if the hostname is "example.com", a subjectAltName is added for "www.example.com").

    If the hostname starts with "*.", then a wildcard certificate is issued which is valid for the wildcard domain itself and all hostnames directly below the wildcard domain. The certificate is not valid for hostnames two or more levels below the wildcard domain. For example, "*.example.com" matches "example.com", "www.example.com", and "subdomain.example.com", but not "www.subdomain.example.com").

    If more than one hostname is specified, a multi-hostname certificate is issued. The first hostname is the primary name of the certificate and is placed in the certificate's common name field, as well as a subjectAltName field. The remaining hostnames are placed in subjectAltNames. The certificate is referred to by its primary name when downloading, renewing, reissuing, etc. The primary name cannot be changed without purchasing a new certificate, but alternative names can be added and removed after the certificate is issued by running sslmate edit. Multi-hostname certificates cannot contain wildcard hostnames.

    The following options are understood:

    --auto-renew, --no-auto-renew
        Enable or disable automatic renewal for this certificate. If neither option is specified, your account's default auto-renewal setting is used.

        The auto-renewal setting of an already-purchased certificate can be changed from the SSLMate website.

    --approval=email|dns
        Use the given method to prove ownership of your domain.

        When "email" is used (the default), you must respond to an email sent to one of the administrative addresses for your domain. You will be prompted for the email address when running sslmate buy, or you can specify it on the command line with the --email=ADDRESS option.

        When "dns" is used, you must add a specific DNS record under your domain. If you use Route 53 and have appropriate AWS credentials configured, the DNS record will be automatically added. Otherwise, the DNS record will be displayed and you will need to add it manually.

        When purchasing a multi-hostname certificate, each hostname must be approved separately. The approval method specified by this option applies to every hostname. To use a different method for a hostname, specify an option of the form --approval=HOSTNAME=METHOD.

    --email=ADDRESS
        Send the approval email to the given email address. This address must be one of the addresses that is listed when you run sslmate buy interactively. Only applicable if email approval is used.

        When purchasing a multi-hostname certificate, this email address is used for every hostname. To use a different email address for a hostname, specify an option of the form --email=HOSTNAME=ADDRESS.

    --timeout=SECONDS
        Wait up to SECONDS seconds for the certificate to be issued. If the certificate is not issued before the timeout elapses, sslmate exits without downloading any certificate files. Instead, the certificate must be downloaded later with the sslmate download command.

    --no-wait
        Return immediately after placing the order instead of waiting for the certificate to be issued. If this option is used, no certificate files are downloaded; instead the certificate must be downloaded separately with the sslmate download command.

        This option is equivalent to --timeout 0.

    --temp
        Instead of waiting for the certificate to be issued, install a temporary, self-signed, certificate and return immediately. The temporary certificate will not be trusted by clients, but it can be used to configure your server software while waiting for the real certificate to be issued.

        When the real certificate is issued, it can be downloaded with the sslmate download command.

    --ev
        Purchase an extended validation (EV) certificate, instead of a domain validation (DV) certificate.

        EV certificates provide equivalent security to DV certificates, but are subject to a more rigorous approval process. An EV certificate verifies not only that the bearer of the certificate controls the domain in question, but also that the domain is owned by a legally established business or organization with a verifiable identity. When viewing a website with an EV certificate, web browsers display a green address bar along with the verified name of the organization.

        To purchase EV certificates, you must first provide additional information about your organization on your online SSLMate account page[1]. Unlike a DV certificate, an EV certificate takes several days to issue while your identity is verified. When purchasing an EV certificate, sslmate buy returns immediately with a temporary self-signed certificate (as if the --temp had been specified). When your real certificate is issued, you will receive an email and be able to download it with the sslmate download command.

        If you're not sure what kind of certificate you need, buy a DV certificate (the default).

    --coupon=CODE
        Use the given coupon code for a discount.

    --invoice-note=NOTE
        Include the given note with the invoice for this purchase.

    --email-invoice-to=ADDRESS
        Email the invoice for this purchase to the given address.

        By default, invoices are not emailed, but can be downloaded from your online SSLMate dashboard[2].

    -f, --force
        Buy the certificate even if there are existing key and certificate files, or if an active certificate with this name already exists in your SSLMate account. Existing key and certificate files will be overwritten.

    --key-type=rsa|ecdsa
        Specify the type of key to generate: RSA (the default), or ECDSA (elliptic curve). The certificate will be signed with a signature of the same type.

        RSA provides the best compatibility with clients. ECDSA provides better performance during the TLS handshake, but is not supported by older web browsers (such as IE 8 on Windows XP, Android 2.3, and Java 6). If in doubt, use RSA.

        The default key type can be changed by setting the key_type configuration option (see the CONFIGURATION section for details).

    --multi
        Buy a multi-hostname certificate even if only one hostname was specified on the command line. This option is only necessary if you want to buy a multi-hostname certificate with only one hostname.

renew [OPTIONS] HOSTNAME
    Renew the certificate for the given hostname.

    The following options are understood:

    --timeout=SECONDS
        Wait up to SECONDS seconds for the certificate to be issued. If the certificate is not issued before the timeout elapses, sslmate exits without downloading any certificate files. Instead, the certificate must be downloaded later with the sslmate download command.

    --no-wait
        Return immediately after placing the order instead of waiting for the new certificate to be issued. If this option is used, no certificate files are downloaded; instead the new certificate must be downloaded separately with the sslmate download command.

        This option is equivalent to --timeout 0.

    --coupon=CODE
        Use the given coupon code for a discount.

    --invoice-note=NOTE
        Include the given note with the invoice for this purchase.

    --email-invoice-to=ADDRESS
        Email the invoice for this purchase to the given address.

        By default, invoices are not emailed, but can be downloaded from your online SSLMate dashboard[2].

    -f, --force
        Renew the certificate even if it's not about to expire. Note that the renewed certificate will expire one year from the today's date, not from the expiration date of the current certificate.

reissue [OPTIONS] HOSTNAME
    Generate a new private key (unless --same-key is specified) and reissue the certificate for the given hostname.

    Note: sslmate reissue without the --same-key option is deprecated. Starting with SSLMate 2.0, --same-key will be implied. To reissue a certificate with a new key, use sslmate rekey instead.

    Reissuing a certificate does not revoke it. Use the sslmate revoke command to revoke a certificate after you have reissued it.

    The following options are understood:

    --same-key
        Keep the same private key when reissuing. This is useful if you are reissuing a certificate not because of a lost key, but to add or remove the alternative names of a multi-hostname certificate.

        Note: Starting with SSLMate 2.0, --same-key will be implied. To reissue a certificate with a new key, use sslmate rekey instead.

    --timeout=SECONDS
        Wait up to SECONDS seconds for the certificate to be issued. If the certificate is not issued before the timeout elapses, sslmate exits without downloading any certificate files. Instead, the certificate must be downloaded later with the sslmate download command.

    --no-wait
        Return immediately after requesting the reissue instead of waiting for the new certificate to be issued. If this option is used, no certificate files are downloaded; instead the new certificate must be downloaded separately with the sslmate download command.

        This option is equivalent to --timeout 0.

rekey [OPTIONS] HOSTNAME
    Generate a new private key and reissue the certificate for the given hostname.

    Reissuing a certificate does not revoke it. Use the sslmate revoke command to revoke a certificate after you have rekeyed it.

    The following options are understood:

    --timeout=SECONDS
        Wait up to SECONDS seconds for the certificate to be issued. If the certificate is not issued before the timeout elapses, sslmate exits without downloading any certificate files. Instead, the certificate must be downloaded later with the sslmate download command.

    --no-wait
        Return immediately after requesting the rekey instead of waiting for the new certificate to be issued. If this option is used, no certificate files are downloaded; instead the new certificate must be downloaded separately with the sslmate download command.

        This option is equivalent to --timeout 0.

    -f, --force
        Overwrite existing files.

    --key-type=rsa|ecdsa
        Specify the type of the new key: RSA (the default), or ECDSA (elliptic curve). The certificate will be signed with a signature of the same type.

        See the documentation for sslmate buy for more information. If in doubt, do not use this option.

revoke [OPTIONS] HOSTNAME
    Revoke the certificate(s) for the given hostname.

    Revoking a certificate does not issue a new certificate. If you need a new certificate, use the sslmate reissue command to generate and issue a new certificate before running sslmate revoke.

    The following options are understood:

    -a, --all
        Revoke all certificates for this hostname, including the most recent active certificate. If this option is omitted, all but the most recent active certificate are revoked.

        WARNING: if you use this option, SSLMate will no longer be able to issue new certificates for this hostname unless you buy a brand new certificate. Generally, to revoke a certificate, you should first reissue it with the reissue command and then use revoke without the --all option. Only use --all if you no longer need any certificates for a hostname.

        You will be prompted for confirmation unless you also specify the --batch global option.

download [OPTIONS] HOSTNAME...
    Download the certificate(s) for the given hostname(s), or, if --all is specified, for all hostnames that have keys in the key_directory.

    Certificate files are downloaded from your SSLMate account to your configured cert_directory (/etc/sslmate by default if run as root, $PWD if run as non-root). Existing certificate files are replaced. Exits with status code 0 if new certificate files were downloaded, or 10 if the most up-to-date certificate files have already been downloaded.

    This command is designed to be run from a cron job or configuration management script so that auto-renewed certificates are automatically propagated to your server. You can check the exit status and, if zero, restart daemons so they load the latest version of the certificate.

    The following options are understood:

    -a, --all
        Download certificate files for every key present in the key_directory (/etc/sslmate by default if run as root, $PWD if run as non-root).

        If this option is used, specific hostnames cannot be specified on the command line.

    --temp
        If the certificate has not been issued yet, download a temporary, self-signed, certificate instead. See the documentation for sslmate buy for more information about temporary certificates.

list [OPTIONS]
    List the certificates in your SSLMate account.

    The following options are understood:

    --local
        List only certificates that are also installed locally.

    --no-local
        List only certificates that are not installed locally.

    -c COLUMNS, --columns=COLUMNS
        Include the given columns in the output, where COLUMNS is a comma-separated list of the following column names:

        name
            The certificate's common name.

        status
            The certificate's status.

        expiration
            The certificate's expiration date, in YYYY-MM-DD format.

        local_status
            The status of the locally-installed copy of the certificate ("Installed", "Temporary", "Mismatched key", "No key file", "Out-of-date", or "None").

        fingerprint
            The certificate's SHA-1 fingerprint, in uppercase hex with octets separated by colons.

        sha256_fingerprint
            The certificate's SHA-256 fingerprint, in uppercase hex with octets separated by colons.

        auto_renew
            The certificate's auto-renew setting.

        type
            The certificate's type ("DV" or "EV").

        approval_method
            The approval method.

        approver_email
            The approver email address.

    --sort=COLUMNS
        Sort the output by the given column(s), where COLUMNS is a comma-separated list of column names as understood by the --columns option. If more than one column is specified, the latter columns are used to break ties if the earlier columns are equal.

        Columns are sorted in ascending order by default. To sort a column in descending order, prefix it with a ^ symbol.

    -z
        Generate machine-parseable output. By default, columns and lines are separated by a NUL character, but this can be customized by setting the OFS (output field separator) and ORS (output record separator) environment variables.

        When using -z, you must explicitly enumerate the columns you want with the --columns option.

        The output of -z is guaranteed not to change format, making it suitable for use in scripts.

show [OPTIONS] HOSTNAME
    Show information about the given certificate.

    The following options are understood:

    -f FIELDS, --fields=FIELDS
        Include the given fields in the output, where FIELDS is a comma-separated list of the following column names:

        name
            The certificate's common name.

        alt_names
            The certificate's subject alternative names (for multi-hostname certs only).

        status
            The certificate's status.

        expiration
            The certificate's expiration date, in YYYY-MM-DD format.

        local_status
            The status of the locally-installed copy of the certificate ("Installed", "Temporary", "Mismatched key", "No key file", "Out-of-date", or "None").

        fingerprint
            The certificate's SHA-1 fingerprint, in uppercase hex with octets separated by colons.

        sha256_fingerprint
            The certificate's SHA-256 fingerprint, in uppercase hex with octets separated by colons.

        auto_renew
            The certificate's auto-renew setting.

        type
            The certificate's type ("DV" or "EV").

        approval_method
            The approval method.

        approver_email
            The approver email address.

    --json
        Generate JSON output. The output format is guaranteed not to change, apart from backwards-compatible changes such as adding new fields to the JSON object.

edit OPTIONS... HOSTNAME
    Change one or more setting of the given certificate. The settings are specified by the OPTIONS arguments, as described below. Every setting is optional; if omitted, the setting is left unchanged.

    --approval=email|dns
        Change the approval method for this certificate. The new method will be used for approving future reissues and renewals of the certificate. If the certificate is currently pending approval, the approval process will be re-initiated.

        For more information about approval methods, see the documentation for sslmate buy.

        If this is a multi-hostname certificate, the approval method specified by this option applies to every hostname. To edit the approval method for a single hostname only, pass an option of the form --approval=HOSTNAME=METHOD.

    --email=ADDRESS
        Change the approver email address of this certificate. The new address will be used for approving future reissues and renewals of the certificate. If the certificate is currently pending approval, the approval email will be resent to the new address.

        The new address must be one of the acceptable addresses that is listed when you run sslmate buy for this host name. This option is only applicable when email approval is used.

        If this is a multi-hostname certificate, the email address specified by this option applies to every hostname. To edit the email address for a single hostname only, pass an option of the form --email=HOSTNAME=METHOD.

    --auto-renew, --no-auto-renew
        Enable or disable auto-renew for this certificate.

    --add-name=HOSTNAME, --rm-name=HOSTNAME
        Add or remove the given hostname to or from this certificate. This certificate must be a multi-hostname certificate, and only alternative names (not the common name) can be removed.

        The name is not added or removed immediately. Instead, the changes take effect on the next call to sslmate reissue. Any names that were added since the last issuance will need to be approved. Existing names do not need to be re-approved as long as you preserve the existing private key by passing the --same-key option to sslmate reissue. If there has been a net increase in hostnames since the last issuance, your account will be charged for the new names.

        Note that removing all alternative hostnames does not convert the certificate to a single-hostname certificate. For that, you must use the --no-multi option.

    --multi, --no-multi
        Change the scope of this certificate (single-hostname or multi-hostname). See the sslmate buy documentation for a discussion of the differences.

        Changes to the certificate scope take effect only when renewing. To "upgrade" an existing single-hostname certificate to a multi-hostname certificate, first edit its scope and add alternative names with sslmate edit and then force an early renewal with sslmate renew --force.

    --type=dv|ev
        Change the type of this certificate (domain validation or extended validation). See the sslmate buy documentation for a discussion of certificate types.

        Changes to the certificate type take effect only when renewing. To "upgrade" an existing DV certificate to EV, first change its type with sslmate edit and then force an early renewal with sslmate renew --force.

import [OPTIONS] KEYFILE CERTFILE
    Import the given certificate to your SSLMate account. An imported certificate works just like a certificate purchased from SSLMate with sslmate buy, meaning SSLMate will monitor its expiration and you can set up automated renewals for it.

    You must specify the paths to the key file (KEYFILE) and to the certificate file (CERTFILE). Note that the private key is not uploaded to SSLMate; sslmate only uses it to generate a certificate signing request.

    The following options are understood:

    --auto-renew, --no-auto-renew
        Enable or disable automatic renewal for this certificate. If neither option is specified, your account's default auto-renewal setting is used.

    --no-install
        Don't install the key and certificate files to the local key and certificate directories. (By default, keys and certificates are copied there, as if the certificate had just been purchased with the sslmate buy command.)

    --approval=email|dns
        When renewing, use the given method to prove ownership of your domain.

        For more information about approval methods, see the documentation for sslmate buy.

        If this is a multi-hostname certificate, the approval method specified by this option applies to every hostname. To specify a different approval method for a particular hostname, pass an option of the form --approval=HOSTNAME=METHOD.

    --email=ADDRESS
        When renewing, send the domain ownership email to the given email address instead of prompting for one. This address must be one of the addresses that is listed when you run sslmate import interactively. This option is only applicable when email approval is used.

        If this is a multi-hostname certificate, the email address specified by this option applies to every hostname. To specify a different email address for a particular hostname, pass an option of the form --approval=HOSTNAME=METHOD.

    -f, --force
        Import the certificate even if there are existing key and certificate files, or if an active certificate with this name already exists in your SSLMate account. Existing key and certificate files will be overwritten.

test [OPTIONS] HOSTNAME
    Test whether your certificate for HOSTNAME has been correctly installed.

    This command works by connecting to the host specified in the certificate and checking that the server returns both the correct certificate and the correct certificate chain. The results of the test are printed to standard out. There may be more than one test result if HOSTNAME resolves to more than one IP address. This command exits with status 0 if all tests were successful, 11 if one or more tests failed, and some other exit code if there was an error that prevented the test from running.

    The following options are understood:

    -p PORTNUMBER, --port=PORTNUMBER
        Test the server on the given port number. (Default: 443)

    -h HOSTNAME, --host=HOSTNAME
        Test the server running on the given hostname. Defaults to the certificate's common name.

mkconfig [OPTIONS] TEMPLATE HOSTNAME
    Output the configuration directives necessary to securely use the given certificate with the server software (such as Apache, nginx, etc.) specified by the TEMPLATE argument. For a list of server software for which configuration templates are available, pass the --templates option.

    By default, sslmate mkconfig includes the "intermediate compatibility" security settings recommended by Mozilla's Server Side TLS Guide[3]. These settings enable forward secrecy and disable broken ciphers and protocols, while supporting a broad range of clients.

    The following options are understood:

    --templates
        Output a list of available configuration templates. No other arguments are required if you use this option.

    --no-security
        Don't include recommended security settings. Output only the bare minimum configuration needed to use the certificate.

retry-approval HOSTNAME
    Retry the approval process of a certificate that's pending approval. If the certificate uses email approval, the email will be resent. If the certificate uses DNS approval, the DNS record will be added if not already present, and then re-checked.

    To change the approval method or approver email of a pending certificate, use the sslmate edit command.

link
    Link this system with your SSLMate account. sslmate link prompts for your SSLMate username and password and writes your API credentials to your personal SSLMate configuration file, permitting you to use the sslmate commands without having to enter your username and password.

    Note: if you have enabled a daily purchase limit through your online SSLMate account page[1], you will always need to enter your password after exceeding the limit, even if you have linked this system.

help [COMMAND]
    Display help for the given COMMAND, or an overview of all commands if no command is specified.

version [OPTIONS]
    Print the currently-installed version of sslmate. By default, check if this version is up-to-date and print a message if a newer version is available.

    The following options are understood:

    --no-check
        Do not check for a newer version.

    --is-latest
        Print no output, but exit with 0 if this version of sslmate is up-to-date, 10 if a newer version is available, and some other exit code if there is an error.

        This option cannot be combined with --no-check.

GLOBAL OPTIONS

The following options are understood by sslmate and can be used with any sub-command. Since they apply globally to sslmate, they must be specified on the command line before the sub-command name.

--batch
    Don't prompt for confirmation or for additional information. This option should be used when running sslmate unattended from scripts.

    Any information which sslmate would have prompted for must be specified on the command line instead. For example, when buying a certificate, you must specify the approval method with the --approval option, and, if applicable, the approver email address with the --email=ADDRESS option.

--verbose
    Display additional information about what sslmate is doing.

--p PROFILE, --profile=PROFILE
    Use the given configuration profile, instead of the default. If this option is specified, the string "-PROFILE" will be appended to the paths of the configuration file and default key and certificate directories.

    For example, if --profile=company is used, the global configuration file will be /etc/sslmate-company.conf and the default certificate directory will be /etc/sslmate-company, instead of /etc/sslmate.conf and /etc/sslmate.

    This option is intended for those who need to use several different SSLMate accounts on a single server, since each configuration file can contain distinct SSLMate API credentials.

CONFIGURATION

Upon startup, sslmate reads configuration from the global configuration file, /etc/sslmate.conf, and your personal configuration file, ~/.sslmate, if they exist. These files should contain one configuration option per line of the form NAME VALUE. Blank lines and lines starting with # are ignored. Options in your personal configuration file override options set in the global configuration file. The location of your personal configuration file can be changed by setting the $SSLMATE_CONFIG environment variable.

The following options are understood:

api_key KEY
    Your API key, which can be found on your online SSLMate account page[1]. This option is automatically set (in your personal configuration file) when you run sslmate link.

key_directory PATH, cert_directory PATH
    The directories where sslmate places keys and certificates. When running as root, the default is /etc/sslmate. When running as non-root, the default is the current working directory.

wildcard_filename PREFIX
    When creating files for wildcard certificates, use PREFIX in the filename instead of a * character.

cert_format.FORMAT yes|no
    Enable or disable the given certificate format. When a format is enabled, sslmate will create a file of that format in your certificate directory when buying, reissuing, renewing, and downloading. After enabling a format that was previously disabled, you can create the missing files by running sslmate download --all. The formats are documented below in the CERTIFICATE FILES section. All formats are disabled by default except for "chained".

key_type rsa|ecdsa
    The key type to use by default when buying or reissuing a certificate. Can be overridden by the --key-type command line flag. See the documentation for sslmate buy for details.

api_endpoint URI
    The URI to the SSLMate API endpoint. This option does not need to be configured under normal circumstances.

CONFIGURATION FILES

~/.sslmate
    Your personal configuration file. Options set in this file override options set in the global configuration file. See the "Configuration" section above for the syntax of this file.

/etc/sslmate.conf
    The global configuration file. See the "Configuration" section above for the syntax of this file.

/etc/sslmate
    The default directory for storing keys and certificates when run as root. Can be overridden by the key_directory and cert_directory configuration options.

CERTIFICATE FILES

SSLMate creates the following files for every certificate. The key file is placed in the configured key_directory, and the other files are placed in the configured cert_directory. (Both directories are /etc/sslmate by default when running as root and $PWD by default when running as non-root.)

hostname.key
    The private key file for hostname, in PEM encoding (specifically, the PEM encoding of the ASN.1 DER encoding of a PKCS#1 RSAPrivateKey (for RSA) or a RFC 3279 EcpkParameters (for ECDSA)). This is the default format used by OpenSSL and is accepted by typical applications on Linux.

hostname.crt
    The public certificate file for hostname, in PEM encoding (specifically, the PEM encoding of the ASN.1 DER encoding of the X.509 certificate). This is the default format used by OpenSSL and is accepted by typical applications on Linux. Warning: This file does not work on its own since it does not contain the certificate chain. You must also configure the chain certificate(s) using one of the other formats.

hostname.chain.crt
    The certificate chain (aka intermediate certificate) file for hostname. This file contains the concatenation of each intermediate certificate, in PEM encoding. The first certificate is the issuer of the end-entity certificate, and the last certificate is signed by the root certificate. The root certificate is not included.

SSLMate optionally creates the following files for every certificate (in the cert_directory) if the indicated configuration option is set to yes.

hostname.chained.crt (cert_format.chained)
    A concatenation of the certificate and chain files for hostname, in PEM encoding. This format is enabled by default. This is the file you should use with most applications on Linux, which require the certificate and chain to be specified in the same file.

hostname.combined.pem (cert_format.combined)
    A concatenation of the private key, certificate, and chain files for hostname, in PEM encoding. This format is intended for Linux applications which require the key and certificates to be specified in the same file.

hostname.p12 (cert_format.p12)
    A PKCS#12 file (also known as a P12 or PFX file) containing the private key, certificate, and chain for hostname. The PKCS#12 file's password is "sslmate". PKCS#12 files are primarily used by Windows applications.

hostname.jks (cert_format.jks)
    A Java keystore file containing the private key, certificate, and chain for hostname. The keystore's password is "sslmate". The keytool(1) command, from the Java runtime environment, must be installed to use this format. JKS files are generally used only by Java applications, such as Tomcat.

hostname.root.crt (cert_format.root)
    The root certificate for hostname, in PEM encoding. You do not generally need the root certificate, so you should leave this format disabled unless you have a special requirement.

hostname.chain+root.crt (cert_format.chain+root)
    A concatenation of the chain and root certificate files for hostname. This format is required for verifying OCSP responses and configuring OCSP stapling. You do not need it in a basic configuration.

You need to configure your server software (e.g. Apache, nginx) with the private key file (.key) and some combination of the .crt files. Some software (e.g. Apache) requires you to specify the certificate (.crt) and the chain (.chain.crt) in separate files, while other software (e.g. nginx) requires you to specify both in a single file (.chained.crt).

Files which contain the private key are created with restrictive filesystem permissions (0600), and other files are created with world-readable permissions (0644). When updating a file, sslmate preserves the existing owner and permissions, including (on Linux only) ACLs. This lets you use filesystem permissions to grant access to applications that run as a non-root user, and not have to worry about the permissions being disrupted when downloading an updated certificate.

You are encouraged to run sslmate as root, store keys and certificates in the SSLMate-managed key_directory and cert_directory (/etc/sslmate by default), and to configure your server software to refer to keys and certificates in this directory. This makes automated renewals more seamless by ensuring that your server software always refers to the latest version of a certificate downloaded by sslmate download.

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

SSLMATE_CONFIG
    The path to your personal configuration file. Defaults to $HOME/.sslmate.

SEE ALSO

Online SSLMate Help[4], openssl(1)

NOTES

1.  online SSLMate account page
    https://sslmate.com/account

2.  online SSLMate dashboard
    https://sslmate.com/dashboard

3.  Mozilla's Server Side TLS Guide
    https://wiki.mozilla.org/Security/Server_Side_TLS

4.  Online SSLMate Help
    https://sslmate.com/help