Member Avatar for riahc3

Hey

I want to get a (free) SSL certificate so I can test it out (on localhost) before applying it on my real site. This is for a Magento store but should be universal, more or less. Resources? Where should I get it from? How to?

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OP already proved the cert side works, and the real problem is not the certificate itself but how Apache and Magento are configured so the whole site ends up on HTTPS. Two practical, low-risk approaches that fit a localhost test setup:

  • Create a locally trusted dev certificate (avoid browser warnings). Today the easiest way is mkcert — it installs a local CA into the OS/browser and makes certs for localhost/127.0.0.1 automatically. (github.com)

  • Run both an HTTP vhost (:80) and an HTTPS vhost (:443) that share the same DocumentRoot; enable SSL only in the 443 vhost. That lets the server speak both protocols for the same site name. (httpd.apache.org)

To force HTTPS for only specific Magento routes (checkout, customer account, etc.) keep the general site on HTTP and redirect only those paths to HTTPS at the server level. Put a small mod_rewrite rule in the site vhost or root .htaccess so only matching URIs are redirected:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^/(checkout|customer|checkout/onepage|customer/account) [NC]
RewriteRule ^ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=302,L]

This pattern preserves host and path and avoids site-wide forcing of HTTPS. (cwiki.apache.org)

Magento notes and troubleshooting: Magento will use secure URLs for sensitive areas by default and uses the Secure / Unsecure Base URL settings to decide link generation; if the Unsecure Base URL is set to https (or a server/.htaccess redirect forces https) the whole site will appear SSL’d. Clear var/cache after changes and check the “Auto-redirect to Base URL” / base URL entries (or core_config_data) if unexpected redirects occur. For mixed-content or AJAX forms that still call http endpoints, use secure URL helpers (or the _forced_secure/_secure flags) so resources target HTTPS endpoints. (magento.stackexchange.com)

Tie-in to earlier suggestions: ’s internal-CA idea is sound — mkcert automates that. ’s SelfSSL is a Windows option, but for Apache on localhost mkcert + the targeted-rewrite approach is the simplest, safest way to test “one page” HTTPS without affecting the whole store.

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Member Avatar for JorgeM

You could always set up an internal Certificate server on your network to issue internal certificates for testing. Also, if you are running the website on IIS 7.5, that version supports IIS creating self-signed certificates that is very useful for testing/validation purposes.

Member Avatar for riahc3

You could always set up an internal Certificate server on your network to issue internal certificates for testing. Also, if you are running the website on IIS 7.5, that version supports IIS creating self-signed certificates that is very useful for testing/validation purposes.

Im using Apache. How can I set up a Internet Certificate server on my network?

Member Avatar for riahc3

"internAl"

Member Avatar for riahc3

I was able to generate one with success :) The only current problem I have is that the entire site is SSLd............I cant SSL just ONE page...

Member Avatar for rahul1241

I am able to know about this information .

Member Avatar for seoapprentice

I have the same question. Thanks for sharing the source JorgeM.

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