What is a Wildcard SSL Certificate? – 2024 Guide

Being a host of multiple domains or subdomains can be a really hard thing to do since there are so many things you need to do for each of them. Therefore, securing them with either a TLS or SSL certificate will provide you with a somewhat easier task. However, the best thing that you can actually do is to choose an alternative that will prove much better. We are talking about a wildcard certificate. We can see that many people are not aware of how beneficial this move can actually be.

Moreover, a high percentage of people don’t really know what is a wildcard certificate. This is either TLS or SSL certificate that includes a wildcard, which allows you to have a higher level of security of a domain or a couple of subdomains. If you are interested in obtaining one of these, be sure to take a look at ClickSSL. Now, let’s see why you actually need one of these and what it could do to help you with your domains.

Wildcard SSL Certificate

img source: ispsystem.ru

It can be said that SSL wildcard is much more sophistical than its counterpart. Most of the time, it is used by companies who have a couple of domains within their ownership, and they need security for all of them. Yes, all of this can be accomplished with a single one of these. The main difference that separates it from other SSLs and TLSs is that it has a prefix, an asterix (*) added to its name. This prefix can stand for pretty much anything.

One of the things that set it as one of the best choices you can make within this field is that a whole new SSL certificate doesn’t need to be re-issued once again if we are talking about adding a new subdomain. The conclusion is that we highly recommend you to buy one of these the moment you’ve decided to host a couple of domains or subdomains instead of just one. We are going to talk about this in greater detail later in the article. Therefore, you will quickly see that there are many more of these benefits.

What are the Benefits?

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Now, we would like about all the benefits you can reap by using Wildcard SSL.

  • Simple management

It should be said that the thing that impresses a high majority of people is that managing wildcard SSL is absolutely easy. You will have all the domains in your ownership registered under a single certificate, which means that you will be able to manage them all at once. So, you are going to be able to save a lot of time you would otherwise spend on managing all of them particularly. Also, you will be able to lower the costs of maintaining all of these.

  • Compatibility

When you buy a wildcard SSL, you will quickly see that it is compatible with all of the browsers that are used the most in this day and age. Therefore, you will certainly have a much easier time managing it from one place since you will not have to install a couple of browsers just for the sake of wildcard SSL.

  • Encryption

One of the best things about this certificate is that it will provide you with 265-bit encryption.

  • It’s worth the money

Since you will not have to buy all the additional certificates, you will be able to preserve a significant amount of money you would spend buying a couple of them. This is probably the main strength of a wildcard SSL. It will provide you the level of security for all of them at the price of one certificate. By providing the option for their consumers to be practical and economical is surely a thing that attracted a high number of people over time.

  • Flexibility

One of the best things about wildcard SSL and one that we would like to point out is its flexibility. When compared to the others, we can see that you will have a much easier to if you want to add a new subdomain. In case they are valid, at the moment when they are added, you will not have the obligation to re-issue a new certificate. Since you are not obligated to do that, you will see that the existing one will provide essential protection for all of them. Plus, you don’t have to put a name to the subdomain you’ve to create when you buy one of these.

The Difference Between Wildcard SSL and SSL Certificates

img source: hostpapa.ca

When we are talking about a single SSL certificate, this means that you will be able to cover just one domain and one of the subdomains. This is a good choice for people who have just one website, and who don’t have the ambition of hosting a couple of them at the same time. It goes without saying that you will not be able to host anything besides this one if you choose a single-domain SSL. Therefore, in case you have the ambition to host a couple of them, you should purchase a wildcard SSL certificate.

As we’ve mentioned, if you choose a wildcard SSL, you will be able to have all of your domains and their subdomains under single protection, which provides a plethora of benefits. Surely, this will provide you with a high number of benefits you can actually use. You will be able to cover an unlimited number of domains you will buy after the moment you’ve purchased one of these. So, you don’t need to worry about the harmful things that can occur if you opt for just one of these, which can be seen in the case of buying a single-domain SSL.

The Bottom Line

Thankfully, now we have the option of purchasing a wildcard SSL certificate. As you could read above, you are going to be able to host a high number of domains and subdomains, without experiencing any struggles in between. Therefore, we absolutely recommend you to use one of these, if you have an ambition of hosting multiple websites, instead of buying a single-domain SSL.

Vukadinovic Sinisa
Vukadinovic Sinisa

I am Sinisa Vukadinovic. My passion is writing about the sports industry, mainly football (or soccer if you like :) ), from lower leagues to top tier leagues such as Premiership, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1. I like to travel and watch games live and then pass the experience to the readers through blog posts.

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