Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 55 minutes ago
Free SSL on GoDaddy hosting using Lets Encrypt and Certbot. In this video I show step by step how to install a free SSL certificate and stop paying GoDaddy $200 per year.
GoDaddy charges around $200 per year for SSL, but you can install a free certificate yourself in about 10 minutes.
This process works on Linux, Ubuntu, or even a Raspberry Pi.
GoDaddy SSL Certificate Renewal Cheat Sheet
Step 1: Install certbot (if not already installed)
sudo apt update
sudo apt install certbot
Step 2: Generate the SSL certificate using the DNS challenge and force RSA keys
sudo certbot certonly --manual --preferred-challenges=dns --key-type rsa --force-renewal -d yourdomain.com -d yourdomain.com
Certbot will display a TXT record that must be added to your domain DNS.
Step 3: Add the TXT record in GoDaddy
Log in to GoDaddy and open the DNS settings for your domain.
Add a new TXT record with the following values
Host: _acme-challenge
TXT Value: value provided by certbot
TTL: 600 seconds
Save the record and wait several minutes for DNS propagation.
Step 4: Complete certificate generation
Return to the terminal and press Enter.
Certbot will verify the TXT record and issue the certificate.
Certificate files will be saved in
/etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com
Important files
cert.pem
privkey.pem
chain.pem
fullchain.pem
Step 5: Convert the private key and create the certificate bundle
Convert the private key for GoDaddy
sudo openssl rsa -in /etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/privkey.pem -out ~/yourdomain_rsa.key
Create the certificate bundle
sudo cat /etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/cert.pem /etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/chain.pem into ~/yourdomain.crt
You should now have two files
yourdomain_rsa.key
yourdomain.crt
Step 6: Upload the certificate to GoDaddy
Log in to GoDaddy and go to My Products.
Open Manage Hosting, then Security, then SSL.
Choose Upload a Certificate and upload
yourdomain.crt
yourdomain_rsa.key
Install the certificate.
Step 7: Verify SSL is working
Open your site
yourdomain.com
Confirm the browser shows the lock icon.
You can also test with
curl -I yourdomain.com
Expected response
HTTP/2 200
or
HTTP/2 301
Online checker
sslshopper.com/ssl-checker.html
Step 8: Renewal reminder
Lets Encrypt certificates expire every 90 days.
Repeat this process before expiration.
Free SSL on GoDaddy hosting using Lets Encrypt and Certbot. In this video I show step by step how to install a free SSL certificate and stop paying GoDaddy $200 per year.
GoDaddy charges around $200 per year for SSL, but you can install a free certificate yourself in about 10 minutes.
This process works on Linux, Ubuntu, or even a Raspberry Pi.
GoDaddy SSL Certificate Renewal Cheat Sheet
Step 1: Install certbot (if not already installed)
sudo apt update
sudo apt install certbot
Step 2: Generate the SSL certificate using the DNS challenge and force RSA keys
sudo certbot certonly --manual --preferred-challenges=dns --key-type rsa --force-renewal -d yourdomain.com -d yourdomain.com
Certbot will display a TXT record that must be added to your domain DNS.
Step 3: Add the TXT record in GoDaddy
Log in to GoDaddy and open the DNS settings for your domain.
Add a new TXT record with the following values
Host: _acme-challenge
TXT Value: value provided by certbot
TTL: 600 seconds
Save the record and wait several minutes for DNS propagation.
Step 4: Complete certificate generation
Return to the terminal and press Enter.
Certbot will verify the TXT record and issue the certificate.
Certificate files will be saved in
/etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com
Important files
cert.pem
privkey.pem
chain.pem
fullchain.pem
Step 5: Convert the private key and create the certificate bundle
Convert the private key for GoDaddy
sudo openssl rsa -in /etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/privkey.pem -out ~/yourdomain_rsa.key
Create the certificate bundle
sudo cat /etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/cert.pem /etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/chain.pem into ~/yourdomain.crt
You should now have two files
yourdomain_rsa.key
yourdomain.crt
Step 6: Upload the certificate to GoDaddy
Log in to GoDaddy and go to My Products.
Open Manage Hosting, then Security, then SSL.
Choose Upload a Certificate and upload
yourdomain.crt
yourdomain_rsa.key
Install the certificate.
Step 7: Verify SSL is working
Open your site
yourdomain.com
Confirm the browser shows the lock icon.
You can also test with
curl -I yourdomain.com
Expected response
HTTP/2 200
or
HTTP/2 301
Online checker
sslshopper.com/ssl-checker.html
Step 8: Renewal reminder
Lets Encrypt certificates expire every 90 days.
Repeat this process before expiration.
