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Free TLS Certs With Certbot

Request and auto-renew Let's Encrypt certificates for your domains.

LinuxcertificatestlsencryptionMedium risk
Run sudo certbot certonly --standalone -d example.com to obtain a certificate.

01Command

Command
$ sudo certbot certonly --standalone -d example.com

02What it does

Certbot proves control of a domain (standalone spins up a temporary web server, or use --nginx/--apache), saves the certificate under /etc/letsencrypt and installs a renewal timer. Certificates are valid for 90 days and renew automatically.

03Risk

RiskMedium risk
Requirementssudo apt install certbot
!Warning: Standalone mode needs port 80 reachable and temporarily stops any existing web server on that port.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • Certbot
    Official project · vendor-doc · 2026-09-20
    Evidence: Debian packages Certbot, the EFF client for Let's Encrypt certificates.
  • Debian package: certbot
    Debian · vendor-doc · 2026-09-20
    Evidence: Debian packages Certbot, the EFF client for Let's Encrypt certificates.

Last verified: 2026-09-22 · Category: Security & Privacy