To get a free SSL certificate from InfinityFree, you need to setup some DNS CNAME records on your domain name. This article describes how to do that. Like videos better? Check out the bottom of this article.
Where do I set up the CNAME records?
The CNAME records should be set up with the DNS hosting provider of your domain name.
Most people will be using the InfinityFree nameservers ns1.infinityfree.com and ns2.infinityfree.com, or the byet.org nameservers. This means you can add the records to the control panel of the hosting account hosting this domain name. The records can be added to the “CNAME Records” section.
If your domain name is using different nameservers, you’ll need to add the CNAME records to the nameservers of that provider. So, if your domain name is using Cloudflare nameservers, you need to setup the CNAME records at Cloudflare.
Which records do I need to add?
You can find the DNS CNAME records to add in the client area.
- Login to the client area.
- Go to the “Free SSL Certificates” section.
- Create a new SSL certificate order, or click Manage next to the one you have already created.
- On the SSL certificate page you’ll see one or two CNAME records: one for _acme-challenge.example.com and sometimes one for _acme-challenge.www.example.com, each with their own Destination. These are the records you need to add.
You should keep this browser tab open, because you’ll need these records later.
Where can I configure my CNAME records?
The CNAME records should be set up with the DNS hosting provider of your domain name.
Most people will be using the InfinityFree nameservers ns1.infinityfree.com and ns2.infinityfree.com. This means you can add the records to the control panel of the hosting account hosting this domain name. The records can be added to the “CNAME Records” section.
If you’re using third party nameservers, like Cloudflare, you need to add the DNS records through the interface of your nameserver provider. Please check with your DNS provider to learn how to do this.
How should I set up the CNAME records?
These instructions are for the CNAME Records section in the InfinityFree control panel. If you’re using other nameservers, the instructions may be different.
In the CNAME Records section in the control panel, you will need to create the one or two CNAME records as shown in the client area.
For each of the CNAME records in the client area, do the following:
- Copy the value of the Record Name row, and paste it to the Record Name field in the control panel.
- Select the right domain name from the Domains dropdown in the control panel.
- Copy the value of the Destination row, and paste it to the Destination field in the control panel.
- Click the Add button.
Note about using subdomains
If you want to add SSL to a subdomain of your own domain, the information in the client area isn’t entirely correct. The client area will say to select the subdomain (e.g. blog.example.com) but the control panel only shows the base domain (e.g. example.com).
So fix this, you can add the subdomain to the Record Name field. So if the client area says that the Record Name is _acme-challenge.www and the domain is blog.example.com, you can also create these with the record name _acme-challenge.www.blog and domain example.com.
I have added the CNAME records, what’s next?
It will take a few hours for the DNS changes to be fully rolled out.
During this rollout, the client area may say the DNS records are Ready, or may do so intermittently.
Once the client area detects the CNAME record, it will say the domain is Ready and the Request Certificate button will be enabled. At this time, you can try to request the certificate, but it can fail with error messages saying the domain name could not be valid. If that happens, simply try again later.
I’ve received my SSL certificate, should I delete the CNAME records?
You’re always free to delete the CNAME records. Deleting the CNAME records will not break any SSL certificates that have already been issued.
However, we recommend that you keep the CNAME record. The same CNAME record will be used when you want to renew your certificate. So by leaving it in place, you’ll be able to renew the certificate quickly and easily if your current certificate is due to expire.
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