How to install Certbot on your Linux VPS ​

Instructions for installing Certbot for Apache2 and Nginx on a Linux VPS.

With Certbot you can set up free TLS/SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt.

Certbot via Snap (recommended) ​

1. Update system
   First update the system of your server. Open the console and enter the following command:

   bash

   apt update && apt upgrade -y

   apt update && apt upgrade -y

2. Install Snap
   Install Snap by entering the following commands in the console:

   bash

   sudo apt install snapd
   sudo snap install core
   sudo snap refresh core

   sudo apt install snapd
   sudo snap install core
   sudo snap refresh core

3. Install Certbot
   Install Certbot via Snap:

   bash

   sudo snap install --classic certbot

   sudo snap install --classic certbot

4. Enable command
   Make the Certbot command available system-wide:

   bash

   sudo ln -s /snap/bin/certbot /usr/bin/certbot

   sudo ln -s /snap/bin/certbot /usr/bin/certbot

5. Use Certbot
   Run Certbot for your web server:

   • For Apache2:
   bash

   sudo certbot --apache

   sudo certbot --apache

   • For Nginx:
   bash

   sudo certbot --nginx

   sudo certbot --nginx

6. Check certificates
   You can find certificates under:

   /etc/letsencrypt/live/<your-domain>/

   /etc/letsencrypt/live/<your-domain>/

   Show status:

   bash

   sudo certbot certificates

   sudo certbot certificates

7. Automatic renewal
   Certbot automatically creates a cronjob. You can use the following command to test whether the automatic renewal works correctly:

   bash

   sudo certbot renew --dry-run

   sudo certbot renew --dry-run

Certbot via APT ​

1. Update system
   First update the system of your server. Open the console and enter the following command:

   bash

   apt update && apt upgrade -y

   apt update && apt upgrade -y

2. Install Certbot
   Install Certbot for your web server:

   • For Apache2:
   bash

   sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache

   sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache

   • For Nginx:
   bash

   sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx

   sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx

3. Use Certbot
   Run Certbot for your web server:

   • For Apache2:
   bash

   sudo certbot --apache

   sudo certbot --apache

   • For Nginx:
   bash

   sudo certbot --nginx

   sudo certbot --nginx

4. Check certificates
   You can find certificates under:

   /etc/letsencrypt/live/<your-domain>/

   /etc/letsencrypt/live/<your-domain>/

   Show status:

   bash

   sudo certbot certificates

   sudo certbot certificates

5. Automatic renewal
   Certbot automatically creates a cronjob. You can use the following command to test whether the automatic renewal works correctly:

   bash

   sudo certbot renew --dry-run

   sudo certbot renew --dry-run