Application SSL Certificates¶

SSL is a cryptographic protocol that provides end-to-end encryption and integrity for all web requests. Apps that transmit sensitive data should enable SSL to ensure all information is transmitted securely.

To enable SSL on a custom domain, e.g., www.example.com, use the SSL endpoint.

Note

deis certs is only useful for custom domains. Default application domains are SSL-enabled already and can be accessed simply by using https, e.g. https://foo.deisapp.com (provided that you have installed your wildcard certificate on the routers or on the load balancer).

Overview¶

Because of the unique nature of SSL validation, provisioning SSL for your domain is a multi-step process that involves several third-parties. You will need to:

Purchase an SSL certificate from your SSL provider
Upload the cert to Deis

Acquire SSL Certificate¶

Purchasing an SSL cert varies in cost and process depending on the vendor. RapidSSL offers a simple way to purchase a certificate and is a recommended solution. If you’re able to use this provider, see buy an SSL certificate with RapidSSL for instructions.

DNS and Domain Configuration¶

Once the SSL certificate is provisioned and your cert is confirmed, you must route requests for your domain through Deis. Unless you’ve already done so, add the domain specified when generating the CSR to your app with:

$ deis domains:add www.example.com -a foo
Adding www.example.com to foo... done

Attach the Certificate¶

Add your certificate, any intermediate certificates, and private key to the endpoint with the certs:add command.

$ deis certs:add server.crt server.key
Adding SSL endpoint... done
www.example.com

Note

It may take up to one minute for the certificate to be available on the routers.

Attach a Certificate Chain¶

Sometimes, your certificates (such as a self-signed or a cheap certificate) need additional certificates to establish the chain of trust. What you need to do is bundle all the certificates into one file and give that to Deis. Importantly, your site’s certificate must be the first one:

$ cat server.crt server.ca > server.bundle

After that, you can add them to Deis with the certs:add command:

$ deis certs:add server.bundle server.key
Adding SSL endpoint... done
www.example.com

Endpoint Details¶

You can verify the details of your domain’s SSL configuration with deis certs.

$ deis certs
Common Name      Expires
---------------  ----------------------
www.example.com  2016-12-31T00:00:00UTC

Testing SSL¶

Use a command line utility like curl to test that everything is configured correctly for your secure domain.

Note

The -k option flag tells curl to ignore untrusted certificates.

Pay attention to the output. It should print SSL certificate verify ok. If it prints something like common name: www.example.com (does not match 'www.somedomain.com') then something is not configured correctly.

Remove Certificate¶

You can remove a certificate using the certs:remove command:

$ deis certs:remove www.example.com
Removing www.example.com... Done.

Troubleshooting¶

Here are some steps you can follow if your SSL endpoint is not working as you’d expect.

Untrusted Certificate¶

In some cases when accessing the SSL endpoint, it may list your certificate as untrusted.

If this occurs, it may be because it is not trusted by Mozilla’s list of root CAs. If this is the case, your certificate may be considered untrusted for many browsers.

If you have uploaded a certificate that was signed by a root authority but you get the message that it is not trusted, then something is wrong with the certificate. For example, it may be missing intermediary certificates. If so, download the intermediary certificates from your SSL provider, remove the certificate from Deis and re-run the certs:add command.