What is an SSL certificate in South Africa?

Last updated on November 1st, 2022 at 11:11 am

Are you looking for an SSL certificate in South Africa?

You are in the right place.

In this guide, you will learn everything you need to know about an SSL and tips on how to keep your website secure.

But first, let’s cover the basics, shall we?

What is an SSL certificate in South Africa?

SSL is an acronym, stands for Secure Socket Layer. 

In a nutshell, this is a technology of encrypting communication between a web browser and a webserver.

By doing so, you are preventing unauthorized persons from eavesdropping, or worse, stealing information from your website.

What happens is that;

A website sends a request to the server.

Then the server sends the requested data back and then it is displayed on the user’s screen.

Now, someone may tap into this communication route and intercept the data on transit.

You cannot guess what they can do with it.

They may change it or steal.

Either way, you don’t want anything happening.

That is where an SSL certificate in South Africa comes in handy.

When you install it on your site, it moves your website from site HTTP to HTTPS, which is a more secure protocol.

To know a site that is already using an SSL, there is a green padlock next to its domain name. 

Whenever you see that, know your sensitive information such as passwords, usernames, contacts, credit card information  and even Email shared on this site is well secured.

How does an SSL Certificate work?

Here is how an SSL certificate works.

It offers encryption to data on transit through the internet using the public-private key cryptography method. 

• Public Key used for Encryption 
• Private Key is used for decryption 

A public key is shared among users in a browser. 

In order to decrypt it, you will need to use a private key to read the message.

And if the two matches, i.e, if the private key matches the Public key, you will be able to read the data.

Types of SSL Certificates in South Africa

Here are some of the well-known types of SSL certificates in South Africa.

Domain Validation SSL (DV)

If you wish to secure a single domain, this is the SSL for you.

To get it, you need to verify the ownership of the domain to the Certificate Authority (CA) before the SSL certificate is issued to them.

Organization Validation SSL (OV)

As its name suggests, this is a type of SSL associated with organizations, businesses, and big corporations. 

You can see these types of SSL whenever you search a website, there is the name of the company as a site seal in the browser.

This increases the trust of your site.

Now, to get the OV SSL, it can take a maximum of 0 to 3 days.

This is because the Certificate Authority needs to verify the business registration certificates.

Extended Validation SSL

Extended Validation SSL gives you boosted security against email fraud, phishing attacks, and other Cyber-attacks. 

For this reason, the EV SSL issue requires extensive business vetting and may take days. 

Wild Card SSL

If you are looking forward to securing a domain and a number of subdomains, then Wild Card SSL is a great deal. 

This means that you don’t have to purchase SSL for every one of your domains or subdomains.

Multi-Domain Wildcard SSL.

Allows you to secure multiple domains along with their subdomains. 

Better part?

It takes a few minutes to issue.

Cost of an SSL Certificate in South Africa

The cost of SSL varies depending on the number of domains one wishes to secure with an SSL. 

Here are some pricing;