🔒 SecureDot

How the DNS Challenge Works

When you request an SSL certificate, the certificate authority (in our case, Let's Encrypt) needs to be sure that you actually control the domain name you're requesting the certificate for. This is a critical security step to prevent someone from impersonating your website.

There are a few ways to prove ownership, but the method used by SecureDot is called the DNS-01 Challenge. It is one of the most reliable and secure methods available.

What is DNS?

DNS stands for Domain Name System. Think of it as the phonebook of the internet. It translates human-friendly domain names (like example.com) into computer-friendly IP addresses (like 192.0.2.1). This system is managed through records, such as A records, CNAME records, and TXT records.

The DNS-01 Challenge Process

The DNS-01 challenge works by asking you to place a specific piece of information in your domain's DNS records. Because only the true owner of a domain can modify its DNS records, this serves as proof of control.

Here is a simplified step-by-step breakdown of how it works on the SecureDot platform:

  1. You Request a Certificate: You start the process by entering your domain name on our platform.
  2. We Get a "Token": Our system communicates with Let's Encrypt, which generates a unique, temporary "token" (a random string of characters) for your request.
  3. We Give You a TXT Record: SecureDot then presents you with this token in the form of a DNS TXT record. It will look something like this:
    • Record Type: TXT
    • Name/Host: _acme-challenge.yourdomain.com
    • Value/Content: [a long, random string of characters provided by us]
  4. You Add the Record: You need to log in to your domain registrar or DNS provider (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare) and add this exact TXT record to your domain's DNS settings.
  5. Let's Encrypt Verifies: Once you've added the record, you'll click the "Verify" button on our platform. This tells Let's Encrypt to go look at the DNS records for _acme-challenge.yourdomain.com.
  6. Verification Complete: If Let's Encrypt finds the TXT record with the correct token, it confirms you control the domain. The challenge is complete, and your SSL certificate can be issued!

This method is highly secure and allows for the issuance of certificates for wildcard domains (e.g., *.yourdomain.com), which is a major advantage.

Need help issuing your certificate? Check out our step-by-step guide!