Lets Encrypt is a free, automated, and open certificate authority (CA), run for the publics benefit. It is a service provided by the Internet Security Research Group (ISRG).
We give people the digital certificates they need in order to enable HTTPS (SSL/TLS) for websites, for free, in the most user-friendly way we can. We do this because we want to create a more secure and privacy-respecting Web.
The key principles behind Lets Encrypt are:
- Free: Anyone who owns a domain name can use Lets Encrypt to obtain a trusted certificate at zero cost.
- Automatic: Software running on a web server can interact with Lets Encrypt to painlessly obtain a certificate, securely configure it for use, and automatically take care of renewal.
- Secure: Lets Encrypt will serve as a platform for advancing TLS security best practices, both on the CA side and by helping site operators properly secure their servers.
- Transparent: All certificates issued or revoked will be publicly recorded and available for anyone to inspect.
- Open: The automatic issuance and renewal protocol will be published as an open standard that others can adopt.
- Cooperative: Much like the underlying Internet protocols themselves, Lets Encrypt is a joint effort to benefit the community, beyond the control of any one organization.
