Manual SSL/TLS certificate management is time-consuming and prone to errors. From procurement and validation to deployment and timely renewal, such tasks often lead to security vulnerabilities, costly expirations, and application downtime. For teams running on AWS, a powerful solution called AWS Certificate Manager helps address these issues. ACM automates the entire lifecycle and keeps SSL/TLS certificates healthy without constant effort. In this blog, we will explore the benefits of using ACM, how it works, and how to provision and manage certificates with ACM. We also cover best practices for using the service.
Table of Contents:
What are SSL/TLS Certificates?
SSL/TLS certificates ensure secure online communication by encrypting data between a website and a user’s browser. These certificates are issued by trusted Certificate Authorities and these certificates verify a website’s authenticity, building user trust. Regular renewal and proper management are vital to staying ahead of security threats.
What is AWS Certificate Manager?
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is a service from Amazon Web Services (AWS) that provides a smooth process for acquiring, managing, and deploying SSL/TLS certificates. This is for securing communication between clients and servers over the Internet. SSL/TLS certificates secure traffic between a site and its users.
ACM streamlines the certificate provisioning, validation, and renewal process by automating many of the tasks involved. It also provides a centralized location to manage certificates that support several integrated AWS services, including Elastic Load Balancing and Amazon API Gateway.
ACM simplifies securing web applications by offering free SSL/TLS certificates for use with these services. This helps businesses significantly save on the cost of securing their web presence. ACM also offers a paid Private Certificate Authority (CA) feature for internal security needs.
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Why Do We Need AWS Certificate Manager?
The growing importance of SSL/TLS certificates for securing communication between clients and servers over the internet necessitates the use of AWS Certificate Manager (ACM). The real problem is managing certificates by hand across many apps and domains.
However, managing these certificates manually can be complex and time-consuming, particularly for businesses operating multiple web applications and services. This manual approach often results in configuration errors, security vulnerabilities, and costly certificate expirations.
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) streamlines SSL/TLS certificate management by automating key tasks like certificate renewal, validation, and provisioning. It provides a centralized platform for efficiently managing and utilizing certificates across a range of AWS services. By offering a unified, automated solution for certificate management, ACM reduces the operational overhead, simplifying complexities and costs associated with maintaining a secure environment.
How AWS Certificate Manager Works
AWS Certificate Manager works by first requesting a certificate for the domain name(s) you want to secure. ACM then verifies that you own or control the domain(s) using one or two primary methods: email validation or DNS validation. While email validation requires clicking a link sent to a specific domain administrator’s email address, DNS validation is the recommended approach, as it simply requires adding a CNAME record to your domain’s DNS Configuration.
After validation and ownership confirmation, ACM issues the certificate and securely stores it in its internal certificate store. You can then use the certificate with various AWS services like Elastic Load Balancing, Amazon API Gateway, and Amazon CloudFront. The key benefit here is automation, as ACM automatically manages the renewal of DNS-validated certificates well before they expire, eliminating the need for manual certificate management and ensuring your applications remain securely protected.
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AWS Certificate Manager Pricing
AWS Certificate Manager offers both free and paid options for SSL/TLS certificates. You can use free public certificates with integrated Amazon CloudFront, Elastic Load Balancing, and AWS Elastic Beanstalk. There are no extra charges for these certificates.
The paid option in AWS Certificate Manager, called Private Certificate Authority (CA), lets you create and manage private certificates for your organization. These are ideal for securing internal communication within your organization. You can also customize the trust chain to meet your security needs.
The cost of Private CA is usage-based, starting at US$400 per month, and includes the first 100 certificates issued each month. Additional certificates are charged at $0.75 per certificate per month. There are also fees for key usage, revocation, and other features.
Benefits of AWS Certificate Manager
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) provides several benefits for businesses, including:
- Enhanced Security: ACM manages the validity, currency, and renewal of SSL/TLS certificates, helping to reduce the possibility of security vulnerabilities and downtime.
- Cost-Effective: AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) provides SSL/TLS certificates at no cost. This helps businesses reduce the cost of securing their web applications and services.
- Easy Integration with AWS Services: ACM certificates seamlessly integrate with various AWS services, including Elastic Load Balancing, Amazon API Gateway, and AWS Elastic Beanstalk. This helps keep applications and services secure by ensuring their certificates are up to date.
- Time-Saving: By automating credential administration, businesses can devote more time and resources to their core capabilities rather than manual administrative tasks.
Applications of AWS Certificate Manager
AWS Certificate Manager has various applications, primarily centred around securing AWS-integrated web services.
Some of the most common ones are listed below:
1. Secure Websites
ACM provides SSL/TLS certificates to secure websites and web applications by encrypting data transmitted between clients and servers. It also verifies the website’s identity to establish trust with users.
2. API Gateway
ACM can be used to secure APIs exposed through Amazon API Gateway, enabling secure communication between clients and APIs.
3. Load Balancers
ACM secures client traffic as it reaches the applications behind your Load Balancers. This reduces the risk of attacks on your web page.
4. Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)
ACM can secure content delivered via Amazon CloudFront, ensuring it is transmitted securely to end users globally.
5. Internal PKI (Private CA)
ACM’s Private CA lets you issue certificates for internal apps, devices, and services inside your private network.
The Bottom Line
As AWS expands its services and solutions, it keeps pulling ACM into more of them, which boosts its value for businesses of all sizes. ACM handles the complex aspects of certificate management. This lets IT teams focus on innovation rather than manual administrative tasks.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Does ACM provide certificates outside of SSL/TLS?
No, ACM does not provide certificates outside of SSL/TLS.
Q2. Can ACM provide certificates with multiple domain names?
Yes, each certificate must include at least one domain name, and you can add more if you want.
Q3. Can ACM provide certificates with wildcard domain names?
Yes, ACM can provide certificates with wildcard domain names.
Q4. Is AWS Certificate Manager free?
Yes, AWS offers no-cost public SSL/TLS certificates provisioned through AWS Certificate Manager. You are only charged for the AWS resources you use to run your application.
Q5. What is the validity period for ACM certificates?
ACM certificates are typically valid for 13 months (395 days). Suppose you issue private certificates directly from a private CA and manage the certificates and keys without using ACM. In that case, you can choose any validity period, including an absolute end date.