Wildcard SSL FAQs

A Wildcard SSL certificate is a single certificate that has a special character in the domain name field. The special character is usually an asterisk ‘*’. For example, a wildcard SSL certificate obtained for *.website.com can be used to secure multiple domains like:

• www.website.com
• mail.website.com
• blog.website.com
• news.website.com
• anything.website.com

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A wildcard SSL certificate considers main domain and its unlimited subdomains. When you apply for wildcard SSL, you do not need to specify each subdomain as the main domain will secure its first-level subdomains automatically. You can install same wildcard SSL on multiple servers in case, subdomains are on different servers or change of server.

If you want to secure unlimited subdomains under a common domain or domains, you need a Wildcard SSL certificate. It helps you save cost on buying multiple single domain certificates. Also, it simplifies managing the security of all your domains and subdomains easily with a single SSL certificate.

You can check if a website is secured using a Wildcard SSL certificate with the following steps:

• Click on the padlock symbol on the left of the URL
• Click on Certificate
• Check whether ‘issued to’ field has “*.domain.com”
• If yes, the website is secured using a Wildcard SSL certificate.

Yes. Although it is a single SSL certificate, a Wildcard SSL certificate secures all subdomains within the common domain for which the organization obtains the SSL certificate.

If you have a single domain Wildcard SSL certificate, it is not possible to secure second level subdomains.

For example, if you have a Wildcard SSL certificate for *.website.com, you can only secure websites that come under the website.com domain.

For example, *.website.com can secure blog.website.com but not my.blog.website.com

For that, you will have to purchase wildcard for a domain like *.abc.website.com that will secure below subdomains like

• www.abc.website.com
• login.abc.website.com
• store.abc.website.com

Same as Installation, CSR generation depends upon different servers. You can check this information in detailed from here.

Installing a Wildcard SSL certificate on different servers require technical knowledge and is a bit lengthy process. Thus, you can check guide for SSL installation.

A multi-domain Wildcard SSL certificate allows securing multi-level subdomains of multiple main domains. It gives the benefit of a single SSL certificate to manage the security of all your websites without having to buy individual certificates.

For example, you will have to place an asterisk (*) before multiple domains:

• *.mydomain1.com
• *.mydomain2.co.uk
• *.anydomain.com
• *.anydomain.tld

Wildcard SSL certificates secure main domain and its all first level of unlimited subdomains. A multi-domain SSL certificate secures multiple domains. Read more information from here.

Yes. Wildcard SSL certificates issued by top Certificate Authorities work with 99.99% server and browser compatibility.

Investing in a Wildcard SSL certificate allows you to secure the main domain. You do not need to add subdomains in the main certificate as it will secure first-level subdomains of main domain like *.domain.com will secure a.domain.com, b.domain.com, c.domain.com.

A Wildcard SSL certificate supports SAN feature (depending upon SSL providers) that secures single domain as well as different level of domains along with subdomains:

For example:

• domain.biz
• blog.domain.com
• *.mail.domain.com will secure domain1.mail.domain.com, domain2.mail.domain.com
• *.domain.net will secure domain.net, blog.domain.net, email.domain.net

Yes, you can. There are websites which share a common IP address with all subdomains. Server name indication (SNI) allows running multiple certificates on a single IP address.

In the case of security, a Wildcard SSL certificate ensures that all your IP addresses for different subdomains are secured under one SSL certificate.