A Step-by-Step Guide to Configuring Let's Encrypt Free & Easy SSL Certificates on a Mikrotik Router.
Introduction
Overview
The following is an overview of the steps outlined in this tutorial:
1) What is Let’s Encrypt & Why is it important for your network security
2) Download Winbox and connect to your Mikrotik Router
3) Configure A Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificate
4) What Are the Benefits of Using Let’s Encrypt TLS Certificates?
5) Conclusion.
Requirements
The following is a list of items that you may need to complete this tutorial:
1) A Mikrotik Router running the latest version of RouterOS
2) A public static IP address and the DDNS feature enabled
3) The WinBox utility or an SSH client such as Putty or the macOS Terminal app.
1. What is Let's Encrypt & Why is it Important for Your Network Security?
Let’s Encrypt is a free, automated, and open Certificate Authority that provides digital certificates for Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption. It is an important tool for securing your network, as it allows you to encrypt all your web traffic and communications with other networks. This ensures that all data sent between networks is kept secure and private, protecting your network from potential cyber-attacks. By using Let’s Encrypt on your Mikrotik Router, you can also benefit from the improved security it provides and ensure secure communications on your private / public networks.
2. Download Winbox and connect to your Mikrotik Router
3. Configure A Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificate
Assuming that you do not have a fully qualified domain name pointing to the public IP address of your Mikrotik router, you need to enable the Mikrotik DDNS feature. Click IP > Cloud and click the DDNS Enabled checkbox. Click Apply to save changes.
Return back to the Mikrotik Terminal and run the following commands to request for a Let’s Encrypt certificate.
The typical certificate expiry time is 90 days and RouterOS can renew the certificate automatically as long as if Let’s Encrypt can reach the RouterOS built-in web server. Click IP > Firewall and click the Address List tab. Click add and set Name to Let’s Encrypt, set Address to acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org. Click Apply to Save changes.
Click Add again and set Name to Let’s Encrypt. Set Address to acme-staging-v02.api.letsencrypt.org and click Save. Click Add and set Nable to Let’s Encrypt. Set Address to letsencrypt.orge and click Save.
Click the Filter Rules tab and edit the rule created for opening HTTP port 80. Set the Src Address List parameter to use the dynamic Let’s Encrypt IP address list and click Save. Enable the HTTP port 80 rule so that future SSL certificate renewals will be successfull.
If you would like to force an SSL certificate renewall run the following commands:
What Are the Benefits of Using Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificates?
Let’s Encrypt TLS Certificates are an increasingly popular way to secure transmissions on a device such as a Mikrotik Router. With a Let’s Encrypt certificate, Router owners can rest assured that their data is safe from hackers and other malicious actors. You can also provision secure public VPN connections using the Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate. Let’s Encrypt TLS Certificates provide users with a range of benefits, such as improved security, higher router performance, and cost savings. With the help of these certificates, Router owners can protect their data and ensure that it remains private and secure. Finally, these certificates are free to use which makes them an attractive option for those looking for cost-effective solutions for website security.
Conclusion
In this tutorial, you have learned how to configure and manage Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates on your Microtik Router. We encourage you to always use Let’s Encrypt to protect your connections and safeguard your data in transit. We hope that this tutorial has been informative and would like to thank you for reading it.
