Certificate authority

A certificate authority (CA), also known as a certification authority, issues digital certificates that verify a website’s owner. Certificate authorities distribute certificates via email or by adding a DNS record to the site’s domain registrar’s account. They help form the chain of trust that protects visitors from scam sites and website owners from cyberattacks.

An SSL certificate, for example, appears as an “s” on the end of HTTPS in a website’s URL. It means the SSL encrypts sensitive data before passing it on. If you’re buying a pair of shoes online, HTTPS in the URL lets you know you’re purchasing from a real seller and that your data is encrypted and safe.

Webflow supports SSL hosting, issues certificates, and automatically renews them so they’re never out of date (as long as the DNS records are continuously pointed to Webflow and the site is loading on Webflow SSL hosting servers). Enterprise customers can also choose to upload a custom SSL certificate if they prefer (but a custom certificate won’t renew automatically).