Core features Let's Encrypt provides free, automated, and trusted TLS/SSL certificates to help sites enable HTTPS quickly. It uses the ACME protocol and supports clients like Certbot to automatically request, install, and renew certificates. Certificates are domain-validated (DV) and valid for 90 days by default.
Use cases and target users
- Personal site owners & bloggers: enable HTTPS at zero cost to improve security and search visibility
- Developers & DevOps: integrate into CI/CD pipelines to automate certificate management at scale
- Hosting providers & cloud platforms: offer built-in encryption to customers
- IoT and internal services: lightweight, scriptable certificate issuance
Key benefits
- Free and maintained by a non-profit (ISRG), lowering the barrier to deployment
- Automation reduces human error and operational overhead
- Broad compatibility with most browsers and platforms; active community and ecosystem
- Encourages site-wide HTTPS adoption and follows modern security best practices
Using Let's Encrypt significantly simplifies certificate management, allowing projects of any size to easily deploy and maintain encrypted connections.