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Install a custom (purchased) SSL certificate

When Let’s Encrypt isn’t the right fit — a wildcard, an EV/organization certificate, or one issued by your company’s CA — OrbixPanel lets you install your own. You provide the certificate and private key; it validates and installs them.

What you need

Two PEM files from your certificate authority:

  • Full-chain certificate — your certificate plus the intermediate(s). If you have separate certificate.crt and ca-bundle.crt, concatenate them (your cert first, intermediates after) into one file.
  • Private key — the .key you generated with the CSR.

A PEM file is plain text starting with -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- (or -----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----).

Install it

  1. In the panel, open the domain’s Custom SSL option.
  2. Paste or upload the full-chain certificate and the private key.
  3. Save.

OrbixPanel validates that the certificate matches the key, stores them securely, and reports the certificate’s subject, issuer, and expiry. nginx then serves the domain using your certificate.

Verify

  • Load the site and check the padlock → certificate details show your CA and the right domain(s).
  • From a terminal:
    Terminal window
    echo | openssl s_client -connect yourdomain.com:443 -servername yourdomain.com 2>/dev/null | openssl x509 -noout -subject -issuer -dates

Important: renewals are on you

Unlike Let’s Encrypt (which auto-renews), a custom certificate does not renew itself. Note the expiry date and upload a renewed certificate before it lapses — set yourself a reminder.

Wildcards

A purchased wildcard (*.yourdomain.com) is installed exactly this way — see Wildcard certificates.

Running OrbixPanel? Upload any wildcard/EV/corporate cert alongside free Let’s Encrypt. OrbixPanel.com → — the free, self-hosted, AI-powered hosting control panel.