How do I install a paid SSL certificate in DirectAdmin?

We explain in this article how to install a paid SSL certificate on a domain name in DirectAdmin. After you have completed the order and validation, the SSL certificate is delivered and you can download and install the certificate.

To install the paid SSL certificate you need the 'private key'. You created and should have saved this 'private key' during the order process. If you forgot to save the 'private key', please contact our helpdesk so we can help you further. If you generated the CSR code (Certificate Signing Request) on your own server or the control panel of your hosting package, you can often find the 'private key' there.

Step 1

Log in to our control panel via mijn.host/cp

Step 2

To download the certificate, go to your mijn.host customer panel and click on 'SSL certificates' and then on the edit icon behind the purchased certificate.

Click on 'Download certificate' to save the certificate to your computer.

Step 3

Log in to DirectAdmin by clicking on 'Hosting' and then opening 'DirectAdmin'.

Step 4

Within DirectAdmin, go to Account Manager and then SSL certificates. 

Create SSL

Step 4

Make sure you have selected the correct domain name in the top right corner and click on 'Paste a pre-generated certificate and key'

Step 5

Here we can place the certificate files. In the 'Key' field, place the 'private key' that you saved with us during the SSL certificate ordering process. (If you generated the CSR code yourself, enter your own private key, or if you generated the CSR via this server, the correct private key might already be there)

Step 6

The contents of the downloaded file from step 2 must be placed in the 'Certificate' field. This file is named yourdomainname_extension.crt (for example, in our case mijn_host.crt). To view the contents of this file, you need to open it with, for example, Notepad (for Windows users), TextEdit (MacOS), or another plain text editor like Notepad++. When you have opened the file in Notepad or a text editor, you will see a code that starts with -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- and ends with -----END CERTIFICATE-----. Copy and paste this entire code into the 'Certificate' field.

Step 7

Finally, we need to install the root certificates which identify the CA (Certificate Authority). This last step ensures a fully valid and properly installed certificate. You can download the CA root certificates at:

https://support.sectigo.com/articles/Knowledge/Sectigo-Intermediate-Certificates

If you purchased the standard '.domain' certificate, you need to download the 'Domain validation' files. For the '.extended' certificate, download the 'Extended Validation' files.

In the case of a standard certificate, this downloaded file is named 'SectigoRSADomainValidationSecureServerCA.crt' (for an Extended SSL certificate, the file is named 'SectigoRSAExtendedValidationSecureServerCA.crt')You also open this file again with the text editor and the contents of the file, which again starts with ---BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- and ends with -----END CERTIFICATE-----, you copy and paste be

pletely at the bottom on a new line below the code from step 6 in the 'Certificate' field.

Click 'Save' to save everything and if successful, your certificate is installed.

Should you have any questions following this article? Feel free to contact our support department.

Still have questions? Get in touch.