Add SSL Features to an Existing Site

Overview

You can use this document to add Secure Socket Layer (SSL) features to your site. 

SSL is a protocol for secure end-to-end transport over the public web. SSL provides a way for you to encrypt data before the data is sent across the internet, specifically restricting third parties from obtaining data in transit. 

Enable SSL on your CDN site

You can use these instructions to add SSL to the connection between your CDN

There are two options: 

• If your site already uses HTTPS, then you can add SSL on the CDN. This action will indicate to StackPath that your origin supports HTTPS protocol, which ensures that the connection from the CDN to your origin server is secure.
• If your site does not use HTTPS, then you can add SSL to secure the connection between the CDN and your users. 

Option 1: For websites that use HTTPS

If your website already uses HTTPS, then you can enable SSL on the CDN. This action will indicate to the Origin Pull Protocol that your origin supports HTTPS protocol, which ensures that the connection from the CDN to your origin server is secure.

1. In the StackPath Control Portal, in the left-side navigation menu, click Sites. 
2. Locate and select your site. This action will refresh the portal. 
3. In the left-side navigation menu, click Settings. 
4. Next to Pull Protocol, select HTTPS Only. 

Option 2: For that websites that use HTTP, not HTTPS

You can use these instructions to serve encrypted traffic from the StackPath CDN to your users, even though the content pulled from the origin is over an unencrypted connection. In other words, you can use these instructions to pull data over an HTTP connection while serving the same content to your users over an HTTPS connection. 

Before you begin, to use these instructions, you must add an SSL certificate and update your DNS records

• You can use a free SSL certificate, provided by StackPath 
• To learn more, see Create and Manage SSL Certificates.

1. In the StackPath Control Portal, in the left-side navigation menu, click Sites. 
2. Locate and select your site. This action will refresh the portal. 
3. In the left-side navigation menu, click Settings. 
4. Next to Pull Protocol, select HTTP Only. 

To verify that your content is delivered over HTTPS: 

• Clear your website's cache, and then verify the HTTPS deliver.
• Confirm all images, fonts, and JS/CSS are loading. 
• Access your browser's inspector and confirm that all assets are delivered over HTTPS. 
  • Based on your browser, locate the lock icon and https:// before your URL or locate the protocol field. 
• Access your browser's console to verify that that are no blocked content errors. 

Force HTTPS connections

You can use these instructions to force your users to use HTTPS, instead of HTTP. This action will cause a redirect on all requests. 

1. In the StackPath Control Portal, in the left-side navigation menu, click Sites. 
2. Locate and select your site. This action will refresh the portal. 
3. In the left-side navigation menu, click EdgeSSL.
4. Under Options, next to Force HTTPS Connections, turn on the feature.