A Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Certificate ensures secure, encrypted data transfer between a server and a browser. When transmitting sensitive information, such as credit card details or personal data, SSL encryption is essential to protect it. Without SSL, this data can be exposed to unauthorized parties.
The CSR and RSA key are two crucial components in generating an SSL certificate. While they may appear similar to blocks of encrypted text, they serve different purposes.
What Is a CSR?
A Certificate Signing Request (CSR) is a block of encrypted text containing information that will be included in the SSL certificate, such as the organization's name, domain, location, and country. It also contains the public keys for the SSL certificate.
The CSR is generated by the server where the SSL certificate will be installed and is sent to the SSL provider for certificate creation.
If you are renewing your certificate or if it has expired, you will need to request a new CSR.
What Is an RSA Key?
An RSA key is a private encryption key used to secure sensitive data. This encryption key helps encode and decode information securely.
At LyteHosting, we currently use a 2048-bit RSA key.
The RSA key is generated by the server on which the SSL certificate will be installed. Once you submit the CSR Request, you will receive the RSA key.
How Do I Obtain These?
To get your CSR and RSA keys, simply submit the CSR Request Form at LyteHosting support. Both the CSR and the RSA key will be provided to you in the response.
You will then send the CSR to your third-party SSL provider to create the SSL certificate.
The RSA key will be submitted to LyteHosting (along with the actual certificate) when requesting the installation of your third-party SSL certificate.
