How Automatic SSL Works

Hostgrid automatically provisions and manages SSL certificates for every verified custom domain.

Once your domain has been verified, Hostgrid requests an SSL certificate, enables HTTPS, and continues renewing the certificate automatically before it expires.

There is no need to purchase, upload, or manually renew certificates.

SSL (more accurately, TLS) encrypts traffic between your visitors and Hostgrid.

HTTPS provides several important benefits:

• Encrypts data in transit
• Protects user privacy
• Prevents browsers from displaying security warnings
• Improves trust for visitors
• Is required by many modern browser features

Without a valid SSL certificate, browsers may warn users that your website is not secure.

SSL provisioning is part of the normal domain activation process.

Create Domain
      │
      ▼
Configure DNS
      │
      ▼
DNS Verification
      │
      ▼
Domain Activated
      │
      ▼
SSL Certificate Issued
      │
      ▼
HTTPS Enabled

A domain only begins serving traffic after verification has completed and a valid SSL certificate has been provisioned.

Hostgrid activates a domain only after all required checks have completed successfully.

This helps ensure that:

• You control the domain.
• DNS is correctly configured.
• HTTPS is available immediately.
• Visitors can access your application securely.

Until verification is complete, the domain will remain inactive.

SSL certificates expire periodically.

Hostgrid monitors every active domain and automatically renews certificates before they expire.

No manual action is required.

As long as your domain remains correctly configured and verified, HTTPS continues working without interruption.

When someone visits your custom domain, Hostgrid performs the following steps:

1. Receives the HTTPS request.
2. Presents the SSL certificate for the requested domain.
3. Establishes a secure connection.
4. Executes upstream rules.
5. Executes domain rules.
6. Forwards the request to your upstream.
7. Returns the upstream response to the visitor.

Visitor
    │
HTTPS Request
    │
    ▼
Hostgrid
    │
SSL Certificate
    │
    ▼
Secure Connection
    │
    ▼
Upstream Rules
    │
    ▼
Domain Rules
    │
    ▼
Forward Request
    │
    ▼
Upstream

This process is automatic for every active custom domain.

If you’re using a wildcard domain, Hostgrid can provision a wildcard SSL certificate where supported.

A wildcard certificate secures every matching subdomain.

For example:

*.example.com

covers:

alice.example.com
portal.example.com
customer.example.com

This simplifies deployments where new subdomains are created frequently.

Learn more in the Understanding Domain Types guide.

No.

Hostgrid automatically provisions and manages SSL certificates for verified domains.

No.

Certificates are renewed automatically before they expire.

Once a domain is active, HTTPS is available automatically.

Hostgrid recommends always using HTTPS for secure communication.

SSL provisioning begins only after your domain has been successfully verified.

If DNS records are incorrect or have not finished propagating, certificate issuance may be delayed until verification succeeds.

See the DNS Verification Guide for more information.

No.

Hostgrid provides SSL termination and secure request forwarding but does not modify your upstream application or its content.

Platform-specific branding, headers, or application behavior remain unchanged.

• Verify your DNS records as soon as possible after creating a domain.
• Keep DNS records unchanged after activation unless you intend to update your configuration.
• Always access your application using HTTPS.
• Monitor your domain’s verification status if you make DNS changes.

• Understanding Custom Domains
• DNS Verification
• Understanding Domain Types
• Understanding Upstreams
• Hostgrid Rules