Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Certbot VS Apache HTTP Server

Compare Certbot VS Apache HTTP Server and see what are their differences

Certbot logo Certbot

Automatically enable HTTPS on your website with EFF's Certbot, deploying Let's Encrypt certificates.

Apache HTTP Server logo Apache HTTP Server

Apache httpd has been the most popular web server on the Internet since April 1996
  • Certbot Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-09-26
  • Apache HTTP Server Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-21

Certbot features and specs

  • Free of Charge
    Certbot, developed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, provides SSL certificates for free, which can help reduce costs for individual users, small businesses, and startups.
  • Ease of Use
    Certbot automates the process of obtaining and renewing SSL certificates, simplifying the often complex setup and maintenance tasks associated with manual certificate management.
  • Security
    By providing SSL certificates, Certbot enables websites to use HTTPS, securing data transmitted between the server and clients. This helps protect user privacy and data integrity.
  • Wide Compatibility
    Certbot supports a wide range of operating systems and web servers, including Apache, Nginx, and more. This versatility makes it suitable for a diverse array of environments.
  • Community Support
    As an open-source project with a large user base, Certbot benefits from strong community support, providing extensive documentation, user forums, and other resources for troubleshooting and development.

Possible disadvantages of Certbot

  • Short Certificate Lifespan
    Certbot issues certificates that are valid for only 90 days. While Certbot offers automated renewal, this short lifespan can be a drawback for users who prefer long-term certificates.
  • Resource-Intensive
    The automation scripts and background processes required for Certbot's functionality can be resource-intensive, potentially impacting performance, particularly on low-spec systems.
  • Learning Curve
    While designed to simplify certificate management, setting up Certbot initially can be challenging for those unfamiliar with command-line operations and server configurations.
  • Dependency on Let's Encrypt
    Certbot exclusively relies on certificates from Let's Encrypt. Users who need advanced features or certifications that Let's Encrypt does not offer may find this limiting.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    Certbot focuses on providing basic SSL certificates. It may lack advanced features or customization options that are available from commercial certificate authorities.

Apache HTTP Server features and specs

  • Open Source
    Apache HTTP Server is open source, meaning it is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. This promotes a large, active community that contributes to its maintenance and improvement.
  • Cross-Platform
    Apache is compatible with a variety of operating systems, including Unix, Linux, and Windows, providing flexibility and widespread usability.
  • Highly Customizable
    It offers a modular architecture that allows users to enable or disable features as needed, and to extend functionality through modules.
  • Robust Documentation
    Apache provides comprehensive and detailed documentation, which makes it easier for users to install, configure, and troubleshoot the server.
  • Widespread Adoption
    With its long history and widespread use, Apache has proven to be reliable and trusted by many organizations worldwide, ensuring a level of trust and stability.
  • Rich Feature Set
    Apache includes many features out-of-the-box, such as SSL/TLS support, URL redirection, authentication, load balancing, and more.

Possible disadvantages of Apache HTTP Server

  • Performance Overhead
    Compared to some lightweight web servers like Nginx, Apache can have higher memory and CPU usage, which may not be ideal for high concurrency needs.
  • Complex Configuration
    Apache's extensive customization options can lead to a complex configuration process, which may be challenging for beginners or those without specific expertise.
  • Less Efficient in Serving Static Content
    While Apache is highly capable, it may be less efficient at serving static content compared to specialized web servers like Nginx.
  • Initial Learning Curve
    Due to its rich features and configurability, new users might face a steep learning curve when first setting up and using Apache HTTP Server.
  • Module Compatibility Issues
    Sometimes, third-party modules may not always be compatible with the latest versions of Apache, causing potential integration issues.

Analysis of Certbot

Overall verdict

  • Certbot is widely considered to be a reliable and efficient solution for obtaining and managing SSL certificates. Its automation capabilities and thorough documentation make it a preferred choice for many users.

Why this product is good

  • Certbot is a free, open-source tool developed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) that automates the process of obtaining and renewing Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS certificates. It's praised for its ease of use, strong community support, and commitment to enhancing web security.

Recommended for

  • Website owners looking to implement HTTPS easily and at no cost
  • System administrators seeking automated solutions for SSL certificate renewal
  • Developers who prefer open-source tools with active community support

Analysis of Apache HTTP Server

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Apache HTTP Server is generally considered a good and reliable web server.

Why this product is good

  • Apache HTTP Server is one of the most widely used and established web servers in the world. It is open-source, highly configurable, and supports a wide range of features through modules. Its robustness, extensive documentation, strong community support, and flexibility are some of the reasons it remains popular.

Recommended for

  • Developers and organizations looking for a reliable and versatile web server solution.
  • Those who need extensive customization and configuration options for their web environment.
  • Users who prefer an established platform with a large community and extensive documentation.
  • Teams that require compatibility with various operating systems and environments.

Certbot videos

How To Get FREE HTTPS in 10 Minutes with Let's Encrypt and Certbot

More videos:

  • Review - Free TLS In The Cloud With Certbot & Let's Encrypt

Apache HTTP Server videos

No Apache HTTP Server videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Certbot and Apache HTTP Server)
Web Servers
20 20%
80% 80
Web And Application Servers
Software Development
100 100%
0% 0
Security & Privacy
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Certbot and Apache HTTP Server

Certbot Reviews

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Apache HTTP Server Reviews

9 Best XAMPP Alternatives Cross Platform Web Server
However, compared to XAMPP and other popular web servers in the market Apache HTTP Server is a bit more complicated and is a little difficult to navigate for a complete newbie, but if you want to understand web development from the very fundamentals and understand how Apache as a web server software works then this software can be of great help to you.
Litespeed vs Nginx vs Apache: Web Server Showdown
The most commonly used Web Server is by far Apache HTTP Server from the Software Apache Foundation. Created in 1995 by Rob McCool and Brian Behlendorf, among others. The name is a pun for A PatCHy server, as at the time of it’s inception, Apache was based on some existing code, along with some perhaps “hacky or clunky” software packages, enabling it to run. Additionally, the...
Source: chemicloud.com
10 Best alternatives of XAMPP servers for Windows, Linux and macOS
Apache is an open-source and free web server software that owns about 46% of websites worldwide. The official name is Apache HTTP Server and is maintained and developed by the Apache Software Foundation. This allows website owners to serve content on the web – hence the name “webserver”.
Top 5 open source web servers
As the Apache HTTP Server has been the most popular web server since 1996, it "benefits from great documentation and integrated support from other software projects." You can find more information on the Apache Foundation project page.
Source: opensource.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Certbot should be more popular than Apache HTTP Server. It has been mentiond 114 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Certbot mentions (114)

  • Deploying Novu on a Virtual Machine
    We can secure our application by configuring SSL for our application using this LetsEcrypt guide. - Source: dev.to / 30 days ago
  • How to Set Up a Subdomain with Nginx and SSL on DigitalOcean
    I've always been passionate about contributing to the tech community, and this article is my way of sharing what I've learned. Before diving in, it's beneficial to have a basic understanding of deploying to a DigitalOcean droplet, whether through a CI/CD pipeline or manually uploading your JAR files and running the app on the server. In this guide, I’ll walk you through setting up Nginx, and Certbot, and securing... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • My Journey Deploying an API: From Novice to Docker Enthusiast
    This felt like the ultimate test. I discovered Certbot, an open-source tool for setting up Let's Encrypt certificates, and dived into its documentation. After configuring Certbot, the application crashed entirely. My first thought was to wait 24 hours for the DNS to propagate, but the next day, the domain was still unresponsive. Debugging this issue without GUI tools was grueling. Docker logs were empty, PM2... - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Setting up Ruby on Rails with RVM, Puma, Mina, Nginx, Sidekiq and Redis on Amazon Linux 2
    If you need to setup SSL for your project I highly recommend to use Lets Encrypt and Certbot to basically do all the work for you. (Love those guys, when I go billionaire I will send some churros, promise). - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • How to deploy a static website to DigitalOcean
    This guide describes how to deploy a static website to a $4 Droplet at DigitalOcean. We will be using Nginx to serve our website and Certbot to manage TLS certificates issued by Let's Encrypt. Finally, we setup GitHub Actions to automate the deployment of the website. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
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Apache HTTP Server mentions (70)

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Certbot and Apache HTTP Server, you can also consider the following products

Let's Encrypt - Let’s Encrypt is a free, automated, and open certificate authority brought to you by the Internet Security Research Group (ISRG).

Microsoft IIS - Internet Information Services is a web server for Microsoft Windows

Caddy - The HTTP/2 Web Server with Automatic HTTPS

Apache Tomcat - An open source software implementation of the Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages technologies

Nginx Proxy Manager - Docker container and built in Web Application for managing Nginx proxy hosts with a simple, powerful interface, providing free SSL support via Let's Encrypt

LiteSpeed Web Server - LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) is a high-performance Apache drop-in replacement.