Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

OpenSSL VS Certbot

Compare OpenSSL VS Certbot and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

OpenSSL logo OpenSSL

OpenSSL is a free and open source software cryptography library that implements both the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols, which are primarily used to provide secure communications between web browsers and …

Certbot logo Certbot

Automatically enable HTTPS on your website with EFF's Certbot, deploying Let's Encrypt certificates.
  • OpenSSL Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-14
  • Certbot Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-09-26

OpenSSL features and specs

  • Open Source
    OpenSSL is open-source software, which means it is freely available and can be reviewed, modified, and improved by anyone.
  • Widely Used
    OpenSSL is one of the most widely used libraries for SSL and TLS protocols, ensuring high compatibility and support across different platforms and applications.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    OpenSSL provides extensive documentation and resources that can help users understand and implement its features effectively.
  • Regular Updates
    The OpenSSL project is actively maintained, receiving regular updates and patches to address security vulnerabilities and improve functionality.
  • Community Support
    A large community of developers and users contribute to forums, mailing lists, and other discussion platforms, providing support and sharing knowledge.
  • Flexible and Powerful
    OpenSSL offers a wide range of cryptographic functions and protocols, making it a versatile tool for various security requirements.

Possible disadvantages of OpenSSL

  • Complexity
    OpenSSL can be complex to configure and use, particularly for beginners or those without a deep understanding of cryptographic principles.
  • Security Vulnerabilities
    Despite regular updates, OpenSSL has had several high-profile security vulnerabilities in the past, such as Heartbleed, which can have broad implications.
  • Performance Overhead
    Depending on the implementation and configuration, using OpenSSL can introduce performance overhead, impacting the speed and efficiency of applications.
  • Limited User-Friendly Tools
    While OpenSSL is powerful, it lacks user-friendly tools and interfaces, making it harder for less technical users to operate.
  • Documentation Quality
    Though comprehensive, some users find the OpenSSL documentation to be dense and difficult to navigate, which can make troubleshooting and implementation challenging.

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.

OpenSSL videos

Das Kommando "enc" in OpenSSL

More videos:

  • Review - OpenSSL and FIPS... They Are Back Together!
  • Review - OpenSSL After Heartbleed by Rich Salz & Tim Hudson, OpenSSL

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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OpenSSL and Certbot)
Development Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Web Servers
0 0%
100% 100
Javascript UI Libraries
100 100%
0% 0
Software Development
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Certbot seems to be a lot more popular than OpenSSL. While we know about 113 links to Certbot, we've tracked only 2 mentions of OpenSSL. 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.

OpenSSL mentions (2)

  • Why does Baserow need my personal data so I can run open source?
    Baserow uses open source like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenSSL and can use it without handing over data to openssl.org. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Creating private key help
    Noob here; I'm looking at openssl.org Two commands are listed; "openssl-genrsa" and "openssl genrsa" (No hyphen). Source: about 3 years ago

Certbot mentions (113)

  • 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 / 2 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 / 4 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 / 6 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 / 6 months ago
  • How To Secure Apache with Let's Encrypt
    Certbot is a command-line tool that simplifies the process of obtaining SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt. Certbot automatically configures Apache with the new SSL certificate. Install Certbot by running the following commands:. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing OpenSSL and Certbot, you can also consider the following products

jQuery - The Write Less, Do More, JavaScript Library.

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

React Native - A framework for building native apps with React

Caddy - The HTTP/2 Web Server with Automatic HTTPS

Babel - Babel is a compiler for writing next generation JavaScript.

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