A SAN SSL Certificate (Subject Alternative Name SSL Certificate) is a type of SSL certificate that can provide SSL security for up to 250 FQDNs (Fully Qualified Domain Names), sub-domains, IP Addresses, and other environments through a single SSL/TLS certificate. It reduces the cost and process of buying individual SSL certificates for multiple domains and simplifies the validation process.
The SAN SSL certificate or Subject Alternative Name SSL Certificate is an extension of the X.509 that lets users specify additional host names or domains for a single SSL/TLS certificate. Here, the different hostnames are listed as SAN within the SSL certificate. In other words, SAN SSLs are single SSL certificates that offer SSL security for multiple host names and domains.
SAN certificates come with the fastest ECC (Elliptical Curve Cryptography) or a standard 2048-bit signature key and 256-bit encryption strength. It is offered at all three validation levels, namely Domain Validation (DV), Organization Validation (OV), and Extended Validation (EV).
Issued by globally recognized Certificate Authorities like Sectigo, Comodo, and DigiCert, these SAN SSL certifies are a cost-effective alternative for:
The SAN (Subject Alternative Name) field inside the SSL certificate lets you secure multiple domains through one single SSL certificate. When you buy SAN certificates at that time, you’re provided an option to select the number of domains you’re going to secure. In the beginning, a SAN SSL certificate lets you secure from 2 to 3 additional SANs. But you’re allowed to secure up to an additional 250 standard and wildcard SAN domains by paying a small additional fee.
Here’s an example of how you can list multiple domains within the SAN field:
Add, and Delete Additional Host Names on a Single Certificate
By default, the SAN SSL certificate offers SSL security for 1 FQDN and 2 standard SANs. And, if you’ve more domains or sub-domains to secure, you’ll need to upgrade for additional SANs and Wildcard SANs.
SAN SSL certificate is a flexible SSL certificate that offers the ability to encrypt multiple fully qualified domain names (FQDN) and sub-domains. It’s a combination of two SSL/TLS certificates, Multi Domain & Wildcard SSL certificate, that reduces the SSL cost and prevents you from time-consuming tasks like CSR generation for multiple SSL certificates and remembering the expiry or renewal date of multiple SSL certificates.
Secure Unlimited Websites & Sub-Domains Using One SSL
Enhance the SSL security for sub-domains as well using a SAN certificate type that offers a Wildcard feature. Offered in two validation levels, Domain Validation (DV), and Organization Validation (OV), the SAN SSL with Wildcard allows you to build digital encrypted communication for multiple domains and their associated sub-domains. Hence, anyone who has more than 5 to 10 websites and sub-domains associated with them on a single server should consider this SAN Wildcard certificate.
Highest Form of SSL Security for Multiple Domains at Cost of One
A SAN SSL certificate with Extended Validation (EV) is a type of multi-domain certificate that secures multiple domains using one single SSL certificate by vouching business existence.
It offers the highest form of SSL security with trust indicators like company name within the SSL certificate, which assures that your entire web presence is protected with the high-assurance SSL certificate and that all transactions, including sensitive ones like financial transactions, are safe on your website.
Many times, big organizations purchase the same domain name using different TLDs like .net, .org, .com,.ca, etc., which redirect to the main domain name. But, to keep all domains with different TLDs SSL secured, individual SSL certificates will be required for each domain with different TLDs.
However, the SAN SSL certificate provides a solution for this as you can secure multiple TLDs with one certificate offered by globally respected certificate authorities such as Comodo, Sectigo and DigiCert.
There are two types of SAN SSL certificates: Multi-domain and Multi-domain Wildcard. Similarly, it is offered in all three validation levels: Domain Validation, Organization Validation, and Extended Validation. However, Multidomain Wildcard is offered as Domain Validated (DV) and Organization Validated (OV).
Additionally, it’s offered in different packages based on the website, server requirement, or exchange system. Hence, all you need to do is decide how many SANs you’ll need to secure your entire web presence.
You can secure multiple domains using a single Multi Domain SSL certificate. Here, by default, certificate authorities provide 2 SANs, which means you can secure 2 extra domains free of cost. You’ll need to purchase extra SANs at some additional cost if you have more than 2 domains with 1 main domain to secure.
To check the SAN certificate installed within a website, you need to follow below steps:
If you’re someone who wants SSL security for multiple domains, SANs are a good option. Using one single SAN SSL certificate, you’ll be able to secure all your domains. Similarly, it’ll help to reduce the cost and time-consuming process of buying & installing multiple SSL certificates.