Learning How to Use Self-Signed certificates.

Learning How to Use Self-Signed certificates. ![distance-learning-online-education-webpage_53876-125084](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/Sy3Qlnx1bx.jpg)   A self-signed certificate is a certificate which is generated, issued and signed by the same party that owns the site or application, as opposed to being issued by a reputable external Certificate Authority. Although commercial certificates of the type of the SSL are common with the public web, in some applications, self-designed certificates have special benefits, especially in internal networks and test systems. Here are some reasons why you <a href="https://www.namecheap.com/security/ssl-certificates/">buy SSL</a> of such kind.   The reason why they can work out as a smart option in some use cases.   <ul> <li>Cost-Effectiveness</li> </ul> The fact that self-signed certificates are totally free is one of the main advantages. Self-signed certificates save on the cost which would have been tens and hundreds of dollars annually unlike certificates issued by Certificate Authorities. This qualifies them to be a perfect option in the development environment, in-house applications, or in a company that has limited budgets. <ul> <li>Control and Flexibility</li> </ul> Self-signed certificates enable organizations to have complete control over the key length, encryption algorithms and validity. Such a flexibility enables the IT teams to customize the security settings based on the needs without having to rely on the external providers. In the case of internal environments, it will mean that security policies are uniformly applied in all systems.   <ul> <li>Ease of Implementation</li> </ul> Self-signing a certificate is fast and easy and can be done with such tools as OpenSSL or even with server-native tools. This ease of use makes the self-signed certificates the best fit in temporary systems, local development as well as inside servers where speed and quick deployment are the concern.   <ul> <li>Educational Value</li> </ul> Self-signed certificates are also outstanding learning resources to both IT specialists and students. The generation and management of these certificates will prepare them with a practical experience in encryption, certificate management and secure server setup. Such basic understanding is priceless in the transition to commercial levels of discussions on the subject of the implementation of the SSL. <ul> <li>Ensuring Internal Communication.</li> </ul> In the internal systems case, or with a private API, or intranet based applications, self-signed certificates can provide high-level encryption but without third party validation. They are very effective in safeguarding sensitive internal information against eavesdropping or unauthorized access in a situation where the establishment of trust is possible. <ul> <li>Restrictions of Public Web Sites.</li> </ul> It is worth mentioning that self-signed certificates cannot be used as self-certificates in websites that are publicly-facing since they cannot be automatically trusted by the browsers. Security warnings will be presented to the visitors, and it can decrease the credibility and user experience. However, the advantages of using the non-public systems do not go away. <ul> <li>Privacy and Independence</li> </ul>   The other major benefit is that in case of self-signed certificates, organizations will have full privacy and no external authority will control them. The certificate is created and operated internally and, therefore, the sensitive details of organizations are not disclosed to the outsiders. This may be essential to those companies that have high privacy needs or applications that are proprietary. Conclusion Self-signed certificates are a low-cost, flexible and efficient way of ensuring internal server security, a testing environment and non-public applications. They are easy to implement, can be controlled in terms of security and are educational to developers and organizations. Self- signed certificates when properly used can be very significant in ensuring effective internal security practices.