How to Generate a Wildcard SSL Certificate Using acme.sh (DNS Manual Mode)

How to Generate a Wildcard SSL Certificate Using acme.sh (DNS Manual Mode)

This guide walks you through installing acme.sh and generating a wildcard SSL certificate for your domain (vergecloud.cloud) using ZeroSSL with manual DNS verification.

Prerequisites  

  • A domain name (e.g. vergecloud.cloud)

  • Access to your DNS provider to add TXT records

  • macOS Terminal (or any Unix-like shell)

 

Step 1: Install acme.sh  

Open your terminal and run the following command to install acme.sh, a lightweight and fully functional ACME protocol client used to issue SSL certificates from providers like Let's Encrypt and ZeroSSL:

curl https://get.acme.sh | sh -s email=my@example.com


 

Step 2: Issue the Certificate (Manual DNS Validation)  


Run the following command to request a wildcard SSL certificate:

acme.sh --issue --dns -d vergecloud.cloud -d '*.vergecloud.cloud' --yes-I-know-dns-manual-mode-enough-go-ahead-please


You will be prompted with TXT DNS records to add


Wait for DNS Propagation

It may take a few minutes for the changes to propagate. 

Verify using Dig or DNS Checker: 

OR


Step 3: Re-run the Command with --renew  

Once the TXT records are live:

acme.sh --issue --dns -d vergecloud.cloud -d '*.vergecloud.cloud' --yes-I-know-dns-manual-mode-enough-go-ahead-please --renew


You’ll see a successful verification and certificate download message:


Step 4: Locate Your Certificate Files  

After successful issuance, the certificate files are saved in:


Conclusion  

acme.sh with manual DNS validation offers a flexible way to generate wildcard SSL certificates, especially when DNS APIs aren't available. Though it requires manual DNS setup, it's reliable for securing your domain and subdomains. Once configured, it supports easy renewals and broad server compatibility. 

 

 

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