Install Let's Encrypt SSL with Certbot (Nginx) on Ubuntu 24.04

Step 1 – Install Certbot with Nginx plugin

apt update && apt upgrade -y
apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Step 2 – Obtain a certificate

certbot --nginx -d example.com -d www.example.com

Follow the prompts to:

• Enter an email for renewal notifications
• Agree to the Terms of Service
• Choose whether to redirect HTTP to HTTPS (recommended: yes)

Certbot will automatically modify your Nginx configuration.

Step 3 – Test auto-renewal

certbot renew --dry-run

Step 4 – Automatic renewal

Certbot installs a systemd timer or cron job automatically. Verify:

systemctl list-timers | grep certbot 2>/dev/null || \
crontab -l | grep certbot

If not present, add to root crontab:

0 3 * * * certbot renew --quiet --deploy-hook "systemctl reload nginx"

Step 5 – Check certificate expiry

certbot certificates
openssl s_client -connect example.com:443 -servername example.com \
    2>/dev/null | openssl x509 -noout -dates