How to Setup Shared SSL
KeyCDN currently offers three different ways for you to secure your CDN assets with an SSL certificate. One way, which we'll discuss in this post, is through the use of KeyCDN's Shared SSL option. This is certainly the easiest and quickest way to start delivering assets over HTTPS. Two other options that are offered include:
You can use any of the three SSL options free of charge (for custom SSL you just need to bring your own certificate). However, if you simply want to start delivering assets over HTTPS as quickly as possible and with very minimal configuration, then Shared SSL is the option for you.
How to enable Shared SSL
Enabling Shared SSL in your KeyCDN dashboard is easy. Simply navigate to your Zone settings, scroll down to the SSL section and select the "shared" option.
Once you've selected this option, simply save your settings and wait until your Zone is done re-deploying (about 5 minutes). You should now be able to access your static assets using the HTTPS version of your KeyCDN Zone URL (e.g. https://example-hexid.kxcdn.com/path/to/your/img.jpg).
Advantages and disadvantages of Shared SSL
There are a couple of advantages and disadvantages to using Shared SSL. Depending upon your requirements, you may decide that Shared SSL is the right choice for you or you may want to use one of our other two SSL options.
Advantages
- Extremely easy to setup (no need to configure a Zone Alias or set a CNAME record)
- No additional DNS lookups required
Disadvantages
- Your CDN URLs aren't customized (e.g.
https://cdn.yourwebsite.com) - Will require a change in URLs if you decide to use a different Zone or change CDN providers
Additional considerations when using Shared SSL
As you've probably gathered from this Shared SSL setup guide, configuring Shared SSL is extremely straightforward. One thing to be aware of however when using Shared SSL is that the Zone URL (i.e. the kxcdn.com domain) only works for HTTPS if Shared SSL is enabled. In other words, if you enable the Let's Encrypt or Custom SSL options, your CDN assets will no longer be accessible via https://example-hexid.kxcdn.com for example.
If once one of the other two SSL options are enabled, you'll need to start using a Zone Alias to call your CDN assets, otherwise, you'll receive a CDN error code. Additionally, when integrating a Shared SSL zone with your website, remember to use your Zone URL (provided in the KeyCDN dashboard) and in most cases, precede it with the https:// protocol. Check out our full list of integration guides for specific instructions on how to integrate KeyCDN with your CMS or framework.