[Easy] Free method to manage domain and SSL certificate expiration dates [Website Management]

Last updated: October 29, 2021

The contents of this article are also explained in an easy-to-understand manner in the video below

Please be sure to check it out!

Hello

This is Goto from the Web Services Division

The summer of 2021 has already arrived. How are you planning to spend it?

This summer is not a special one for me,

No, it wasn't a special summer

Recently, one of our engineers has been whispering something to me

"Mr. Goto, this is your last summer in your twenties, right?"

What is this? I wasn't even thinking about it, but the powerful word " last" made me feel like I had to make this a really important summer.

So, instead of doing anything special for my last summer in my twenties, I'm thinking of saving up some money and buying a nice guitar

 

Now, let me get to the main topic and talk about how to manage the expiration dates of domains and SSL certificates to make website operation easier during the last summer of your twenties

Domains and SSL certificates have expiration dates. If you forget to renew them..

Obtaining a domain and SSL is now essential when publishing a website, but these have expiration dates and need to be renewed every year or so .

However, if you only need to renew your site once a year or every few months, it's surprisingly easy to forget about it. If you have multiple sites, managing them can be particularly complicated, and if you're a web manager, you've probably found yourself thinking, "The renewal deadline is fast approaching...?"

What happens if I forget the expiration date?

If your domain and SSL expire, the following will happen:

domain

1. will be placed on "hold" for 45 days from the expiration date.
   During this time, the domain will be unavailable, but ownership rights will not be transferred to another company.
   It can also be restored by renewing the domain.
2. After 45 days, the name will be deleted from the registrar's database. It will be kept in the registry's database for 30 days.
   During this time, it can be restored, but at a higher cost than usual.
3. After 30 days, ownership rights will be lost and the domain will become available for anyone to register
   

SSL

When the SSL expires, the browser detects the expiration of the SSL andStop viewing the siteAt that time, the browser"It's not safe."、"Privacy is not protected"An error screen such as the one shown will be displayed. Also, the URL will change from "https" to "https" is displayed. It gives off a dangerous vibe, doesn't it? By the way, this display is handled automatically by the browser, so unlike normal communication errors, you cannot pre-set the screen that will be displayed when the error occurs

Therefore, if the SSL expiration date passes, it will not only result in a loss of business opportunities on the site, but will also directly lead to a decline in the image of the services

 

What you can do to avoid expiry

What can you do to prevent your domain and SSL from expiring?

I have summarized it below

Register in a scheduler such as a calendar

By registering various expiration dates on Google Calendar or similar, you can prevent missing any dates

Also, the renewal process can take time, so important to schedule the work well in advance . For example, it takes longer to issue OV and EV certificates than it does DV certificates

For more information on the types of SSL, please see the following article written by our engineers

What is an SSL certificate? A brief introduction to its role and types

You can also set up notifications to remind you of upcoming tasks by registering them on your calendar

Manage deadlines in one place with a spreadsheet

You can make it easier to remember to update by registering the expiration date and scheduled work date on a calendar, but if you want to check the domain expiration dates of various sites in a list is not suitable

The drawback of managing events using if you cannot manage them in a list view it is difficult to notice if you have missed something .

The solution to this problem is to use Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets to manage all deadlines in one place. By using a spreadsheet, you manage the status making it easy to understand.

Implement a website monitoring tool

The last method I would like to recommend is to use a website monitoring tool

Website monitoring tools are easy to use for managing domain and SSL expiration dates. By simply registering a URL, can receive notifications view a list of domain and SSL expiration dates for each URL

Website monitoring tools
offer a number of convenient features that are useful for website operation, such as the ability to detect communication or display speed notify

want to know more about website monitoring tools, please see the article below.

A comprehensive guide to website monitoring tools and a comparison of recommended tools [URL Monitoring]

Introducing recommended free website monitoring tools

As mentioned earlier, the best way to centrally manage domains and SSL expiration dates is to use a web monitoring tool .

Beyond, a company that operates and maintains servers, offers Appmill, a website monitoring tool that anyone can use without any technical knowledge

What is the website monitoring tool "Appmill"?

The website monitoring tool "Appmill" has the following features:

• 100 URLs can be registered for monitoring (free plan)
• Domain and SSL expiration dates can be managed in a list
• In addition, it is possible to monitor the status of the device and check the display speed
• Paid plans allow checking for attacks such as website tampering
• Registration is completed with just your email address and the URL of the site you want to monitor (about 1 minute)

The biggest feature is that you can register to monitor 100 URLs for free, for managing domains and SSL expiration dates for multiple sites .

How to install Appmill

The registration process for Appmill is very simple

The advertising slogan is that it takes just one minute from registration to start using the service

1. Register your email address and any password

2. Register the URL you want to monitor

Once you have completed the user registration, the next step is to register a URL

3. Start monitoring! You will receive an email notification if an abnormality occurs!

Once you've registered your URL, you're done! From now on, you'll be able to not only manage your domain and SSL expiration dates, but also detect any anomalies that occur with the registered URL

With the free plan, you can register 99 URLs (100 URLs in total)

summary

Our company, Beyond's mission to make the world a little easier , and we believe this tool truly embodies that mission.

It's free, so give it a try!

Thank you for reading to the end

▼Website monitoring service Apmil▼

 

 

Apmil's functions and operation procedure introduction video

A video introducing Apmil's functions and operating procedures is available on YouTube below

Please take a look if you are considering it