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Old 03-20-2019, 05:39 PM   #1
Pedroski
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Do I need ssl?


I have a very basic, home-made webpage for students' homework. The host wants to sell me ssl certificates. These must be, I believe, renewed every year.

The kids just fill out a form and click send. There is no sensitive or private data, just a student number and their answers.

I believe ssl is some kind of encryption process.

Do I need an ssl certificate?
 
Old 03-20-2019, 05:50 PM   #2
ChuangTzu
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You can use free ssl certs. https://letsencrypt.org/
 
Old 03-20-2019, 05:50 PM   #3
RandomTroll
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Probably not, and you can get free certificates.
 
Old 03-20-2019, 05:57 PM   #4
astrogeek
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It is difficult for others to say whether you actually need it or not, but I would recommend it for anything that accepts user input. It is both encryption and authentication.

* It identifies the server as being yours and not an imposter
* It guarantees that the data was not tampered with between sender and receiver
* It encrypts each transaction making it unreadable by others in between

You can get free certs - LetsEncrypt.org, I use these and there is nothing second-rate about them. You will need to renew them every ninety days, but there are automated tools to do that for you.

Last edited by astrogeek; 03-20-2019 at 05:58 PM. Reason: tpoys
 
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Old 03-20-2019, 06:53 PM   #5
scasey
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What astrogeek said.
There are also certs available for as little as $10/year with annual or longer renewals.
(Which is not to say there’s anything wrong with the free ones.)
 
Old 03-20-2019, 09:04 PM   #6
RandomTroll
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when I shopped for certificates I could get a free one that offered no insurance; if you wanted insurance against losses (it was a commercial enterprise) that's what cost.
 
  


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