Steps to follow in installing an SSL certificate on Google App Engine:
The constant increase in the use of the internet has made businesses go online. There has been a frenzy to find newer avenues to reach out to a larger audience section. They are always searching for newer channels, and web applications suit this purpose. But how can you ensure they are secure? Yes, you must purchase an SSL certificate to ensure premium security against scammers, hackers, and those with malicious intents.
The Google App Engine aids in developing as well as hosting web applications. Businesses can build scalable applications and appear to be a cost-effective proposition for several companies. For security purposes, it becomes a necessity to install SSL certificates on Google App Engine. This article will discuss in detail the steps to be followed for a hassle-free installation.
Benefits of using an SSL certificate.
There has been a severe risk of data breaches from hackers. Moreover, users provide sensitive information that must be protected at all costs. Proper mechanisms must be in place to thwart such attacks. The SSL certificates prevent such attacks by encrypting the communication between the business and the users.
Moreover, the SSL certificates are provided by renowned CAs who provide these certificates through a validation process based on the type of certificate chosen. The authentication of the business is carried, and various documents are requested and validated before the certificate can be provided. The use of the SSL certificate is used as a validation procedure that can enthuse a sense of trust in the users’ minds.
How can you generate CSR?
The CAs use the Certificate Signing Request (commonly called CSR) to confirm and validate the domain’s identity and business. The CSR is known to be a set of encoded text with the company’s contact information.
You can generate a CSR using Google Cloud Shell. The Google Platform account can be used for this purpose. The command-line console can be made available for you if a project has been created in the account. We will now discuss in detail how you can generate it.
First, the activation of the Google Cloud Shell must be done. You must open the console. The console window appears at the bottom of the page, along with the user’s home directory. The CSR Request is generated in a location you choose or in the default directory.
Next, you must run a command to generate a CSR. Ideally, you must take help from your CA. You can try this code below.
openssl req -new -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes -keyout <>.key -out <>.csr
Once this is done, you must enter the contact information.
It will include these details:
- Country Name
- State or the Province
- Locality [Enter the city]
- Organization Name
- Organization Unit Name [Enter the section]
- Common Name [Here, you must enter the FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) that must be secured]
- Email address
The other fields are optional ones, and you need not enter them.
Once you have submitted the information and pressed “Enter,” the CSR code will be generated along with the private key.
The private key will be necessary during the actual SSL installation.
Prerequisites for the installation.
As a first step, you must register the domain you will be using and ensure that the domain name leads to the App Engine web app.
Server certificate.
You will receive the certificate for the domain from the Certificate Authority (CA). You can download it from your account, or you may have received it over email.
The Intermediate certificates
They allow the devices connecting to the server to find out who is the issuing CA. The issuing CA usually sends the certificate along with the intermediate certificates zipped together.
Private key.
The file must be on your server.
How to install the SSL onto the Google App Engine?
Before you start installing the SSL Certificate on Google App Engine, the CA must have validated the request sent by you and provided the required files over an email.
As a first step, you must log in to the Google Cloud account.
You must look for “Products and Services” in the Navigation menu and click on “App Engine.”
Once you are at the App Engine menu, you must select the “Settings” tab.
At the “Settings” window, you will find the “SSL Certificates” tab.
Once you click the “SSL Certificates” tab, you now have to click “Upload a new Certificate,” which appears in a blue button.
An “Add a new SSL certificate” window will appear, and you must upload the certificate and the private key file created along with the CSR.
The certificate file is combined with a CA-bundle file. The CA-bundle file will have the Intermediate and Root certificates from the CA.
It can be carried out by putting the content of the CA-bundle file below the certificate code in the certificate file. You must only paste the code from the CA-bundle file after the “— –END CERTIFICATE — —” mentioned in the certificate file.
Once done, click on the “Upload” button to complete the installation.
Once this is done, there will be a page containing the SSL installation details. You must select the domains to be secured by you under the “Enable SSL for the following custom domains” option.
As a final step, you must click on the blue “Save” button at the top of the Settings window.
Now, you have finally installed the SSL Certificate on Google App Engine.
Conclusion.
The increase in the number of cyberattacks has required all businesses to be on their guard. It is equally necessary to protect web applications too. You can secure web applications too by installing an SSL certificate.
But how can you install the SSL certificate on Google App Engine? It is not as cumbersome as you may think! But it is also necessary to know about the benefits of installing one. We have discussed in detail how you can generate a CSR code and then install the certificate. We sincerely hope it will remove all doubts you have in mind.
Leave a Reply