How to Add Intermediate Root and CN to OpenSSL Certificate

How to Add Intermediate Root and CN to OpenSSL Certificate

Hey there buddy. So, you wanna know how to add intermediate root and CN to your OpenSSL certificate, huh? Well, let me tell you this is not as boring as it sounds. We’re gonna make this super fun and kinda ridiculous, like trying to teach a cat how to do laundry. So grab some snacks, sit back, and let’s dive in!

Step One: Gather Your Tools

First thing’s first. You need OpenSSL. I mean it’s like the Swiss Army knife of internet security or something. If you don’t have it yet, just Google “OpenSSL download” and click on the first link that doesn’t look like a scam. But be careful—those ads can be sneakier than a raccoon in a trash can at midnight.

Step Two: Create Your Certificate Signing Request (CSR)

Okay, now we’re going to make your shiny new CSR. It’s kinda like your certificate’s birth certificate but way less emotional. Type this command into your terminal:

openssl req -new -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes -keyout private.key -out request.csr

Don’t worry about what that means; just copy and paste it like you’re copying homework from someone smarter than you. You’ll be asked some questions about where you live and what flavors of ice cream you like—okay maybe not ice cream but still stuff like that.

Step Three: Get Yourself Some Intermediates

Now, let’s talk intermediates! No, not the weird kids who hang around at the skate park; I’m talking about intermediate certificates for your SSL setup.

You can get them from your Certificate Authority (CA), which is basically an important-looking boss of certificates sitting behind a desk eating donuts while approving your requests. They will give it to you in .crt format and then you’re off!

Step Four: Combine Those Certificates Like They’re Friends at a Party

Once you’ve got your intermediate certs from the CA, it’s time to party! Well sort of… You gotta combine them by running this:

cat intermediate.crt root.crt > bundle.crt

Are those names familiar? It’s just like combining names for a couple’s nickname. You’ve got “Britney” and “Kevin”—now they are “Britven” or something equally cringe-worthy.

Step Five: Install Like a Boss

Next step is installing your shiny bundle on your server! Depending on which server you’re using (Apache? Nginx?) the steps might be different so check ‘em out online before accidentally turning everything into chaos.

For example with Apache it goes like:

SSLCertificateFile /path/to/bundle.crt
SSLCertificateKeyFile /path/to/private.key

And boom—your SSL is having its big moment on stage!

Step Six: Where Did My Common Name Go?

Now let’s talk about Common Name (CN)—it sounds fancy but it’s really just the website’s address. If yours doesn’t show up right after all this work then you’re in trouble my friend.

You gotta make sure when creating that CSR earlier that you entered the correct domain name or else you’ll end up with mywebsiteisawesome.com instead of mywebsite.com. Yikes! Imagine sending traffic to an entirely different website where cats do laundry.

Step Seven: Test It Like You Just Won The Lottery

Finally, we need to test everything! Fire up your browser and type in https://yourdomain.com—and if everything goes well YOU DID IT! Grab yourself a slice of cake because you deserve it.

But wait… if there is an error message about certificates being untrusted or whatever, don’t panic! Just go back through each step again kinda slowly-like tracing over lines in coloring book—you’ll figure it out.

FAQ Section

Question:
What even is a CN?

Answer:
Oh buddy, that stands for Common Name which is basically just a fancy way of saying what website it’s for—you know like “mycoolwebsite.com.”

Question:
Do I really need intermediates?

Answer:
Yes! Without them it’s like making spaghetti without water… gross right?

Question:
Can I do this without looking like a total noob?

Answer:
Ha! Good luck with that! Everyone starts somewhere man—it’s called learning!

Question:
What happens if I mess up?

Answer:
Well… nothing terrible usually happens except maybe some sad emails from users yelling “Why isn’t my site secure?” Oopsies!

Question:
Can I eat pizza while doing this?

Answer:
Uh duh!? Pizza makes everything better—even SSL certificates!

Question:
Is there such thing as too much coffee during this?

Answer:
Definitely yes! Unless you’re trying to fuel an all-night coding marathon then drink away my friend!

Question:
Will my friends think I’m cool now if I do all this?

Answer:
Of course they will—or they’ll just roll their eyes at how nerdy you’ve become… either way works!

So there ya go pal! Now you’re ready to add intermediate root certificates & common names with OpenSSL without falling asleep from boredom—go conquer the world of secure connections one certificate at a time!