A certificate signing request, or CSR, contains the public-key and identity information needed by a certificate issuer. It is different from the private key, which must stay confidential, and from the issued certificate that you eventually install.
IN THIS ARTICLE
What you need before you begin
Confirm the certificate product supports every required hostname and the chosen key type. Include www or other names deliberately; requesting a certificate for the bare domain does not automatically guarantee every hostname is covered. Keep the matching private key securely.
01 Generate a certificate signing request in cPanel
- Open SSL/TLS and its Certificate Signing Requests section, or the Requests tab in the unified SSL/TLS Certificates interface.
- Under the new CSR form, choose an appropriate existing key or generate a supported new key. Do not reuse a key known to be compromised.
- Enter the required domain and identity fields accurately, following the issuer’s requirements. A hostname field takes a name such as
www.example.com, without https://, a path or a port. Add a useful description so you can identify the request later. - Generate the CSR and copy the complete encoded request, including its beginning and ending lines, into the certificate order or validation workflow.
- Complete domain or organisation validation as required, then install the issued certificate with its matching key and required chain.
Check the CSR before submission
Inspect the decoded request for correct names and details before submission. After issuance, verify the certificate’s actual subject alternative names and expiry.
Can I correct a generated CSR by editing its encoded text?
If the request has incorrect information, generate a corrected CSR instead of editing its encoded text. Never paste the private key into a CSR field or send it with a routine support enquiry. AutoSSL-managed certificates normally use their own automated issuance workflow.
Common questions
Can I generate several requests while waiting for issuance?
Several requests can make it harder to identify the key that matches the issued certificate. Record the cPanel account and request used for the order, keep the corresponding key securely, and avoid deleting that key while the order is pending.
Does generating a CSR change the live certificate?
No. Generating the request prepares for issuance. Installing and assigning the issued certificate is a separate action. Keep the existing working certificate in place until the replacement is ready and its names, key and chain have been checked.