TLS Certificate
- Thread starter fanton
- Start date
Hi,
TLS certificates are used to encrypt the connection between mail servers (i.e., the transport layer), not the email content itself. Most major mail servers already handle this automatically. For encrypting email content, the two main standards are:
S/MIME – requires a personal email certificate (different from a TLS cert)
PGP/GPG – uses a key pair you generate yourself, no purchase needed
What you probably need:
If you run a mail server and need a TLS cert for it:
Popular certificate authorities include:
If you want to encrypt email content with S/MIME:
GPG/PGP via Gpg4win (Windows) or GPGTools (Mac) — no purchase needed
TLS certificates are used to encrypt the connection between mail servers (i.e., the transport layer), not the email content itself. Most major mail servers already handle this automatically. For encrypting email content, the two main standards are:
S/MIME – requires a personal email certificate (different from a TLS cert)
PGP/GPG – uses a key pair you generate yourself, no purchase needed
What you probably need:
If you run a mail server and need a TLS cert for it:
Popular certificate authorities include:
- Let's Encrypt – Free, automated, widely trusted
- DigiCert – Paid, enterprise-grade
- Sectigo – Paid, various tiers
- GlobalSign – Paid, business-focused
If you want to encrypt email content with S/MIME:
- Sectigo – Personal email certs
- DigiCert – Business S/MIME certs
- Actalis – Offers a free S/MIME cert tier
GPG/PGP via Gpg4win (Windows) or GPGTools (Mac) — no purchase needed