How to generate a certificate signing request

A certificate signing request (CSR) contains the information a certificate authority needs to issue your SSL certificate. You generate the CSR on your server, submit it to the certificate authority and receive a signed certificate in return.

You will create a CSR through your hosting control panel by entering your domain details and organisation information. The process takes a few minutes and produces a text file you can submit to any certificate authority.

Before you begin

You need access to your cPanel or Plesk control panel.
Have your organisation details ready (legal name, address, country).
Know your domain’s fully qualified domain name (FQDN).

Generate a CSR in cPanel

The cPanel SSL/TLS interface handles CSR generation and stores your private key automatically. This method works for customers with cPanel hosting or a cPanel VPS.

Open the SSL/TLS interface.
Log in to cPanel and locate the Security section. Click SSL/TLS to access certificate management tools.

cPanel Security section showing the SSL/TLS icon — The SSL/TLS option in cPanel’s Security section.

Access the CSR generator.
Click Generate, view, or delete SSL certificate signing requests. This opens the form where you enter your certificate details.

cPanel SSL/TLS page showing the certificate signing request management option — The CSR management link in the SSL/TLS interface.

Complete the CSR form.
Enter your domain name in the Domains field. Fill in your organisation’s legal name, department, city, state and country. The email address receives certificate notifications from the certificate authority.
Generate the CSR.
Click Generate at the bottom of the form. cPanel creates your CSR and displays a success message with the encoded certificate request.

cPanel CSR generation form with fields for domain and organisation details — The CSR generation form in cPanel.

Copy the entire CSR text block, including the BEGIN and END lines. Submit this to your certificate authority when purchasing or renewing your SSL certificate. cPanel stores the corresponding private key automatically.

Generate a CSR in Plesk

Plesk generates CSRs through the domain-level SSL/TLS certificate manager. This method applies to customers with Plesk hosting or a Plesk VPS.

Access domain SSL settings.
Log in to Plesk and select your domain from the list. Click SSL/TLS Certificates in the domain menu.

Plesk domain management interface showing the SSL/TLS Certificates option — The SSL/TLS Certificates link in Plesk’s domain menu.

Start the certificate request.
Click Add SSL/TLS Certificate to open the certificate configuration form.

Plesk SSL/TLS certificates page with the Add SSL/TLS Certificate button — The certificate management interface in Plesk.

Enter certificate details.
Fill in your domain name, organisation name, department, city, state and country. Use your organisation’s legal name exactly as it appears in official documents.

Plesk certificate request form showing fields for organisation and location details — The certificate details form in Plesk.

Generate the CSR.
Click Request at the bottom of the form. Plesk creates your CSR and displays the encoded text.

Plesk certificate request form with the Request button highlighted — The Request button generates your CSR in Plesk.

Copy the CSR text including the BEGIN and END markers. If you are purchasing a basic certificate that covers both www and non-www versions of your domain, enter the domain with the www prefix in the certificate request form. Submit the CSR to your certificate authority to receive your signed certificate.

Wrapping up

You generated a certificate signing request containing your domain and organisation details. Your hosting control panel created a private key automatically and stored it securely. Submit the CSR to your certificate authority to receive your SSL certificate.

Once you receive the signed certificate, return to the same SSL/TLS interface to install the certificate on your domain. Our SSL certificates include installation support if you need assistance.

If you run into any trouble, get in touch and our team will be happy to help.