You add the hosts you want watched. From then on, SSL Monitor connects to each one every day over a real TLS handshake, the way a visitor's browser does, and reads the certificate it gets back. When a certificate gets close to expiry, you hear from us by e-mail while there's still time to renew.
Add your hosts
A host is a name people connect to, like www.yourshop.dk, shop.yourshop.dk or login.yourshop.dk. Start with the ones your customers and staff use every day: the website, the webshop, the customer login, webmail.
There's nothing to install and no DNS record to add. SSL Monitor connects from outside, the same way a visitor does, so it also works for sites a web agency or hosting company runs for you.
What we check every day
| Check | What we read | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Expiry | How many days the certificate has left | You renew before a browser shows your visitors a warning |
| Chain | Whether the server sends the intermediate certificates along with yours | Some apps, scripts and older devices fail without them, even when your browser looks fine |
| TLS settings | Which TLS version and cipher the server negotiates | An outdated version, such as TLS 1.0 or 1.1, is flagged |
Because we look at what the server sends, a certificate that was renewed on disk but never reached the server your visitors connect to still shows up. Why certificates expire even with auto-renewal has the common causes.
Where alerts go
Every plan alerts by e-mail. On SSL Pro and Business you can also send alerts to Slack, Microsoft Teams or a signed webhook, so they reach the place your team already looks.
We e-mail you when a certificate has less than 14 days left, when it has expired, and when a host's SSL score drops by 20 points or more, for example after a chain or TLS change. Each alert is about one host, so you know which server or which provider to look at.
When something needs fixing
- Expiry is getting close. If the certificate should renew by itself, find out why it hasn't yet: the renewal job, the server it runs on, and whatever sits in front of the site.
- The chain is incomplete. Install the full chain from your certificate provider. Incomplete certificate chains, explained shows how.
- A TLS setting is flagged. Ask whoever runs the server to turn off the old version or cipher.
The next daily check shows whether the fix worked. Want to see it straight away? Run the free certificate check on the host.
Plans
| Plan | Hosts | Checks | Alerts |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSL Pro, €18 | 20 | Daily | E-mail, Slack, Teams, webhooks |
| SSL Business, €49 | 150 | Daily | E-mail, Slack, Teams, webhooks |
| Personal, free | 3 | Daily |
Prices are per month, excluding VAT. Monthly, cancel any time. SSL Pro keeps a year of history, one full renewal cycle; the free plan keeps 30 days. The free plan is for personal and hobby sites; a business uses Pro or Business.
Questions along the way? Write to me at christian@monitorbase.eu. You'll get an answer within 1–2 days.