119 | Beyond Let's Encrypt: Overview of the Best Free SSL/TLS Alternatives

2025-10-10

Thanks to Let’s Encrypt HTTPS has become the standard for the entire internet. This project made it possible for any site administrator to get a free SSL certificate in just a few commands. But other players have appeared on the market, offering more convenience, integrations, and flexibility.

If you want to try something besides Let’s Encrypt — below is an overview of the most reliable and popular alternatives.

1. ZeroSSL — same automation, but with a friendly interface

ZeroSSL (Austria) — the main competitor to Let’s Encrypt. It is fully compatible with the same ACME protocol, but emphasizes convenience.

SSL certificates via DNS: automating Let’s Encrypt issuance

2025-10-06

Introduction

Let’s Encrypt is the standard for obtaining free TLS certificates. Most often certificates are issued via the HTTP-01 method, which requires a reachable web server on port 80. However, for internal services or wildcard certificates (for example, *.example.com) it is more convenient to use DNS-01, which verifies domain ownership via TXT records in DNS and does not require open ports.

This article covers:

• Issuing certificates via the Cloudflare API,
• Issuing certificates via Amazon Route 53 (AWS),
• Integration with web servers Nginx, HAProxy and Traefik,
• Automation of certificate renewal.

Note: Instructions are relevant for Certbot 2.x, acme.sh 3.x, Nginx 1.18+, HAProxy 2.4+, Traefik 2.x on Linux (Ubuntu/Debian). For other OSes or tool versions adjustments may be required.

Publishing Your Website from a Home PC: Cloudflare Tunnel Without a White IP

2025-06-16

There’s often a need to host a website, be it a personal blog, a test project, or a small service, directly on a home computer. This is convenient, economical, and provides full control. However, many face the problem of not having a “white” (public) IP address from their internet provider, making direct external access virtually impossible. And even if they do, it’s often dynamic, requiring constant updates via DDNS.

Don’t worry! Today, we’ll dive into the world of network technologies and show you how to overcome this limitation and publish your website online using a powerful and free tool from Cloudflare – Cloudflare Tunnel (formerly known as Argo Tunnel). You won’t need a white IP, port forwarding on your router, or other complex configurations!

005 | Setting Up Email: Part 1 — Forwarding with Cloudflare

2025-05-26

Email is the lifeblood of any business. One of the first steps toward professionalism is using an email address with your own domain (e.g., info@yourbusiness.com) rather than relying on free services like Gmail or Mail.ru. It not only looks more credible but also builds trust with your customers. Today we’ll explore a simple and free way to start using your domain-based email — email forwarding through Cloudflare.

What is Email Forwarding and Why Use It?

Email forwarding is the process of automatically redirecting incoming messages from one address to another. For example, emails sent to info@yourbusiness.com are automatically forwarded to your personal Gmail or Yandex inbox.