On June 10, 2026, DigiCert unveiled the Partner Subscriptions API, a new way for partners to deliver annual TLS subscriptions and ACME-based certificate automation through their own storefronts, platforms, and workflows.

The API enables partners to create and manage customer subscriptions, automate certificate delivery, and support customers as TLS certificate lifecycles continue to shorten.

This isn’t a replacement for existing certificate sales. It’s a new partner program feature that partners can adopt on their own timeline. Existing DigiCert APIs and licensing models remain available, so partners can decide how, when, and which customers to move toward subscriptions.

Here’s what DigiCert partners need to know about the new API.

Shorter TLS lifecycles are changing certificate management

Lots of changes are coming to the Web PKI. Among the most visible is the shortening of TLS certificate lifecycles, which will drop from 200 days today to 47 days in early 2029.

As that shift unfolds, certificate renewals are moving from an annual task to a seemingly continuous workflow. The guidance is clear: Manual renewals won't scale, and automation is becoming the only path forward.

For DigiCert partners, this shift creates both a challenge and an opportunity.

The challenge

Many customers, especially smaller businesses, don’t want to think about certificates. They just need their websites, applications, and services to keep working. 

These customers may not have dedicated PKI teams, certificate management tools, or the time to manage increasingly frequent issuance and renewal cycles. As certificate lifecycles continue to shorten, manual processes become more difficult to sustain, and certificate management gets much harder to ignore.

The opportunity

Partners have an opportunity to help customers prepare for short-lived certificates while creating stronger, longer-lasting customer relationships.

As automation becomes a requirement instead of just a nice-to-have, customers will increasingly look for solutions that reduce operational complexity and keep certificate management in the background. Partners that can deliver certificate automation as part of their overall service offering can provide additional value while creating a more predictable, recurring business model.

In a market moving toward continuous certificate management, the opportunity is no longer simply selling certificates—it’s delivering the automated experience customers will need as TLS lifecycles continue to shorten.

From certificate transactions to subscription relationships

Traditional TLS resale is built around "one and done" certificate transactions. That model worked when certificates lasted for a year or longer and certificate management could be treated as an occasional renewal task.

Shorter lifecycles change both the economics and the customer experience. When certificates require more frequent renewal, the value is no longer just the certificate itself. It's making sure certificate administration gets done on time, with less manual effort and fewer surprises. 

The Partner Subscriptions API helps partners shift customer relationships from transactional purchases to annual subscriptions. Each subscription is a one-year named-domain entitlement that allows the end customer to issue unlimited certificates for that domain.

For partners, this creates a path to recurring revenue and stronger customer retention. For customers, it creates a simpler way to keep TLS certificates current and systems available. 

API plus ACME: The 2-part delivery model

The DigiCert Partner Subscriptions model combines two components: the Partner Subscriptions API and ACME automation:

• Partner Subscriptions API:The management layer for creating and managing customer subscriptions
• ACME: The automation layer for certificate issuance and renewal through DigiCert's ACME server, with installation handled by the customer's ACME client

Together, the Partner Subscriptions API and ACME create a model that helps partners deliver automated certificate management as TLS lifecycles grow shorter.

Importantly, this partner program feature requires both API integration and ACME automation. ACME is the only supported delivery mechanism for certificates in this model. Partners use the Partner Subscriptions API to register and manage the ACME relationship, and EAB credentials are used to configure the ACME client. Depending on the partner's integration model, the partner may configure ACME on the customer's behalf, or the end customer may configure their own ACME client.

Supporting different customer experiences

Different partners can implement the model in different ways.

For example, a shared hosting provider may configure ACME behind the scenes so the customer has no work to do. A VPS or cloud hosting provider may expose ACME credentials through its customer experience so the customer can configure their own ACME client.

In both cases, the goal is the same: to automate certificate issuance and renewal as TLS lifecycles shorten, keeping certificates current with less manual work.

Built for partner workflows

The API includes capabilities for:

• API key management
• ACME contract management
• Account and subaccount management
• Emergency contact management
• Account reporting
• Finance account linking

ACME contract endpoints include:

• Create
• Retrieve
• Update
• Cancel
• Add or remove SANs
• Retrieve certificate details for domains associated with an ACME contract

Partners can also support more flexible customer needs during the subscription term. SANs can be added or removed through the API, and added SANs are prorated during the term, co-terminating on the customer's original anniversary date.

A practical path to 47-day readiness

The move to shorter TLS lifecycles won't affect every customer the same way, but it will raise expectations for automation across the market.

Customers will expect certificates to renew without constant manual work. Partners will need scalable ways to package, deliver, and support that experience.

The DigiCert Partner Subscriptions API gives partners a practical way to start that transition now. It combines annual TLS subscriptions, API-based management, and ACME automation into a model partners can integrate into their own customer experience.

For partners, it’s a way to build a more predictable TLS business. For customers, it’s a way to spend less time on certificates and reduce the risk of certificate-related outages.

Getting started with Partner Subscriptions

The transition to shorter TLS certificate lifecycles is already underway. As renewal cycles become more frequent, automation will become increasingly important for both partners and customers.

DigiCert Partner TLS Subscriptions provide a practical path forward. By combining annual subscriptions, API-based management, and ACME automation, partners can help customers prepare for shorter certificate lifecycles while building stronger, more predictable subscription relationships. Partners can adopt the model on their own timeline and continue supporting existing DigiCert APIs and licensing models as customer needs evolve.

To learn more about DigiCert Partner Subscriptions, see the frequently asked questions in the DigiCert Partner Portal or get in touch with your DigiCert Partner Account Manager.