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  3. What is a Wildcard Certificate?
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Public Trust & Certificates

What is a Wildcard
SSL Certificate?

What is a Wildcard SSL Certificate?

A Wildcard SSL Certificate is a single certificate with a wildcard character (*) in the domain name field. This allows the certificate to secure a single domain and multiple subdomains.

For example, a Wildcard SSL Certificate for *.example.com, could be used for www.example.com, mail.example.com, store.example.com, in addition to any other subdomain name.

How Does a Wildcard Certificate Work?

Our DigiCert Wildcard TLS/SSL Certificates provide protection for unlimited first-level sub-domains of the domain name you specify in your Certificate Signing Request (CSR).

For example, you get a DigiCert TLS/SSL Wildcard Certificate for *.your_domain.com.

With this certificate, you can secure unlimited first-level subdomains, such as: www.your_domain.com mail.your_domain.com admin.your_domain.com sales.your_domain.com europe.your_domain.com anything.your_domain.com

The asterisk (*) in the common name serves as the wildcard character that allows the certificate to take on any first-level subdomain name. The value assumed by the asterisk (*) must not have a period or 'dot' in it (i.e., your *.your_domain.com does not secure anything.anything.your_domain.com as it is a second-level subdomain of your_domain.com). This is why we say that the wildcard certificate covers unlimited first-level subdomains.

What is the Price of a Wildcard SSL Certificate?

The price of a Wildcard SSL Certificate is determined based on the number of subdomains you secure and the number of years of coverage you select. With DigiCert you can secure up to 250 subdomains. Check the wildcard SSL certificate price here or by logging into your DigiCert CertCentral® account.


What is the Difference Between a Multi-Domain SAN Certificate and a Wildcard SAN SSL Certificate?

A Multi-Domain subject alternative name (SAN) Certificate, also known as a multi-domain certificate, can support multiple domains and multiple host names with domains. Multi-Domain SAN SSL certificates are more flexible than Wildcard SAN Certificates since they are not limited to a single domain. Currently, all DigiCert TLS/SSL certificates can be converted to a Wildcard SAN or a Multi-Domain SAN Certificate. Combining the functionality of both allows you to secure a much broader set of domains along with the capability to use them on any number of subdomains.

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