modbender Triggers
Activate on: SSL certificate, HTTPS setup, Let's Encrypt, certbot, TLS configuration, certificate expired, mixed content, certificate chain error.
Core Tasks
| Task | Tool/Method |
|---|---|
| Get free cert | certbot, acme.sh, Caddy (auto) |
| Check cert status | openssl s_client -connect host:443 |
| View cert details | openssl x509 -in cert.pem -text -noout |
| Test config | ssllabs.com/ssltest or testssl.sh |
| Convert formats | See formats.md |
Quick Cert Commands
# Let's Encrypt with certbot (most common)
certbot certonly --nginx -d example.com -d www.example.com
# Check expiry
echo | openssl s_client -connect example.com:443 2>/dev/null | openssl x509 -noout -dates
# Verify chain is complete
openssl s_client -connect example.com:443 -servername example.com
# Look for "Verify return code: 0 (ok)"
Common Errors
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
certificate has expired |
Cert past valid date | Renew with certbot renew |
unable to verify / self signed |
Missing intermediate cert | Include full chain in config |
hostname mismatch |
Cert doesn't cover this domain | Get cert for correct domain or add SAN |
mixed content |
HTTP resources on HTTPS page | Change all URLs to HTTPS or use // |
ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID |
Self-signed or untrusted CA | Use Let's Encrypt or install CA cert |
For detailed troubleshooting steps, see troubleshooting.md.
Server Config Patterns
Nginx:
server {
listen 443 ssl http2;
ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem;
ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem;
}
Apache:
SSLEngine on
SSLCertificateFile /path/to/cert.pem
SSLCertificateKeyFile /path/to/privkey.pem
SSLCertificateChainFile /path/to/chain.pem
For Node.js, Caddy, Traefik, and HAProxy, see servers.md.
Renewal
Let's Encrypt certs expire in 90 days. Always automate:
# Test renewal
certbot renew --dry-run
# Cron (certbot usually adds this)
0 0 * * * certbot renew --quiet
Certificate Types
| Type | Use case |
|---|---|
| Single domain | One site (example.com) |
| Wildcard (*.domain.com) | All subdomains |
| Multi-domain (SAN) | Multiple different domains on one cert |
| Self-signed | Local dev only — browsers will warn |
What This Doesn't Cover
- Application auth (JWT, OAuth) → see
oauthskill - SSH keys → see
linuxor server skills - VPN/tunnel setup → see networking skills
- Firewall configuration → see server/infrastructure skills