I have noticed several discussions over the past three years about whether it is necessary, feasible, or appropriate to issue SSL certificates for IP addresses. In fact, I have a similar need. Therefore, I would like to provide some additional reasons that have not been fully discussed yet.
As far as I know, currently only ZeroSSL can issue free certificates for IP addresses, but each issuance is only for three months, and each account can only issue three times, which is quite inconvenient. Of course, it is acceptable, and this is the method I am currently using.
In general, this is a rare demand because using domain names is usually cheap and convenient. Therefore, I fully understand the delay in related plans.
However, in mainland China, there are very strict regulations on the management of websites/domains. Any domain name resolved to a server in mainland China must be registered and approved by the relevant government authorities, otherwise the resolution will be blocked. This registration process is very cumbersome, requiring written identification materials, guarantees, expected website plans, etc., and individuals are not allowed to set up some common websites (such as blogs) without written permission (which is almost impossible to obtain). Cloud service providers and regulatory authorities also conduct regular checks on the content of registered domain names to ensure it complies with the initially approved content, so you cannot easily change the website content.
Of course, this also means that you cannot easily change domain names, and some domain suffixes (such as some free or cheap suffixes) are not included in the list of registrable domain suffixes published by the government. This increases the cost of obtaining domain names.
Other alternatives that do not use domain names (such as DDNS) are also subject to the same degree of regulation.
By the end of 2023, there were nearly 1.3 billion internet users in China. I believe many of these 1.3 billion people, who try to set up small websites/services on cloud servers to provide convenience for themselves, their families, and friends, are troubled by the difficulty of obtaining domain names. However, they still need SSL certificates for HTTPS secure communication. After all, in 2024, using HTTP communication is indeed too unsafe.
In summary, I believe this is a long-ignored situation/need that has not been mentioned here. Therefore, I am posting this in the hope that someone will see it and bring about some discussion.
Of course, this is a demand caused by strict regulations from the internet authorities of specific countries, and no one is obligated to pay for their mistakes. I am not asking you to introduce features for such special needs or to increase the workload, possibly bringing additional risks to public services. But it does cause inconvenience for many people, and many internet activities are forced to be exposed to risks. I just hope that the next time you consider whether to implement this feature, you take into account what I have mentioned here.
