# Can I test Let's Encrypt Client on LocalHost?

**URL:** <https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/can-i-test-lets-encrypt-client-on-localhost/15627>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [May 11, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/can-i-test-lets-encrypt-client-on-localhost/15627 "2016-05-11T21:38:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![duchoanMU](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3e96dc/32.png) [@duchoanMU](https://community.letsencrypt.org/u/duchoanMU)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/can-i-test-lets-encrypt-client-on-localhost/15627/1 "2016-05-11T21:38:36Z")

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I’m doing a research and I want to run Let’s Encrypt Client in LocalHost. Is it possible?

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**Author:** ![schoen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/letsencrypt/user_avatar/community.letsencrypt.org/schoen/32/79_2.png) [@schoen](https://community.letsencrypt.org/u/schoen)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 10:54pm UTC](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/can-i-test-lets-encrypt-client-on-localhost/15627/2 "2016-05-11T22:54:45Z")

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You can’t get a certificate for localhost; the certificate authority is only able to issue certificates for publicly-visible, globally-unique domain names. localhost doesn’t count, and the certificate authority isn’t allowed to issue certs for it.

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**Author:** ![DarkSteve](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/letsencrypt/user_avatar/community.letsencrypt.org/darksteve/32/1050_2.png) [@DarkSteve](https://community.letsencrypt.org/u/DarkSteve)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/can-i-test-lets-encrypt-client-on-localhost/15627/3 "2016-05-11T22:55:09Z")

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What do you mean “run the client in localhost”? Do you mean you want to obtain an SSL certificate for “localhost”?

You can only obtain certificates for (internet accessible) fully qualified domain names. You can’t get certificates for IP addresses or local (LAN) addresses. Let’s Encrypt needs to verify that you actually have control of a domain (hence “internet accessible”) before it will issue the certificate.

If that’s not what you meant, please provide a bit more context and information 🙂

EDIT: Ninja’d by Schoen!

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**Author:** ![schoen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/letsencrypt/user_avatar/community.letsencrypt.org/schoen/32/79_2.png) [@schoen](https://community.letsencrypt.org/u/schoen)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/can-i-test-lets-encrypt-client-on-localhost/15627/4 "2016-05-11T22:55:32Z")

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However, if you do have your own domain name, you can get a cert for that name and then change the DNS records so that the name points at 127.0.0.1. In that case, you can then access services on your local computer and your browser can accept the certificate you got for the appropriate name.

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**Author:** ![dwilson390](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/letsencrypt/user_avatar/community.letsencrypt.org/dwilson390/32/6948_2.png) [@dwilson390](https://community.letsencrypt.org/u/dwilson390)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 2:50pm UTC](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/can-i-test-lets-encrypt-client-on-localhost/15627/5 "2016-05-18T14:50:30Z")

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If you want to test LE, why not create a test.domain.tld subdomain?

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/letsencrypt/original/3X/c/a/ca6c06ea1ea201324bba7048c6841ce60236468d.png) [@system](https://community.letsencrypt.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 2:50pm UTC](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/can-i-test-lets-encrypt-client-on-localhost/15627/6 "2016-06-17T14:50:35Z")

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