I really like this free-way to obtain a free SSL/TLS certificate. But I can not make it work.
I wanted to try how Let’s Encrypt works. I created a virtual machine with Debian. I installed Apache2 and configured the HTTPS. But when I want to get the certificate, it tells me that I need a DNS server with a A record.
Here is mi question, there is any way to obtain a LE certificate in a virtual machine without a DNS record. I just want to work with a Test Enviroment. I do not want to have a real Apache2 working on the Internet.
Thank you very much and sorry for any issue, I am a beginner in this. But I want to learn.
If you want to experiment with the technology, you can run the Boulder server in another virtual machine and create your own private certificate authority that uses the same technology that Let’s Encrypt does. You can then decide what your CA’s certification policies should be.
The public Let’s Encrypt certificate authority is subject to industry rules and its own policies which require checking proof that a domain name really exists, and that the requesting party proves control over it, before issuing a certificate. So you can’t get any kind of test certificates from Let’s Encrypt without offering some proof of control for a publicly-visible name on the real public Internet.