Greetings to all! Please excuse this naive request from a newbie.
I have several websites hosted on GoDaddy using a single shared hosting account. I use cPanel (version 118.0.13) and have SSH access (Linux kernel 4.18.0-553.lve.e18.x86_64). I do not know if I have root access.
I would like to install a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate or certificates with automatic ACME renewal using either CERTBOT or acme.sh. In attempting to research the subject, I have encountered a great deal of information but some of it may be obsolete while other sources seem to disagree with each other. For example:
and
I appreciate the complex and rapidly evolving nature of this field but perhaps someone could suggest an up-to-date summary, tutorial, or walkthrough that applies to my situation.
If this is GoDaddy's shared hosting product (so you're not logging in and administrating Apache or the like yourself), then you don't have a lot of options. That page on GoDaddy's site that you linked to I think is for how to set up your system for certificates that they supply, which only applies if you're both administrating the machine and if you're buying the certificates from them.
The best client we've seen around these parts for your sort of use case is CertSage, which is a PHP script that you can upload and installs free certificates from Let's Encrypt for you. However, it doesn't currently meet your stated requirement of automatic renewal. You'd currently need to log on every couple of months and do a few clicks for each domain to get an updated certificate. (@griffin says that working on adding automation is on his roadmap, though.)
Some people find that not to be too troublesome, and like the hands-on-ness of making sure everything's working each time. Other people don't like the idea that missing a renewal can suddenly make your site not work if you aren't paying enough attention.
The other options I'm aware of, are to pay whatever GoDaddy is asking to handle them issuing certificates for you, or to switch hosting away from GoDaddy to some other provider which doesn't list certificates as a separate billing item. Those options have their own downsides too, of course.
The guide from the GoDaddy site you've linked is actually for getting certificates from GoDaddy (i.e., the ones you pay money for to GoDaddy) using ACME. And not actually getting a Let's Encrypt certificate when your site is hosted by GoDaddy. Two different things entirely.
It is one of my missions to get the information you've cited straightened out. @petercooperjr did a great job clearly describing the current picture. I think you'll find that CertSage will likely accomplish what you want for now. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Thanks once again to all who replied and congratulations to @griffin on a job well done! I have just installed all my SSL certificates using CertSage without any snags whatsoever. Fully automated renewal would be an asset in due course but, even without it, this is already a big step forward.
I hope to be able to reciprocate for your kindness.
