Manual Certificate Management vs Let's Encrypt

Developers should learn Manual Certificate Management when working in environments where automated tools are unavailable or when fine-grained control over certificate processes is required, such as in legacy systems, custom deployments, or security-sensitive applications meets developers should use let's encrypt when they need to implement https on websites or web applications quickly and at no cost, especially for personal projects, small businesses, or development environments. Here's our take.

Manual Certificate Management

Nice Pick

Developers should learn Manual Certificate Management when working in environments where automated tools are unavailable or when fine-grained control over certificate processes is required, such as in legacy systems, custom deployments, or security-sensitive applications

Pros

• It is essential for tasks like setting up HTTPS on web servers, securing internal communications, and debugging certificate-related issues, providing a deep understanding of public key infrastructure (PKI) principles
• Related to: openssl, public-key-infrastructure

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Let's Encrypt

Developers should use Let's Encrypt when they need to implement HTTPS on websites or web applications quickly and at no cost, especially for personal projects, small businesses, or development environments

Pros

• It is ideal for automating certificate issuance and renewal in DevOps workflows, such as with web servers like Apache or Nginx, to ensure continuous security without manual intervention
• Related to: ssl-tls, https

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Manual Certificate Management is a concept while Let's Encrypt is a tool. We picked Manual Certificate Management based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Manual Certificate Management wins

Based on overall popularity. Manual Certificate Management is more widely used, but Let's Encrypt excels in its own space.