Certificate Management
Certificate management is the process of handling digital certificates throughout their lifecycle, including issuance, renewal, revocation, and expiration. It ensures secure communication over networks by managing public key infrastructure (PKI) components like SSL/TLS certificates for websites, code signing certificates, and client certificates for authentication. Effective management prevents security breaches, downtime, and compliance issues.
Developers should learn certificate management to secure applications, APIs, and infrastructure, especially in cloud-native and microservices architectures where automated deployments are common. It's critical for maintaining HTTPS on websites, enabling mutual TLS for service-to-service communication, and meeting regulatory requirements like GDPR or HIPAA. Without proper management, expired or misconfigured certificates can lead to service outages or vulnerabilities.