Self-Signed Certificate
A self-signed certificate is a digital certificate that is signed by its own creator rather than a trusted third-party Certificate Authority (CA). It provides encryption for secure communication (e.g., via HTTPS or TLS) but lacks external validation, making it suitable for testing, internal networks, or development environments where trust is established manually. Unlike CA-signed certificates, browsers and systems typically display security warnings for self-signed certificates due to the absence of a trusted chain of authority.
Developers should use self-signed certificates during software development, testing, or staging phases to enable HTTPS/TLS encryption without incurring costs or delays from CA issuance. They are ideal for internal applications, local development servers, or proof-of-concept projects where security warnings are acceptable. However, they are not recommended for production public-facing websites due to trust issues that can deter users and compromise security perceptions.