{"id":923,"date":"2025-12-19T10:37:42","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T09:37:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/?post_type=manual_kb&#038;p=923"},"modified":"2026-06-03T07:56:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T05:56:36","slug":"what-are-the-types-of-ssl-certificates-and-how-do-they-differ-from-each-other","status":"publish","type":"manual_kb","link":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-are-the-types-of-ssl-certificates-and-how-do-they-differ-from-each-other\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the types of SSL certificates and how do they differ from each other?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, securing a website with an SSL certificate is considered a standard practice. SSL certificates encrypt communication between a visitor&#8217;s browser and the web server, helping protect sensitive information such as login credentials, contact form submissions, and customer data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SSL certificates can be categorized in two ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>By the level of validation performed during issuance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>By the number of domains and subdomains they protect<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-are-the-types-of-ssl-certificates-and-how-do-they-differ-from-each-other\/#Contents\" >Contents<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-are-the-types-of-ssl-certificates-and-how-do-they-differ-from-each-other\/#SSL_Certificate_Validation_Types\" >SSL Certificate Validation Types<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-are-the-types-of-ssl-certificates-and-how-do-they-differ-from-each-other\/#DV_Domain_Validation\" >DV (Domain Validation)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-are-the-types-of-ssl-certificates-and-how-do-they-differ-from-each-other\/#OV_Organization_Validation\" >OV (Organization Validation)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-are-the-types-of-ssl-certificates-and-how-do-they-differ-from-each-other\/#EV_Extended_Validation\" >EV (Extended Validation)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-are-the-types-of-ssl-certificates-and-how-do-they-differ-from-each-other\/#Types_of_SSL_Certificates\" >Types of SSL Certificates<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-are-the-types-of-ssl-certificates-and-how-do-they-differ-from-each-other\/#Free_SSL\" >Free SSL<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-are-the-types-of-ssl-certificates-and-how-do-they-differ-from-each-other\/#Standard_SSL\" >Standard SSL<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-are-the-types-of-ssl-certificates-and-how-do-they-differ-from-each-other\/#SAN_SSL_Multi-Domain_SSL\" >SAN SSL (Multi-Domain SSL)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-are-the-types-of-ssl-certificates-and-how-do-they-differ-from-each-other\/#Wildcard_SSL\" >Wildcard SSL<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-are-the-types-of-ssl-certificates-and-how-do-they-differ-from-each-other\/#Choosing_the_Right_SSL_Certificate\" >Choosing the Right SSL Certificate<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-are-the-types-of-ssl-certificates-and-how-do-they-differ-from-each-other\/#Summary\" >Summary<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Contents\"><\/span>Contents<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>SSL Certificate Validation Types<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Types of SSL Certificates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Choosing the Right SSL Certificate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"SSL_Certificate_Validation_Types\"><\/span>SSL Certificate Validation Types<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"DV_Domain_Validation\"><\/span>DV (Domain Validation)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"mybox-1109336132\" class=\"mybox-content mybox-entity-placement\"><div class=\"early-access-banner-inpost\">\r\n  <div class=\"banner-left-inpost\">\r\n    <div class=\"icon-box-inpost\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/square-info-icon.svg\" alt=\"Info\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"text-box-inpost\">\r\n      <span class=\"label-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Early access<\/span><\/span>\r\n      <h4><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Still need help?<\/span><\/h4>\r\n      <p><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Contact our customer service team.<\/span><\/p>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <div class=\"banner-right-inpost\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/panel.mybox.com\/helpdesk2\/v\/list\/\" class=\"banner-button-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Message us<\/span><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Domain Validation (DV) certificates are issued after verifying that the applicant controls the domain name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Characteristics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Fastest issuance process<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Typically issued within minutes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Domain ownership verification only<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Encrypts communication between visitors and the server<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DV certificates are suitable for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Personal websites<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Blogs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Small business websites<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Development and testing environments<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"OV_Organization_Validation\"><\/span>OV (Organization Validation)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Organization Validation (OV) certificates provide an additional layer of verification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to domain ownership validation, the Certificate Authority verifies information about the organization requesting the certificate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Characteristics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Company verification required<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Usually issued within 3\u20135 business days<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provides greater trust than DV certificates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Suitable for organizations and businesses<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OV certificates are commonly used by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Business websites<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Corporate portals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Organizations that want to display verified company information<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"EV_Extended_Validation\"><\/span>EV (Extended Validation)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Extended Validation (EV) certificates offer the highest level of validation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the issuance process, the Certificate Authority performs extensive verification of the organization, including official records and additional validation procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Characteristics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Most comprehensive verification process<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confirms the legal existence of the organization<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provides the highest level of trust<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Intended for businesses handling sensitive transactions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">EV certificates are often used by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>E-commerce stores<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Financial institutions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Government organizations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Large enterprises<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Types_of_SSL_Certificates\"><\/span>Types of SSL Certificates<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Free_SSL\"><\/span>Free SSL<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Free SSL certificates are typically provided through Let&#8217;s Encrypt and can be activated directly for websites hosted on mybox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Characteristics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Free of charge<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Automatic issuance and renewal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Suitable for most websites<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Security level comparable to a standard DV certificate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ideal for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Personal websites<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Blogs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Small business websites<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Company presentation pages<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Standard_SSL\"><\/span>Standard SSL<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Standard SSL certificate protects a single domain and its WWW variant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>yourdomain.com<br>www.yourdomain.com<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Characteristics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Protects one primary domain<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Includes the WWW version<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Suitable for most single-site projects<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"SAN_SSL_Multi-Domain_SSL\"><\/span>SAN SSL (Multi-Domain SSL)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A SAN (Subject Alternative Name) certificate, also known as a Multi-Domain SSL certificate, protects multiple domains using a single certificate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>yourdomain.com<br>yourdomain.net<br>yourcompany.eu<br>example.org<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Characteristics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Protects multiple domains<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can support a large number of domain names<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Simplifies certificate management<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Additional domains can usually be added later<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Suitable for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Businesses managing multiple websites<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Agencies hosting multiple client domains<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Organizations with multiple brands<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Wildcard_SSL\"><\/span>Wildcard SSL<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Wildcard SSL certificate protects a primary domain and all first-level subdomains under it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>yourdomain.com<br>www.yourdomain.com<br>blog.yourdomain.com<br>shop.yourdomain.com<br>dev.yourdomain.com<br>mail.yourdomain.com<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Characteristics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Covers unlimited subdomains<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>One certificate secures all first-level subdomains<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Simplifies management for large projects<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ideal for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Websites with many subdomains<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Development environments<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>SaaS platforms<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Organizations using multiple services under one domain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Choosing_the_Right_SSL_Certificate\"><\/span>Choosing the Right SSL Certificate<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Certificate Type<\/th><th>Best For<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Free SSL<\/td><td>Personal and small business websites<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Standard SSL<\/td><td>Single-domain websites<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>SAN SSL<\/td><td>Multiple domains<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Wildcard SSL<\/td><td>Websites with many subdomains<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>OV SSL<\/td><td>Verified business websites<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>EV SSL<\/td><td>E-commerce, financial, and high-trust websites<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary\"><\/span>Summary<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SSL certificates differ both in the level of validation and in the number of domains they protect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>DV<\/strong> certificates verify domain ownership.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>OV<\/strong> certificates additionally verify the organization.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>EV<\/strong> certificates provide the highest level of validation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regarding coverage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Free SSL<\/strong> and <strong>Standard SSL<\/strong> typically protect a single domain.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SAN SSL<\/strong> protects multiple domains.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wildcard SSL<\/strong> protects a domain and all its subdomains.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For most websites hosted on mybox, a Free SSL certificate provides sufficient encryption and security. More advanced certificates are recommended for organizations that require additional trust, identity verification, or protection for multiple domains and subdomains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","manualknowledgebasecat":[11,25],"manual_kb_tag":[376,1195,571,1196,583,1197,587,1198,588,1199,772,1200,885,1201,887,1202,914,1203,968,1204,1014,1205,1047,1206,1058,1207,242,1090,1208,371,1193,1209,372,1194,1210],"class_list":["post-923","manual_kb","type-manual_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","manualknowledgebasecat-ssl-certificates","manualknowledgebasecat-hosting","manual_kb_tag-domain-validation","manual_kb_tag-organization-validation","manual_kb_tag-online-store","manual_kb_tag-extended-validation","manual_kb_tag-subdomains","manual_kb_tag-free-certificates","manual_kb_tag-blog","manual_kb_tag-standard-certificates","manual_kb_tag-website","manual_kb_tag-single-domain-certificates","manual_kb_tag-domain","manual_kb_tag-multi-domain-certificates","manual_kb_tag-certificate-authority","manual_kb_tag-wildcard-certificates","manual_kb_tag-ssl-certificates","manual_kb_tag-subdomain-protection","manual_kb_tag-website-security","manual_kb_tag-encrypted-communication","manual_kb_tag-databases","manual_kb_tag-certificate-installation","manual_kb_tag-mybox-com","manual_kb_tag-certificate-issuance-time","manual_kb_tag-subdomain","manual_kb_tag-verification-documents","manual_kb_tag-main-domain","manual_kb_tag-online-store-security","manual_kb_tag-mybox","manual_kb_tag-www-prefix","manual_kb_tag-padlock-in-address-bar","manual_kb_tag-lets-encrypt","manual_kb_tag-tls-certificates","manual_kb_tag-hosting-package","manual_kb_tag-ssl-certificate","manual_kb_tag-https-security","manual_kb_tag-company-data"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/manual_kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/923\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9642,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/923\/revisions\/9642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"manualknowledgebasecat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manualknowledgebasecat?post=923"},{"taxonomy":"manual_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb_tag?post=923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}