Does OpenPanel Support Wildcard SSL Certificates?
No. OpenPanel does not issue or install wildcard SSL certificates (*.example.com).
You don't need one: every domain and subdomain you add gets its own free SSL certificate automatically, including its www version. Add shop.example.com, blog.example.com and api.example.com, and each one is secured on its own - no extra steps.
How SSL Works in OpenPanel​
- When you add a domain or subdomain, OpenPanel registers it with its built-in proxy (Caddy).
- The first time the domain is opened over
https://, a free Let's Encrypt certificate is issued fordomainandwww.domain. - Certificates are renewed automatically before they expire.
Certificates are only issued for domains that exist in OpenPanel - not for random subdomains that happen to point to your server. This protects the server from certificate abuse and rate-limit problems.
See SSL.
Why Wildcard Certificates Aren't Used​
A wildcard certificate from Let's Encrypt can only be issued with a DNS-01 challenge, which needs API access to the domain's DNS provider. OpenPanel issues certificates automatically for any domain, wherever its DNS is hosted, so it uses the HTTP-based challenge that works for every domain - and that challenge can't issue wildcards.
What to Use Instead​
| You want... | Do this |
|---|---|
| SSL on many subdomains | Add each subdomain on the Domains page - each gets its own certificate automatically. See Add a subdomain. |
| SSL on dynamic subdomains (SaaS, multisite) | Add the subdomains you use as domains in OpenPanel, or put the site behind Cloudflare, which can serve a wildcard certificate at its edge. |
| A paid certificate (OV/EV) | Install it as a custom SSL certificate on each domain it covers. |
If you already bought a wildcard certificate, you can still install it as a custom certificate on each domain or subdomain it covers - see Install a custom SSL certificate. Renewing it is then up to you.