Free SSL: Don't Let Certs Expire
Certs die. Warnings kill traffic. Monitor free, stay secure.
Why Bother
- Browser blocks
- SEO hits
- Trust loss
- Compliance fails
Tools
exit1.dev: Unlimited auto.
- exit1.dev
- Auto
- Expiry track
- Validation
- Webhook alerts
- 1-min checks
- Unlimited
- No card
For: Reliable without cost.
- UptimeRobot
- Expiry/validation
- 5-min
- Email/webhook
- 50 sites
For: Combined uptime/SSL.
- SSL Labs
- Deep analysis
- Grade assessment
- Details
- Free API
- Manual
For: Security config.
Setup
- Sign up exit1.dev
- Add URL
- Auto SSL starts
- Set alerts
Alerts
- 30 days: Heads up
- 14 days: Escalate
- 7 days: Urgent
- 1 day: Critical
- Expired: Emergency
Custom per domain.
Channels
- Slack/Discord
- Webhooks for auto
Guide: /blog/webhook-alerts-slack-discord
Why Teams Screw Up
- Turnover
- Short cycles (Let's Encrypt)
- Multi-domains
- Manual tracking
exit1.dev fixes: Auto scans, tracked dates, repeated alerts, unified dash.
Mistakes
Forgetting renewals. Automate.
Practices
- Monitor all (www, api, wildcards)
- Sane thresholds
- Auto renew (ACME)
- Verify config
- Assign owners
Types
Let's Encrypt: 90 days, check 30. Commercial: 1-2 years, check 30. Wildcard: Critical, manual renew.
Free vs Paid
Free: exit1.dev, UptimeRobot, SSL Labs
Paid: Analytics, collab, support.
Checklist
Week 1: Tool, add main, email alerts, test, doc.
Week 2: Add pages, SSL, webhooks, response procedures, train.
Week 3: Adjust thresholds, business hours, dashboards, escalation, growth plan.
Conclusion
Monitor or regret. Free works.
Start free or https://app.exit1.dev/.
Sources
- Let's Encrypt: Documentation — https://letsencrypt.org/docs/
- Mozilla: SSL Configuration Generator — https://ssl-config.mozilla.org/
- Cloudflare Learning: What is SSL/TLS? — https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/ssl/what-is-ssl/
Recommended Free Monitoring Resources
- Free Uptime Monitor Checklist – Step-by-step actions to configure a free uptime monitor that catches incidents fast.
- Best Free Uptime Monitoring Tools (2025) – Compare the strongest free uptime monitor platforms and when to upgrade.
- Free Website Monitoring Tools 2025 Guide – Evaluate which free website monitor fits your stack and alerting needs.
- Free Website Monitoring for Developers – See how engineering teams automate alerts, SLO tracking, and reporting with a free website monitor.
Morten Pradsgaard is the founder of exit1.dev — the free uptime monitor for people who actually ship. He writes no-bullshit guides on monitoring, reliability, and building software that doesn't crumble under pressure.