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Free SSL Monitoring with Slack Alerts: Never Let Certificates Rot

3 min read•
Morten PradsgaardBy Morten Pradsgaard

Catch SSL expirations before they torch trust by piping Exit1.dev alerts into Slack.

Free SSL Monitoring with Slack Alerts: Stop Shipwrecks Before They Start

Letting an SSL cert expire is amateur hour. Browsers explode with warnings, conversion tanks, and trust evaporates overnight. The fix? Exit1.dev’s free SSL monitoring plus Slack alerts that nag you until you renew. No excuses.

Why Slack Is the Right Hammer for SSL Alerts

  • Instant humiliation: The whole team sees the countdown, so no one can shrug and say “I didn’t know.”
  • Threaded follow-up: Track renewal steps right under the alert. Zero context switching.
  • Automation friendly: Route alerts into Jira, Notion, or your CI pipeline with Slack workflows. Bureaucracy handled.

Set Up SSL Alerts in Slack

  1. Create the Slack webhook
    • Add a Slack app via Incoming Webhooks. Aim it at a channel like #ssl-ops or toss it straight into #platform if you enjoy public accountability.
  2. Configure the monitor
    • In Exit1.dev, create an SSL monitor for each domain or wildcard. Under Notifications, select Slack webhook and paste the URL.
    • Enable both “Expiry warning” and “Expired certificate” events. You want the countdown and the red alarm.
  3. Test and tune
    • Send a test alert. If it lands flat, fix formatting now. Include the domain, expiry date, and runbook link.

Sample Slack SSL Alert

:lock: *SSL Expiry Warning*
Domain: app.exit1.dev
Expires in: 14 days
Issuer: Let's Encrypt R3
Runbook: https://runbooks.exit1.dev/renew-ssl
Owner: SRE Team

Make the message impossible to misunderstand. If someone has to expand threads to find the expiry date, rewrite it.

Build a Renewal Workflow That Actually Happens

  • Assign an owner immediately: First response claims the task. Slack threads make accountability obvious.
  • Schedule the work: Use /remind or Workflow Builder to drop a calendar hold three days before expiry.
  • Automate certificate deployment: Tie the Slack alert to a script that checks your ACME client or triggers Terraform plans.
  • Close the loop: Post the new expiry date once renewed. Celebrate not shipping broken HTTPS.

When to Pay for More

Exit1.dev’s free tier covers unlimited SSL monitors and Slack alerts. Pay up only if you need:

  • Hardware security module (HSM) integrations.
  • Multi-cloud certificate automation tied to provisioning.
  • Compliance attestation features.

Otherwise, stay on the free train and stop letting certificates rot.

Ship It Today

  1. List every domain and wildcard you own.
  2. Create SSL monitors in Exit1.dev with Slack alerts attached.
  3. Run a tabletop exercise so everyone knows what to do when the warning fires.

That’s how you keep HTTPS solid and your reputation intact.

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.