HostCry provides a free SSL Certificate Checker tool that allows you to instantly verify whether your website's SSL certificate is valid, properly installed, and secure with no account or signup required. This guide walks you through how to use the tool and understand your results.
Step 1: Open the SSL Certificate Checker Tool.
Visit the Hostcry website and navigate to Explore in the top navigation menu. From the dropdown, select Free SSL Certificate Checker. You will land on the SSL Checker page, which checks your certificate's validity, expiry, issuer, and security configuration completely free.
Step 2: Enter Your Domain & Click Check SSL.
In the search box, type your domain name (for example, example.com) or the full URL, including https://. Then click the Check SSL button. Results will appear below within a few seconds.
Tip: You can enter just the domain (example.com) or the full URL (https://example.com). Both work with the checker.
Step 3: Review the Overview Tab.
Once the check is complete, your domain will appear with an SSL Enabled badge and a Security Grade (e.g., A+) in the top-right corner. The Overview tab shows three key sections:
Certificate Status.
• Valid: Whether your SSL certificate is currently active (Yes/No).
• Issuer: The authority that issued your certificate (e.g., Cloudflare TLS Issuing ECC CA 1).
• Algorithm: The encryption algorithm used (e.g., ecdsa-with-SHA256).
Expiration Info.
• Expires: The exact date and time your SSL certificate expires.
• Days Left: The number of days remaining before expiry.
• Status: Whether the certificate is currently Valid or Expired.
Security Features.
• HSTS: Shows if HTTP Strict Transport Security is enabled or disabled.
• Security Score: A score out of 100 showing your overall security level.
• Vulnerabilities: Number of security vulnerabilities detected (ideally 0 found).
Step 4: Review the Certificate Tab.
Click the Certificate tab for detailed technical information about your SSL certificate:
Subject Information
• Common Name: Your domain name (e.g., example.com).
• Organization / Country / State: Owner details (may show N/A for domain-validated certificates).
Issuer Information
• Issuer: The certificate authority that issued your SSL.
• Organization: The issuing organization (e.g., CLOUDFLARE, INC.).
• Country: Country of the issuing authority.
Technical Details
• Serial Number: A unique identifier for your certificate.
• Signature Algorithm: The algorithm used to sign the certificate.
• Public Key Algorithm & Key Size: Encryption method and strength.
Subject Alternative Names
Lists all domains covered by the certificate (e.g., example.com and .example.com for wildcard certificates).
Step 5: Review the Security Tab.
Click the Security tab to review your website's security features and protocol details:
Security Features.
• HSTS: Forces browsers to always use HTTPS. Shows Not Enabled if disabled.
• Certificate Transparency: Confirms your certificate is publicly logged. Shows Supported if active.
• OCSP Stapling: Speeds up certificate validity checks. Shows Not Enabled if disabled.
Protocol Information.
• Supported Protocols: TLS versions supported (e.g., TLS 1.2, TLS 1.3).
• Cipher Suite: The encryption method used for secure connections.
• Perfect Forward Secrecy: Protects past sessions even if the key is compromised.
Certificate Chain.
• Chain Length: Number of certificates in the trust chain.
• Complete Chain: Whether the full certificate chain is properly installed.
• Trusted Root: Whether the root certificate is trusted by browsers.
Step 6: Review the Recommendations Tab.
Click the Recommendations tab to see suggested improvements for your SSL setup. Each recommendation shows a priority level. For example:
• Medium Priority Enable HSTS: Enabling HTTP Strict Transport Security forces browsers to always connect using HTTPS, improving your security score.
After reviewing, you can click Recheck SSL to run the check again after making changes or click Clear Cache to force a fresh result.
You have successfully checked your SSL certificate. If your domain shows SSL Enabled with a green badge and an A+ Security Grade, your website is fully secure and properly configured.