---
title: "Generating a certificate signing request (CSR)"
date: "2024-02-14T06:18:38+00:00"
summary: "Learn how to generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) for SSL certificates on Acquia Cloud Platform with step-by-step instructions."
image:
type: "page"
url: "/acquia-cloud-platform/generating-certificate-signing-request-csr"
id: "4a9bd778-18f5-45a1-b004-5c5a0a53b025"
---

Table of contents will be added

The first step in obtaining an SSL certificate to use with Cloud Platform is to generate a Certificate Signing Request, or CSR. The CSR contains information about your organization and website that a Certificate Authority can use to generate the appropriate SSL certificate for your website.

You cannot generate a CSR for an Acquia [default domain](/acquia-cloud-platform/manage-apps/domains#cloud-default-domain-names).

If you already have an SSL certificate, or if you choose to generate a CSR some other way (such as [using the command line](/acquia-cloud-platform/manage-apps/ssl/csr/cli)), you can skip this page. However, only CSRs generated using the Cloud Platform user interface are managed and displayed on the SSL page.

CSRs for Node.js applications

Certificate signing requests generated in the Cloud Platform user interface do not work with [Node.js classic](/acquia-cloud-platform/add-ons/node-js/node-js-classic "Node JS Classic") applications. For more information and a workaround, visit [this known issue](/node/56283#Certificate-Signing-Request).

To generate a CSR in the Cloud Platform user interface:

1.  [Sign in to the Cloud Platform user interface](/node/55875) as a user with the necessary [permissions](/acquia-cloud-platform/manage-apps/ssl#cloud-ssl-mgmt-perms).
2.  Select your environment and click **SSL**.
    
    ![cloud-platform_generating-csr.png](https://acquia.widen.net/content/e656f5ce-72fc-4866-a552-dd695c6e0eff/web/cloud-platform_generating-csr.png)
    
3.  Click **Generate CSR**.
    
    The Generate certificate signing request page is displayed.
    
4.  Enter the following information:
    *   **Country**: Use the standard two-letter ISO country code for the country where your organization is located. For example, _US_ or _ZA_
    *   **State, province, or region**: Use the full state or province name, without abbreviation. For example, _California_, not _CA_, and _New Brunswick_, not _NB_
    *   **Locality**: Use the city or town name, without abbreviation
    *   **Organization or company**: Use the full legal name of the organization or company that owns the domain name
    *   **Department or organizational unit**: (_Optional_) Use the name of the department or organizational unit for the domain
    *   **Common name** (domain name): Enter the fully qualified domain name that visitors use to reach your website, without the `http://` or `https://` protocol element. For example, to secure `https://www.example.com`, enter `www.example.com` or `*.example.com` for a wildcard certificate
    *   **Subject alternative name(s)**: (_Optional_) Enter additional domain names, separated by commas, such as `www.example.net, www.example.org`. Adding additional domain names will generate a CSR appropriate for a UCC (Unified Communications Certificate) SSL certificate
5.  Click **Generate CSR**.

Cloud Platform generates a CSR.

Using a CSR to obtain an SSL certificate
----------------------------------------

All the CSRs that have been generated for an environment are listed on the **SSL** page. You need to provide the CSR in encoded format to your SSL certificate vendor in order to obtain an SSL certificate. To get the CSR in encoded format:

1.  Click **SSL**.
2.  In the **Certificate signing requests** section, click **View** to view the CSR.
3.  For **Certificate Request**, click **Show**.
    
    Cloud Platform displays the encoded CSR.
    
    ![cloud-platform_obtaining-encoded-csr.png](https://acquia.widen.net/content/b73d24bf-8117-45b9-83e1-6d2d4e0a5572/web/cloud-platform_obtaining-encoded-csr.png)
    
4.  Copy the encoded CSR and provide it to your SSL certificate vendor in the vendor’s certificate purchase process.

Next step
---------

After you generate and copy the CSR, use it to [obtain an SSL certificate](/acquia-cloud-platform/manage-apps/ssl/purchase).