acme.sh

A pure Unix shell script implementing ACME client protocol

38,447

4,893

38,447

1,240

View on GitHub

Top Related Projects

certbot

31,293

Certbot is EFF's tool to obtain certs from Let's Encrypt and (optionally) auto-enable HTTPS on your server. It can also act as a client for any other CA that uses the ACME protocol.

dehydrated

5,956

letsencrypt/acme client implemented as a shell-script – just add water

acme-nosudo

1,186

Free HTTPS certificates without having to trust the letsencrypt cli with sudo/root

boulder

5,142

An ACME-based certificate authority, written in Go.

Quick Overview

acme.sh is a powerful and versatile ACME (Automatic Certificate Management Environment) client written in pure shell script. It's designed to automate the process of obtaining, installing, and renewing SSL/TLS certificates from Let's Encrypt and other ACME-compliant certificate authorities. The project aims to be simple, efficient, and compatible with various web servers and platforms.

Pros

Lightweight and dependency-free, requiring only basic shell utilities
Supports multiple ACME CAs and DNS providers for domain validation
Highly customizable with extensive configuration options
Active development and community support

Cons

Requires shell access and root privileges, which may not be available on all hosting environments
Learning curve for users unfamiliar with command-line interfaces
Some advanced features may require additional setup or external tools

Code Examples

Issuing a certificate:

acme.sh --issue -d example.com -w /var/www/html

This command issues a certificate for example.com using webroot validation.

Issuing a wildcard certificate using DNS validation:

acme.sh --issue -d example.com -d '*.example.com' --dns dns_cf

This example issues a wildcard certificate for example.com using Cloudflare DNS validation.

Installing a certificate for Nginx:

acme.sh --install-cert -d example.com \
--key-file       /path/to/keyfile/in/nginx/key.pem  \
--fullchain-file /path/to/fullchain/nginx/cert.pem \
--reloadcmd     "service nginx force-reload"

This command installs the issued certificate for use with Nginx and configures automatic reload.

Getting Started

Install acme.sh:

curl https://get.acme.sh | sh -s email=my@example.com

Issue a certificate:

acme.sh --issue -d example.com -w /var/www/html

Install the certificate (example for Apache):

acme.sh --install-cert -d example.com \
--cert-file      /path/to/certfile/in/apache/cert.pem  \
--key-file       /path/to/keyfile/in/apache/key.pem  \
--fullchain-file /path/to/fullchain/certfile/apache/fullchain.pem \
--reloadcmd     "service apache2 force-reload"

The script will automatically renew certificates before they expire.

Competitor Comparisons

certbot

31,293

Certbot is EFF's tool to obtain certs from Let's Encrypt and (optionally) auto-enable HTTPS on your server. It can also act as a client for any other CA that uses the ACME protocol.

Pros of Certbot

More comprehensive documentation and extensive user guides
Wider range of supported platforms and operating systems
Automated renewal process built-in, simplifying certificate management

Cons of Certbot

Larger footprint and more dependencies, potentially complicating installation
Less flexible in terms of customization and advanced usage scenarios
May require root access for certain operations, which can be a security concern

Code Comparison

Certbot (Python):

from certbot import main

main.main()

acme.sh (Shell):

./acme.sh --issue -d example.com -w /var/www/html

Both tools aim to simplify the process of obtaining and managing SSL/TLS certificates, but they differ in their approach and implementation. Certbot offers a more user-friendly experience with its automated features and extensive documentation, making it suitable for beginners and large-scale deployments. On the other hand, acme.sh provides a lightweight, flexible solution that appeals to advanced users and those seeking a more customizable approach to certificate management.

dehydrated

5,956

letsencrypt/acme client implemented as a shell-script – just add water

Pros of dehydrated

Written in pure Bash, making it lightweight and easy to understand
Supports a wide range of DNS providers through hooks
Designed with a focus on security and follows best practices

Cons of dehydrated

Less frequent updates compared to acme.sh
Smaller community and fewer contributors
Limited built-in features, relying more on external hooks

Code Comparison

dehydrated:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -e
set -u
set -o pipefail

# Main script logic

acme.sh:

#!/usr/bin/env sh
#
# https://github.com/acmesh-official/acme.sh

VER=3.0.5

# Main script logic

Both projects are ACME clients for obtaining SSL/TLS certificates, but they have different approaches. dehydrated is a minimalist, security-focused solution written in pure Bash, while acme.sh offers more built-in features and frequent updates. dehydrated relies heavily on hooks for extensibility, whereas acme.sh includes many integrations out-of-the-box. acme.sh has a larger community and more active development, but dehydrated's simplicity and security focus make it attractive for users who prefer a lightweight solution. The choice between the two depends on specific requirements, such as needed features, ease of use, and integration preferences.

acme-nosudo

1,186

Free HTTPS certificates without having to trust the letsencrypt cli with sudo/root

Pros of acme-nosudo

Lightweight and simple implementation with minimal dependencies
Designed to run without sudo privileges, enhancing security
Single-file script, making it easy to understand and modify

Cons of acme-nosudo

Limited features compared to acme.sh
Less active development and community support
May require more manual configuration for complex setups

Code Comparison

acme-nosudo:

#!/usr/bin/env python
import argparse, subprocess, json, base64, binascii, time, hashlib, re, copy, textwrap, logging
try:
    from urllib.request import urlopen, Request
except ImportError:
    from urllib2 import urlopen, Request

acme.sh:

#!/usr/bin/env sh

VER=3.0.6

PROJECT_NAME="acme.sh"
PROJECT_ENTRY="acme.sh"
PROJECT="https://github.com/acmesh-official/acme.sh"

The code comparison shows that acme-nosudo is implemented in Python, while acme.sh is a shell script. This difference in implementation languages may affect performance, portability, and ease of use depending on the user's environment and preferences.

boulder

5,142

An ACME-based certificate authority, written in Go.

Pros of Boulder

Comprehensive ACME server implementation, providing a full-featured Certificate Authority
Robust and scalable, designed for high-volume certificate issuance
Extensively tested and used in production by Let's Encrypt

Cons of Boulder

Complex setup and configuration, requiring more resources to deploy
Steeper learning curve for users and developers
Primarily designed for large-scale operations, may be overkill for smaller deployments

Code Comparison

Boulder (Go):

func (ra *RegistrationAuthorityImpl) NewAuthorization(ctx context.Context, request core.Authorization, regID int64) (core.Authorization, error) {
    identifier := request.Identifier
    if identifier.Type != identifier.DNS {
        return core.Authorization{}, berrors.MalformedError("invalid identifier type")
    }
    // ... (additional code)
}

acme.sh (Shell):

_send_signed_request() {
    _CURL="$(_get_curl)"
    _CURL_OPTS="$ACME_CURL_OPTS"
    _HEADER="$1"
    _BODY="$2"
    _URL="$3"
    # ... (additional code)
}

Summary

Boulder is a comprehensive ACME server implementation, while acme.sh is a lightweight ACME client. Boulder offers robustness and scalability but requires more resources and expertise. acme.sh is simpler to use and deploy but may lack some advanced features of Boulder. The choice between them depends on the specific use case and scale of the certificate management needs.

Convert designs to code with AI

Introducing Visual Copilot: A new AI model to turn Figma designs to high quality code using your components.

Try Visual Copilot

README

An ACME Shell script: acme.sh

An ACME protocol client written purely in Shell (Unix shell) language.
Full ACME protocol implementation.
Support ECDSA certs
Support SAN and wildcard certs
Simple, powerful and very easy to use. You only need 3 minutes to learn it.
Bash, dash and sh compatible.
Purely written in Shell with no dependencies on python.
Just one script to issue, renew and install your certificates automatically.
DOES NOT require root/sudoer access.
Docker ready
IPv6 ready
Cron job notifications for renewal or error etc.

It's probably the easiest & smartest shell script to automatically issue & renew the free certificates.

Wiki: https://github.com/acmesh-official/acme.sh/wiki

For Docker Fans: acme.sh :two_hearts: Docker

Twitter: @neilpangxa

ä¸æè¯´æ

Who:

Tested OS

NO	Status	Platform
1		Mac OSX
2		Windows (cygwin with curl, openssl and crontab included)
3		FreeBSD
4		Solaris
5		Ubuntu
6	NA	pfsense
7		OpenBSD
8		NetBSD
9		DragonFlyBSD
10		Omnios
11		Debian
12		CentOS
13		openSUSE
14		Alpine Linux (with curl)
15		Archlinux
16		fedora
17		Kali Linux
18		Oracle Linux
19		Mageia
10		Gentoo Linux
11		ClearLinux
22	-----	Cloud Linux https://github.com/acmesh-official/acme.sh/issues/111
23	-----	OpenWRT: Tested and working. See wiki page
24		Proxmox: See Proxmox VE Wiki. Version 4.x, 5.0, 5.1, version 5.2 and up

Check our testing project:

https://github.com/acmesh-official/acmetest

Supported CA

ZeroSSL.com CA(default)
Letsencrypt.org CA
BuyPass.com CA
SSL.com CA
Google.com Public CA
Pebble strict Mode
Any other RFC8555-compliant CA

Supported modes

Webroot mode
Standalone mode
Standalone tls-alpn mode
Apache mode
Nginx mode
DNS mode
DNS alias mode
Stateless mode

1. How to install

1. Install online

Check this project: https://github.com/acmesh-official/get.acme.sh

curl https://get.acme.sh | sh -s email=my@example.com

Or:

wget -O -  https://get.acme.sh | sh -s email=my@example.com

2. Or, Install from git

Clone this project and launch installation:

git clone https://github.com/acmesh-official/acme.sh.git
cd ./acme.sh
./acme.sh --install -m my@example.com

You don't have to be root then, although it is recommended.

Advanced Installation: https://github.com/acmesh-official/acme.sh/wiki/How-to-install

The installer will perform 3 actions:

Create and copy acme.sh to your home dir ($HOME): ~/.acme.sh/. All certs will be placed in this folder too.
Create alias for: acme.sh=~/.acme.sh/acme.sh.
Create daily cron job to check and renew the certs if needed.

Cron entry example:

0 0 * * * "/home/user/.acme.sh"/acme.sh --cron --home "/home/user/.acme.sh" > /dev/null

After the installation, you must close the current terminal and reopen it to make the alias take effect.

Ok, you are ready to issue certs now.

Show help message:

root@v1:~# acme.sh -h

2. Just issue a cert

Example 1: Single domain.

acme.sh --issue -d example.com -w /home/wwwroot/example.com

or:

acme.sh --issue -d example.com -w /home/username/public_html

or:

acme.sh --issue -d example.com -w /var/www/html

Example 2: Multiple domains in the same cert.

acme.sh --issue -d example.com -d www.example.com -d cp.example.com -w /home/wwwroot/example.com

The parameter /home/wwwroot/example.com or /home/username/public_html or /var/www/html is the web root folder where you host your website files. You MUST have write access to this folder.

Second argument "example.com" is the main domain you want to issue the cert for. You must have at least one domain there.

You must point and bind all the domains to the same webroot dir: /home/wwwroot/example.com.

The certs will be placed in ~/.acme.sh/example.com/

The certs will be renewed automatically every 60 days.

More examples: https://github.com/acmesh-official/acme.sh/wiki/How-to-issue-a-cert

3. Install the cert to Apache/Nginx etc.

After the cert is generated, you probably want to install/copy the cert to your Apache/Nginx or other servers. You MUST use this command to copy the certs to the target files, DO NOT use the certs files in ~/.acme.sh/ folder, they are for internal use only, the folder structure may change in the future.

Apache example:

acme.sh --install-cert -d example.com \
--cert-file      /path/to/certfile/in/apache/cert.pem  \
--key-file       /path/to/keyfile/in/apache/key.pem  \
--fullchain-file /path/to/fullchain/certfile/apache/fullchain.pem \
--reloadcmd     "service apache2 force-reload"

Nginx example:

acme.sh --install-cert -d example.com \
--key-file       /path/to/keyfile/in/nginx/key.pem  \
--fullchain-file /path/to/fullchain/nginx/cert.pem \
--reloadcmd     "service nginx force-reload"

Only the domain is required, all the other parameters are optional.

The ownership and permission info of existing files are preserved. You can pre-create the files to define the ownership and permission.

Install/copy the cert/key to the production Apache or Nginx path.

The cert will be renewed every 60 days by default (which is configurable). Once the cert is renewed, the Apache/Nginx service will be reloaded automatically by the command: service apache2 force-reload or service nginx force-reload.

Please take care: The reloadcmd is very important. The cert can be automatically renewed, but, without a correct 'reloadcmd' the cert may not be flushed to your server(like nginx or apache), then your website will not be able to show renewed cert in 60 days.

4. Use Standalone server to issue cert

(requires you to be root/sudoer or have permission to listen on port 80 (TCP))

Port 80 (TCP) MUST be free to listen on, otherwise you will be prompted to free it and try again.

acme.sh --issue --standalone -d example.com -d www.example.com -d cp.example.com

More examples: https://github.com/acmesh-official/acme.sh/wiki/How-to-issue-a-cert

5. Use Standalone ssl server to issue cert

(requires you to be root/sudoer or have permission to listen on port 443 (TCP))

Port 443 (TCP) MUST be free to listen on, otherwise you will be prompted to free it and try again.

acme.sh --issue --alpn -d example.com -d www.example.com -d cp.example.com

More examples: https://github.com/acmesh-official/acme.sh/wiki/How-to-issue-a-cert

6. Use Apache mode

(requires you to be root/sudoer, since it is required to interact with Apache server)

If you are running a web server, it is recommended to use the Webroot mode.

Particularly, if you are running an Apache server, you can use Apache mode instead. This mode doesn't write any files to your web root folder.

Just set string "apache" as the second argument and it will force use of apache plugin automatically.

acme.sh --issue --apache -d example.com -d www.example.com -d cp.example.com

This apache mode is only to issue the cert, it will not change your apache config files. You will need to configure your website config files to use the cert by yourself. We don't want to mess with your apache server, don't worry.

More examples: https://github.com/acmesh-official/acme.sh/wiki/How-to-issue-a-cert

7. Use Nginx mode

(requires you to be root/sudoer, since it is required to interact with Nginx server)

If you are running a web server, it is recommended to use the Webroot mode.

Particularly, if you are running an nginx server, you can use nginx mode instead. This mode doesn't write any files to your web root folder.

Just set string "nginx" as the second argument.

It will configure nginx server automatically to verify the domain and then restore the nginx config to the original version.

So, the config is not changed.

acme.sh --issue --nginx -d example.com -d www.example.com -d cp.example.com

This nginx mode is only to issue the cert, it will not change your nginx config files. You will need to configure your website config files to use the cert by yourself. We don't want to mess with your nginx server, don't worry.

More examples: https://github.com/acmesh-official/acme.sh/wiki/How-to-issue-a-cert

8. Automatic DNS API integration

If your DNS provider supports API access, we can use that API to automatically issue the certs.

You don't have to do anything manually!

Currently acme.sh supports most of the dns providers:

https://github.com/acmesh-official/acme.sh/wiki/dnsapi

9. Use DNS manual mode:

See: https://github.com/acmesh-official/acme.sh/wiki/dns-manual-mode first.

If your dns provider doesn't support any api access, you can add the txt record by hand.

acme.sh --issue --dns -d example.com -d www.example.com -d cp.example.com

You should get an output like below:

Add the following txt record:
Domain:_acme-challenge.example.com
Txt value:9ihDbjYfTExAYeDs4DBUeuTo18KBzwvTEjUnSwd32-c

Add the following txt record:
Domain:_acme-challenge.www.example.com
Txt value:9ihDbjxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Please add those txt records to the domains. Waiting for the dns to take effect.

Then just rerun with renew argument:

acme.sh --renew -d example.com

Ok, it's done.

Take care, this is dns manual mode, it can not be renewed automatically. you will have to add a new txt record to your domain by your hand when you renew your cert.

Please use dns api mode instead.

10. Issue ECC certificates

Just set the keylength parameter with a prefix ec-.

For example:

Single domain ECC certificate

acme.sh --issue -w /home/wwwroot/example.com -d example.com --keylength ec-256

SAN multi domain ECC certificate

acme.sh --issue -w /home/wwwroot/example.com -d example.com -d www.example.com --keylength ec-256

Please look at the keylength parameter above.

Valid values are:

ec-256 (prime256v1, "ECDSA P-256", which is the default key type)
ec-384 (secp384r1, "ECDSA P-384")
ec-521 (secp521r1, "ECDSA P-521", which is not supported by Let's Encrypt yet.)
2048 (RSA2048)
3072 (RSA3072)
4096 (RSA4096)

11. Issue Wildcard certificates

It's simple, just give a wildcard domain as the -d parameter.

acme.sh  --issue -d example.com  -d '*.example.com'  --dns dns_cf

12. How to renew the certs

No, you don't need to renew the certs manually. All the certs will be renewed automatically every 60 days.

However, you can also force to renew a cert:

acme.sh --renew -d example.com --force

or, for ECC cert:

acme.sh --renew -d example.com --force --ecc

13. How to stop cert renewal

To stop renewal of a cert, you can execute the following to remove the cert from the renewal list:

acme.sh --remove -d example.com [--ecc]

The cert/key file is not removed from the disk.

You can remove the respective directory (e.g. ~/.acme.sh/example.com) by yourself.

14. How to upgrade `acme.sh`

acme.sh is in constant development, so it's strongly recommended to use the latest code.

You can update acme.sh to the latest code:

acme.sh --upgrade

You can also enable auto upgrade:

acme.sh --upgrade --auto-upgrade

Then acme.sh will be kept up to date automatically.

Disable auto upgrade:

acme.sh --upgrade --auto-upgrade 0

15. Issue a cert from an existing CSR

https://github.com/acmesh-official/acme.sh/wiki/Issue-a-cert-from-existing-CSR

16. Send notifications in cronjob

https://github.com/acmesh-official/acme.sh/wiki/notify

17. Under the Hood

Speak ACME language using shell, directly to "Let's Encrypt".

TODO:

18. Acknowledgments

Acme-tiny: https://github.com/diafygi/acme-tiny
ACME protocol: https://github.com/ietf-wg-acme/acme

Contributors

Code Contributors

This project exists thanks to all the people who contribute.

Financial Contributors

Become a financial contributor and help us sustain our community. [Contribute]

Individuals

Organizations

Support this project with your organization. Your logo will show up here with a link to your website. [Contribute]

19. License & Others

License is GPLv3

Please Star and Fork me.

Issues and pull requests are welcome.

20. Donate

Your donation makes acme.sh better:

PayPal/Alipay(æ¯ä»å®)/Wechat(å¾®ä¿¡): https://donate.acme.sh/

Donate List

Top Related Projects

Convert designs to code with AI

Introducing Visual Copilot: A new AI model to turn Figma designs to high quality code using your components.

Try Visual Copilot

Top Related Projects

Quick Overview

Pros

Cons

Code Examples

Getting Started

Competitor Comparisons

Pros of Certbot

Cons of Certbot

Code Comparison

Pros of dehydrated

Cons of dehydrated

Code Comparison

Pros of acme-nosudo

Cons of acme-nosudo

Code Comparison

Pros of Boulder

Cons of Boulder

Code Comparison

Summary

Convert designs to code with AI

README

An ACME Shell script: acme.sh

Who:

Tested OS

Supported CA

Supported modes

1. How to install

1. Install online

2. Or, Install from git

2. Just issue a cert

3. Install the cert to Apache/Nginx etc.

4. Use Standalone server to issue cert

5. Use Standalone ssl server to issue cert

6. Use Apache mode

7. Use Nginx mode

8. Automatic DNS API integration

Currently acme.sh supports most of the dns providers:

9. Use DNS manual mode:

10. Issue ECC certificates

Single domain ECC certificate

SAN multi domain ECC certificate

11. Issue Wildcard certificates

12. How to renew the certs

13. How to stop cert renewal

14. How to upgrade acme.sh

15. Issue a cert from an existing CSR

16. Send notifications in cronjob

17. Under the Hood

18. Acknowledgments

Contributors

Code Contributors

Financial Contributors

Individuals

Organizations

19. License & Others

20. Donate

Top Related Projects

Convert designs to code with AI

14. How to upgrade `acme.sh`