How to Use Cloudflare SSL in Full Strict Mode for WordPress Free?

We all know how important it is for any website to have an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate. Usually, it comes at an extra cost. However, if you get it from Cloudflare, you can have it for free too. Let’s see how.

Cloudflare has many packages to offer. The free plan is actually meant for personal blogs and websites. However, there’s a hack to use it for your website too. This is exactly what we’ll be exploring here.

Step 1: Add Your Domain

Go to Cloudflare and add your website here. Select the free plan when prompted.

Step 2: Update Your Server Name

This step may not apply to everyone. When you add your website to Cloudflare, it reviews your existing DNS records. If your hosting provider is different, you’ll have to replace the DNS with Cloudflare. Just follow the instructions you get, till you get a final confirmation that your site is now under the protection of Cloudflare.

Step 3: Collect your Cloudflare Origin Certificate

Go to the SSL/TLS section now in order to collect your certificate. The default option you’ll get here is to allow Cloudflare to generate RSA private key and a CSR. Proceed with it and collect your certificate. You’ll have to save the details on Notepad before you move to the next step.

Step 4: Upload the Certificate on Your Website

Now, you open the C-panel of your website, go to Security and click on the SSL/TLS button. Here, you go to Certificates (CRT) to upload the origin certificate you collected in the previous step. You’ll be asked to copy-paste the details. Save it once you’ve pasted them properly.

Step 5: Upload the Private Key

Once your certificate has been saved, you come back to the original options and click on Private keys (KEY) this time. Copy-paste the details that you collected from Cloudflare in your Notepad file and save it.

Step 6: Final Installation of Certificate

After your private key is saved, you return to the SSL Manager once again. Now, you hit the option “Install and Manage SSL for your site (HTTPS)”. Click on the button that says “Browse Certificate” and choose the domain for which you just uploaded your certificate. As soon as you do that, you find the certificate you just uploaded and click on “Use Certificate”.

Step 7: Install the WordPress Plugin Really Simple SSL

From the main C-panel of the website, you go to the plugin section and install Really Simple SSL. This plugin helps to activate the SSL certificate you just uploaded on the site.

Step 8: Change the Mode to Full Strict

You need to ensure that your SSL/TLS encryption mode is Full Strict. You’ll probably get some issues so you need to hit on the button “Reload over https” above. This will log you out of the dashboard. Log in once again and go to the notification you receive to migrate to SSL. You’ll also have to enable 301 .htaccess redirect in the settings and save it.

Step 9: Install Better Search Replace Plugin

This plugin will help you update your URL from “http” to “https”. Select all the tables, uncheck on case-sensitive, check on “Replace GUIDs?” and uncheck “Run as dry run?”.

Step 10: Enable it from Cloudflare

You go to Cloudflare again and check on the options “Always use HTTPS” and “Automatic HTTPS Rewrites”.

These 10 steps are very simple to follow as it only requires you to click a few buttons. Within a few minutes, you get a free SSL certificate for your website for a lifetime!

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