What Is Certificate Authority (CA)?
A certificate authority (CA) is a trusted organization that issues digital SSL/TLS certificates. Browsers and operating systems maintain lists of trusted CAs, and only certificates from these CAs are accepted without warnings.
Why It Matters
Certificate authorities are the trust layer of HTTPS. When your browser connects to an HTTPS site, it checks: “Was this certificate issued by a CA I trust?” If yes, you see the lock icon. If no, you see a security warning.
For domain forwarding, the CA matters because the forwarding server needs a valid certificate for every source domain.
Major Certificate Authorities
| CA | Type | Cost | Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Let’s Encrypt | DV (automated) | Free | ~50% of all certs |
| DigiCert | DV/OV/EV | $200-600/yr | Enterprise |
| Sectigo (Comodo) | DV/OV/EV | $50-500/yr | SMB/Enterprise |
| GoDaddy | DV/OV | $70-300/yr | Consumer |
| GlobalSign | DV/OV/EV | $250-600/yr | Enterprise |
Certificate Validation Levels
| Level | Verifies | Visual Indicator | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| DV (Domain Validation) | Domain ownership | Lock icon | Forwarding, blogs, most sites |
| OV (Org Validation) | Domain + organization | Lock icon | Business sites |
| EV (Extended Validation) | Domain + org + legal | Lock icon + org name | Banks, finance |
For domain forwarding, DV certificates are sufficient — they prove the forwarding server controls the domain, which is all that’s needed for a secure redirect. Using a self-signed certificate is never appropriate for forwarding because browsers will reject it.
How Domain Forward Handles This
Domain Forward uses Let’s Encrypt as its certificate authority. Certificates are automatically provisioned and renewed for every domain — no manual CA interaction required.
Related Terms
Related Features
Frequently
asked questions
Domain Forward uses Let's Encrypt, a free and widely trusted certificate authority. Let's Encrypt certificates are accepted by all major browsers.
No. Domain Forward handles certificates automatically using Let's Encrypt. You never need to purchase, install, or manage SSL certificates.
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