Every redirect domain needs HTTPS. Without SSL, browsers show security warnings, search engines penalize your rankings, and visitors lose trust. LinkVice provides free SSL certificates for every custom domain — automatically.

Why HTTPS Matters for Redirects

• Browser warnings — Chrome and Firefox flag HTTP sites as "Not Secure"
• SEO ranking signal — Google confirmed HTTPS as a ranking factor in 2014
• Referrer data — HTTPS-to-HTTP redirects strip referrer information
• Trust — Visitors expect the padlock icon, even on redirect domains

How LinkVice Handles SSL

When you add a domain to LinkVice, here is what happens:

1. DNS verification — Our system checks every minute if your domain's DNS points to our server
2. Domain activation — Once DNS is verified, the domain is added to our server
3. SSL provisioning — AutoSSL (Let's Encrypt) automatically issues a certificate
4. SSL monitoring — We check every minute until the certificate is live
5. Email notification — You receive an email when SSL is active

The entire process is automatic. You don't need to generate CSRs, upload certificates, or configure anything.

Certificate Renewal

Let's Encrypt certificates are valid for 90 days. Our server automatically renews them before expiration — you never have to worry about expired certificates.

Self-Signed vs. Trusted Certificates

During the brief period between domain activation and SSL issuance, the server may show a self-signed certificate. Our monitoring system specifically checks for trusted certificates from known CAs (Let's Encrypt, Comodo, DigiCert, etc.) and only marks the domain as "SSL Active" when a real certificate is installed.

DNS Setup Options

You have two ways to point your domain to LinkVice:

• A Record — Point your domain to 178.162.216.23
• Nameservers — Set NS to ns1.linkvice.com and ns2.linkvice.com

Both options work. The A record method is simpler if you only want to redirect the root domain. Nameservers give full control including subdomains.

Get free SSL for your redirect domains →