Server Name Indication

[PupStar]

Can someone please enlighten me on SNI

 

Is it still the case that you need a dedicated ip for ssl for ecommerce or not?

 

Thanks

 

Mark

[MrPhil]

That will depend on the issuer of the SSL certificate and your host. I haven't heard of a private SSL certificate that doesn't require a dedicated IP address, but I suppose they might exist. On the other hand, a shared SSL certificate (issued to your host) normally doesn't require a dedicated IP address. The downside of a shared SSL certificate is that usually you can't use your own domain name under HTTPS, and the encryption strength might not be high enough to satisfy your bank or PCI-DSS.

[PupStar]

That will depend on the issuer of the SSL certificate and your host. I haven't heard of a private SSL certificate that doesn't require a dedicated IP address, but I suppose they might exist. On the other hand, a shared SSL certificate (issued to your host) normally doesn't require a dedicated IP address. The downside of a shared SSL certificate is that usually you can't use your own domain name under HTTPS, and the encryption strength might not be high enough to satisfy your bank or PCI-DSS.

 

@@MrPhil

 

Thanks Phil, the reason I ask is because I was on live chat with a host last night making enquiries and when I asked the question about dedicated ip addresses and SSL certs this was his response.

 

 

You don't need to purchase dedicated IP for installing ssl as our server support SNI

[Jack_mcs]

SNI is a relatively new method that allows multiple certs to be installed on one IP. So your host is correct that you don't need a private IP if you use that option. However, SNI doesn't work with all browsers, though I think that is only for old browsers like IE on an XP computer. But with the upcoming change of removing the SSL/TLS protocols that will happen anyway so it is probably not an issue. I suggest giving it a try since you can always get a private IP later if there are problems.  

[PupStar]

SNI is a relatively new method that allows multiple certs to be installed on one IP. So your host is correct that you don't need a private IP if you use that option. However, SNI doesn't work with all browsers, though I think that is only for old browsers like IE on an XP computer. But with the upcoming change of removing the SSL/TLS protocols that will happen anyway so it is probably not an issue. I suggest giving it a try since you can always get a private IP later if there are problems.  

@@Jack_mcs

 

Thanks for that Jack