About the SSL Certificate Checker
This tool opens a TLS connection to a host, reads the certificate chain the server presents, and verifies it the way a client would: is the chain trusted, does the certificate cover the host name, and how many days are left before it expires. It also reports the negotiated TLS version, cipher suite, ALPN protocol (such as h2), the IP it connected to, and the handshake time.
Every certificate in the chain gets its own card with subject, issuer, validity dates, key algorithm and size, signature algorithm, serial number and Subject Alternative Names. Certificates with fewer than 21 days left are flagged. Port 443 is used unless you add another, so you can also check services like mail.example.com:993. Loopback and private addresses are not allowed.
How to use it
- Enter a host name, optionally with a port (
example.comorexample.com:8443). Pasting a URL works too. - Select Inspect.
- Check the summary badges, then expand the chain to see each certificate.
Examples
- Inspect the certificate for example.com: a publicly trusted chain with its expiry date.
- Check expired.badssl.com: what an expired certificate looks like.
- Check wrong.host.badssl.com: a hostname mismatch.
Common questions
Why does my certificate work in the browser but fail here?
The usual cause is a missing intermediate certificate. Browsers can sometimes fill the gap from cache or by fetching it, but a server should send the full chain (leaf plus intermediates).
What does "Hostname mismatch" mean?
The host you entered isn't listed in the certificate's Subject Alternative Names. Clients ignore the Common Name when SANs are present, so every host name must be in the SAN list.
Which TLS version should my server support?
TLS 1.2 and 1.3. TLS 1.0 and 1.1 are deprecated (RFC 8996) and rejected by current browsers.
Related tools
- Redirect Checker: confirm HTTP traffic is redirected to HTTPS.
- Security Headers Checker: check HSTS and other headers on the HTTPS site.
- Open Port Checker: see which ports on the host accept connections.