What is a Double Wildcard SSL Certificate? How it Differs from a Standard Wildcard SSL?

While exploring options to manage multiple levels of subdomains, you may have come across the term “Double Wildcard SSL Certificate.” While it sounds like a flexible solution for deeper domain structures, in reality, Double Wildcard SSL does not exist. This blog will help you understand what a Double Wildcard really means and how it differs from a Standard Wildcard SSL. It will also debunk the myth and offer practical SSL solutions that meet your security needs. This blog is for: Web developers building multi-level subdomain-based platforms System administrators securing internal and public environments Business owners with growing digital infrastructure Agencies managing SSL for client websites Understanding a Wildcard SSL Certificate and its Coverage A Wildcard SSL Certificate is designed to secure a primary domain and all of its first-level subdomains using a single certificate. However, Wildcard SSL does NOT cover second-level or deeper subdomains.  Wildcard certificates are a type of X.509 certificate, where the domain name (Common Name and SAN entries) uses a ‘*’ to represent a single label to the left of the registered domain.  Covered: First-Level Subdomains www.cheapsslshop.com blog.cheapsslshop.com store.cheapsslshop.com Not Covered: Nested Subdomains login.blog.cheapsslshop.com secure.store.cheapsslshop.com sub.dev.cheapsslshop.com Browsers and clients perform strict hostname validation during the TLS handshake. […]