# SSL certificate validity

> Certificate validity is the period an SSL certificate is valid for. After its expiry date, browsers show visitors a security warning instead of the site.

- **Check ID:** SSL3
- **Area:** [Tech Stack](https://be1st.ai/glossary/fingerprint)
- **Tool:** [Tech Stack](https://be1st.ai/tools/tech-stack)
- **Page:** https://be1st.ai/glossary/fingerprint/ssl-certificate-validity

## Why it matters

An expired SSL certificate causes the browser to block access to the site with an error page. Automatic renewal (Let's Encrypt, Cloudflare) eliminates this risk. Manually managed certificates require monitoring.

## In practice

A certificate with 340 days of validity left is fine. A certificate with 5 days until expiration requires immediate renewal. Let's Encrypt issues certificates valid for 90 days that the client renews automatically. Since 15 March 2026 commercial certificates may be valid for at most 200 days, so a yearly manual renewal is no longer enough.

## How be1st checks it

Check of the SSL certificate expiration date and the number of days until expiry. Warning for certificates approaching expiration (less than 30 days).

[Tech Stack](https://be1st.ai/tools/tech-stack), Server & SSL tab.

## Sources

- [SSL Labs - SSL Server Test](https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/) (Qualys)

## Related terms

- [Vector embeddings](https://be1st.ai/glossary/fingerprint/vector-embeddings): A vector embedding is a list of numbers that represents the meaning of a text, so texts with similar content end up close to each other.
- [Competitor similarity](https://be1st.ai/glossary/fingerprint/competitor-similarity): Competitor similarity is how close the content of two websites is, measured by comparing their vector embeddings.
- [CMS / content management system](https://be1st.ai/glossary/fingerprint/cms-content-management-system): A CMS (content management system) is the software a website is built and edited in, such as WordPress, Drupal or Joomla.
- [E-commerce platform](https://be1st.ai/glossary/fingerprint/e-commerce-platform): An e-commerce platform is the software an online store runs on, such as Shoptet, WooCommerce, Shopify or PrestaShop.
- [JS / CSS frameworks + CDN](https://be1st.ai/glossary/fingerprint/js-css-frameworks-cdn): JavaScript and CSS frameworks are the libraries the front end of a website is built with, such as React, Vue, jQuery or Bootstrap, often loaded from a CDN.
- [Analytics & marketing](https://be1st.ai/glossary/fingerprint/analytics-marketing): Analytics and marketing tools are the scripts that measure visitors and run campaigns, such as Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager or the Meta Pixel.