What is the recommended SSL certificate type for internet-facing applications?

For internet-facing applications, the recommended SSL certificate type is a CA-signed certificate. This type of certificate is issued by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA), a third-party organization that verifies the identity of the entity requesting the certificate. Having a CA-signed certificate ensures that the visitors to your application can trust that the communication is secure and that their data is protected from interception.

CA-signed certificates come with a level of trust because they are recognized by web browsers and operating systems. When users access a website secured with a CA-signed certificate, they typically see a padlock icon in the browser address bar, indicating that the connection is secure. This visual assurance builds user confidence and helps maintain the integrity of the application.

Other certificate types may not provide the same level of trust. For example, self-signed certificates lack the endorsement of a trusted authority, meaning they may trigger warnings in browsers and deter users from proceeding. Wildcard certificates are useful for covering multiple subdomains under a single domain, but they still need to be issued by a CA to be recognized as secure by browsers. Domain certificates may suggest a limited scope, and without a trusted CA chain, they may not fulfill the security expectations of internet-facing applications.