14 DAY TRIAL // The Let's Encrypt project that aims to provide free SSL/TLS certificates will enter a soft-launch stage next month and will be available for all users starting September 2015.
Backed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the Mozilla Foundation, the Linux Foundation, Akamai, IdenTrust, Automattic, and Cisco, the Let's Encrypt project aims to provide free-of-charge SSL and TSL certificates to any webmaster interested in implementing HTTPS for their products.
While the application process for an SSL certificate can be quite cumbersome for most developers, and the installation process can be as difficult as it sounds, most of the times, cost-related issues forced webmasters to pass on using encrypted connections.
The project's goal is to simplify this process while also reducing the cost for operators by not requiring them to pay for security.
"We will issue the first end entity certificates under our root under tightly controlled circumstances. No cross-signature will be in place yet, so the certificates will not validate unless our root is installed in client software," says the official announcement.
Applications for the certificates will open starting July 27, and the project aims to increase its activity as the final launch date of September 14 gets nearer.