SSL certificates management in GCP - Commands & Configuration

Introduction

SSL certificates keep websites safe by encrypting data between users and servers. Managing these certificates in Google Cloud ensures your site stays secure and trusted by browsers.

When you want to secure your website with HTTPS on Google Cloud.

When you need to create or upload SSL certificates for your Google Cloud Load Balancer.

When you want to renew or update expired SSL certificates in your cloud environment.

When you want to automate SSL certificate management using Google Cloud tools.

When you want to check the status of your SSL certificates to ensure they are active.

Commands

This command creates a new SSL certificate resource in Google Cloud using your certificate and private key files.

Terminal

gcloud compute ssl-certificates create example-ssl-cert --certificate=example-cert.pem --private-key=example-key.pem

Expected Output

Created [https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/my-project/global/sslCertificates/example-ssl-cert].

→

--certificate - Path to the SSL certificate file in PEM format.

→

--private-key - Path to the private key file in PEM format.

Lists all SSL certificates in your Google Cloud project to verify the new certificate is created and active.

Terminal

gcloud compute ssl-certificates list

Expected Output

NAME               TYPE        CREATION_TIMESTAMP

example-ssl-cert   UPLOAD      2024-06-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Updates your HTTPS proxy to use the new SSL certificate for secure connections.

Terminal

gcloud compute target-https-proxies update example-https-proxy --ssl-certificates=example-ssl-cert

Expected Output

Updated [https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/my-project/global/targetHttpsProxies/example-https-proxy].

→

--ssl-certificates - Specifies the SSL certificate resource to use.

Shows details of the HTTPS proxy to confirm it is using the correct SSL certificate.

Terminal

gcloud compute target-https-proxies describe example-https-proxy

Expected Output

name: example-https-proxy

sslCertificates:

- https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/my-project/global/sslCertificates/example-ssl-cert

Key Concept

If you remember nothing else from this pattern, remember: SSL certificates must be created and linked to your HTTPS proxy to secure your website traffic.

Common Mistakes

Uploading SSL certificate without the matching private key.

The SSL certificate cannot be used without its private key, so the proxy will fail to serve HTTPS.

Always provide both the certificate and its private key files when creating the SSL certificate resource.

Not updating the HTTPS proxy to use the new SSL certificate after creation.

The website will continue using the old or no certificate, leaving traffic unsecured or causing errors.

Run the update command to link the new SSL certificate to your HTTPS proxy.

Using expired or invalid SSL certificates.

Browsers will warn users that the site is not secure, reducing trust and traffic.

Regularly check certificate status and renew or replace certificates before they expire.

Summary

Create an SSL certificate resource with your certificate and private key files.

List SSL certificates to verify creation and status.

Update your HTTPS proxy to use the new SSL certificate for secure connections.

Describe the HTTPS proxy to confirm it uses the correct SSL certificate.