[Certificate Authorities (CAs)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certificate_authority) or as
and self-signed certificates. Of course,
[self-signed certificates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-signed_certificate). Note that [self-signed certificates are typically not used](https://securingtomorrow.mcafee.com/other-blogs/mcafee-labs/self-signed-certificates-secure-so-why-ban/)
[you'd rather issue a certificate than generate a self-signed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-signed_certificate),
for public websites for security reasons and to ensure that browsers trust your site's certificate.
for security reasons and for having browsers trusting your
site's certificate.
There are various kinds of certificates, each one
with a certain security level. A static personal website will
There are several different kinds of certificates, each one
with certain security level. A static personal website will
not require the same security level as an online banking web app,
not require the same security level as an online banking web app,
for instance. There are a couple Certificate Authorities that
for instance.
There are some certificate authorities that
offer free certificates, aiming to make the internet more secure
offer free certificates, aiming to make the internet more secure
to everyone. The most popular is [Let's Encrypt](https://letsencrypt.org/),
to everyone. The most popular is [Let's Encrypt](https://letsencrypt.org/),
which issues certificates trusted by most of browsers, it's open
which issues certificates trusted by most of browsers, it's open
source, and free to use. Please read through this tutorial to
source, and free to use. See our tutorial on [how to secure your GitLab Pages website with Let's Encrypt](lets_encrypt_for_gitlab_pages.md).
understand [how to secure your GitLab Pages website with Let's Encrypt](https://about.gitlab.com/2016/04/11/tutorial-securing-your-gitlab-pages-with-tls-and-letsencrypt/).
With the same popularity, there are [certificates issued by CloudFlare](https://www.cloudflare.com/ssl/),
Similarly popular are [certificates issued by CloudFlare](https://www.cloudflare.com/ssl/),
which also offers a [free CDN service](https://blog.cloudflare.com/cloudflares-free-cdn-and-you/).
which also offers a [free CDN service](https://blog.cloudflare.com/cloudflares-free-cdn-and-you/).
Their certs are valid up to 15 years. Read through the tutorial on
Their certs are valid up to 15 years. See the tutorial on
[how to add a CloudFlare Certificate to your GitLab Pages website](https://about.gitlab.com/2017/02/07/setting-up-gitlab-pages-with-cloudflare-certificates/).
[how to add a CloudFlare Certificate to your GitLab Pages website](https://about.gitlab.com/2017/02/07/setting-up-gitlab-pages-with-cloudflare-certificates/).
-[Let's Encrypt](https://about.gitlab.com/2016/04/11/tutorial-securing-your-gitlab-pages-with-tls-and-letsencrypt/)(mind that although this article is out-of-date, it can still be useful to guide you through the basic steps)