What is a Wildcard SSL Certificate?
A wildcard SSL certificate is a single SSL/TLS certificate that secures a primary domain and all of its first-level subdomains, using an asterisk (*) as a placeholder in the domain name field.
How Does Wildcard Ssl Certificate Work?
A wildcard SSL certificate issued for *.example.com will cover any subdomain at that level, such as www.example.com, mail.example.com, shop.example.com, and any others that are created in the future. This eliminates the need to purchase and manage separate certificates for each subdomain, simplifying administration and reducing costs for organizations that operate multiple subdomains.
Wildcard certificates use the same encryption standards as regular SSL certificates and are available in domain-validated (DV) and organization-validated (OV) types. They do not cover second-level subdomains (e.g., sub.shop.example.com) unless a separate wildcard is issued for that level. For sites with a large or growing number of subdomains, a wildcard certificate is a practical and cost-effective security solution.