Let's Encrypt Acme API Outage

This page summarizes the projects mentioned and recommended in the original post on news.ycombinator.com

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  • mod_md

    Let's Encrypt (ACME) in Apache httpd

  • Apache mod_md has fallback too, https://github.com/icing/mod_md#acme-failover I'm just a user, not the author, and I didn't try the fallback. I'm more worried about stuff breaking if I switch issuers than certs expiring without me noticing. I've got some embedded junk that hits my website and has weak cert validation, so better to stick with something that works.

  • certificate-transparency

    Discontinued Auditing for TLS certificates.

  • You are correct: https://github.com/google/certificate-transparency/blob/mast...

    You can embed CT attestations (SCTs) in the certificate itself, so yes, provided the CA is in cooperation with CT log operators, and deliberately does the pre-certificate -> SCTs -> real certificate dance, it is possible for a browser to validate embedded SCTs without an online check.

    However, that assumes that the CA actively does that, they don't have to. Neither does the server. What's compelling them to is _policy_, set by Google and Apple, that their respective browsers won't accept certificates _without_ CT attestations. Google's policy specifically requires that one of the SCTs on a certificate must be a CT log run by Google. Google also controls the list of CT logs that Chrome will consider as valid CT logs, as part of deciding if an SCT is valid. Antitrust, anyone?

    I was trying to make a similar point about Firefox - policy vs code. And rather than saying that it's specifically the CA/Browser Forum setting policy (which it does, but only baseline policy, which does not include CT), each org in the CA/Browser Forum has their own root cert inclusion program with their own policies, that all draw from baseline policy then add to it. You are right, _baseline_ policy does not require CT....

    ... and neither does _Mozilla's_ policy, now I've scanned through it. It actively acknowledges that CT exists (in that it mandates that if you issue a precertificate for CT, you _must_ issue the completed certificate), but it does _not_ require CAs to use CT. In stark contrast to Google and Apple.

    Perhaps this is why they also don't implement CT checking in Firefox?

  • InfluxDB

    Power Real-Time Data Analytics at Scale. Get real-time insights from all types of time series data with InfluxDB. Ingest, query, and analyze billions of data points in real-time with unbounded cardinality.

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  • Caddy

    Fast and extensible multi-platform HTTP/1-2-3 web server with automatic HTTPS

  • Does mholt consider it a mistake? I'm aware that it was reverted (https://github.com/caddyserver/caddy/pull/1866) and that mholt found the whole thing difficult (which is my attempt to neutrally summarize https://caddy.community/t/the-realities-of-being-a-foss-main... accurately), but that is a somewhat different statement. If so, then yes, it's unkind and unhelpful to keep bringing it up, but if no then it's useful to keep previous behavior in mind when evaluating the product.

  • zlint

    X.509 Certificate Linter focused on Web PKI standards and requirements.

  • Yup, the two most popular are:

    https://github.com/zmap/zlint

    https://github.com/certlint/certlint

    They each have their strengths and weaknesses, so CAs are advised to use both.

  • certlint

    X.509 certificate linter

  • Yup, the two most popular are:

    https://github.com/zmap/zlint

    https://github.com/certlint/certlint

    They each have their strengths and weaknesses, so CAs are advised to use both.

  • SaaSHub

    SaaSHub - Software Alternatives and Reviews. SaaSHub helps you find the best software and product alternatives

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NOTE: The number of mentions on this list indicates mentions on common posts plus user suggested alternatives. Hence, a higher number means a more popular project.

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