Free SSL and managed or automatic HTTPS for node.js with Express, Connect, and other middleware systems.
npm install --save letsencrypt-express
Minimal
'use strict';
// Note: using staging server url, remove .testing() for production
var lex = require('letsencrypt-express').testing();
var express = require('express');
var app = express();
// A happy little express app
app.use(function (req, res) {
res.send({ success: true });
});
// assumes ~/letsencrypt/etc as the configDir and ports 80, 443, and 5001 by default
lex.create(app).listen();Extremely.
- renewals are fully automatic and happen in the background, with no downtime
- registrations are automatic in testing, but require a approval callback in production
testing mode
All you have to do is start the webserver and then visit it at it's domain name. The certificate will be retrieved automatically. Renewals and Registrations are automatic.
production mode
You can run registration manually:
npm install -g letsencrypt-cli
letsencrypt certonly --standalone \
--config-dir ~/letsencrypt/etc \
--agree-tos --domains example.com --email [email protected](note that the --webrootPath option is also available if you don't want to shut down your webserver to get the cert)
Or you can approve registrations with the opts.approveRegistration(domain, cb)callback:
{ configDir: '...'
// ...
, approveRegistration: function (hostname, cb) {
// check a database or something, get the user
// show them the agreement that you've already downloaded
cb(null, {
domains: [hostname]
, email: '[email protected]'
, agreeTos: true
});
}
}(if you don't check and simply complete the callback, an attacker will spoof SNI packets with bad hostnames and that will cause you to be rate-limited and or blocked from the ACME server)
Let's Encrypt in 128 characters, with spaces!
node -e 'require("letsencrypt-express").testing().create( require('express')().use(function (_, r) { r.end("Hi!") }) ).listen()'
'use strict';
// Note: using staging server url, remove .testing() for production
var lex = require('letsencrypt-express').testing();
var express = require('express');
var app = express();
app.use('/', function (req, res) {
res.send({ success: true });
});
lex.create({
configDir: './letsencrypt.config' // ~/letsencrypt, /etc/letsencrypt, whatever you want
, onRequest: app // your express app (or plain node http app)
, letsencrypt: null // you can provide you own instance of letsencrypt
// if you need to configure it (with an agreeToTerms
// callback, for example)
, approveRegistration: function (hostname, cb) { // PRODUCTION MODE needs this function, but only if you want
// automatic registration (usually not necessary)
// renewals for registered domains will still be automatic
cb(null, {
domains: [hostname]
, email: '[email protected]'
, agreeTos: true // you
});
}
}).listen([80], [443, 5001], function () {
console.log("ENCRYPT __ALL__ THE DOMAINS!");
});'use strict';
var lex = require('letsencrypt-express');
var express = require('express');
var app = express();
app.use('/', function (req, res) {
res.send({ success: true });
});
var results = lex.create({
configDir: '/etc/letsencrypt'
, onRequest: app
, server: require('letsencrypt').productionServerUrl
}).listen(
// you can give just the port, or expand out to the full options
[80, { port: 8080, address: 'localhost', onListening: function () { console.log('http://localhost'); } }]
// you can give just the port, or expand out to the full options
, [443, 5001, { port: 8443, address: 'localhost' }]
// this is pretty much the default onListening handler
, function onListening() {
var server = this;
var protocol = ('requestCert' in server) ? 'https': 'http';
console.log("Listening at " + protocol + '://localhost:' + this.address().port);
}
);
// In case you need access to the raw servers (i.e. using websockets)
console.log(results.plainServers);
console.log(results.tlsServers);Note: you don't need to create websockets for the plain ports.
var WebSocketServer = require('ws').Server;
results.tlsServers.forEach(function (server) {
var wss = new WebSocketServer({ server: server });
wss.on('connection', onConnection);
});
function onConnection(ws) {
var location = url.parse(ws.upgradeReq.url, true);
// you might use location.query.access_token to authenticate or share sessions
// or ws.upgradeReq.headers.cookie (see http://stackoverflow.com/a/16395220/151312)
ws.on('message', function incoming(message) {
console.log('received: %s', message);
});
ws.send('something');
} // checks options and sets up defaults. returns object with `listen`
LEX.create(options) // (it was really just done this way to appeal to what people are used to seeing)
lex.listen(plain, tls, fn) // actually creates the servers and causes them to listen
// receives an instance of letsencrypt, returns an SNICallback handler for https.createServer()
LEX.createSniCallback(opts) // this will call letsencrypt.renew and letsencrypt.register as appropriate
// it will randomly stagger renewals such that they don't all happen at once on boot
// or at any other time. registrations will be handled as per `handleRegistration`
opts = {
letsencrypt: <obj> // letsencrypt instance
, memorizeFor: <1 day> // how long to wait before checking the disk for updated certificates
, renewWithin: <3 days> // the first possible moment the certificate staggering should begin
, failedWait: <5 minutes> // how long to wait before trying again if the certificate registration failed
// registrations are NOT approved automatically by default due to security concerns
, approveRegistration: func // (someone can spoof servername indication to your server and cause you to be rate-limited)
// but you can implement handling of them if you wish
// (note that you should probably call the callback immediately with a tlsContext)
//
// default function (hostname, cb) { cb(null, null); }
//
// example function (hostname, cb) {
// cb(null, { domains: [hostname], agreeTos: true, email: '[email protected]' });
// }
, handleRenewFailure: func // renewals are automatic, but sometimes they may fail. If that happens, you should handle it
// (note that renewals happen in the background)
//
// default function (err, letsencrypt, hostname, certInfo) {}
}
// uses `opts.webrootPath` to read from the filesystem
LEX.getChallenge(opts, hostname, key cb)
If any of these values are undefined or null the will assume use reasonable defaults.
Partially defined values will be merged with the defaults.
Setting the value to false will, in many cases (as documented), disable the defaults.
configDir: string // string the letsencrypt configuration path (de facto /etc/letsencrypt)
//
// default os.homedir() + '/letsencrypt/etc'
webrootPath: string // string a path to a folder where temporary challenge files will be stored and read
//
// default os.tmpdir() + '/acme-challenge'
getChallenge: func | false // false do not handle getChallenge
//
// func Example:
//
// default function (defaults, hostname, key, cb) {
// var filename = path.join(defaults.webrootPath.replace(':hostname', hostname), key);
// fs.readFile(filename, 'ascii', function (cb, text) {
// cb(null, text);
// })
// }
httpsOptions: object // object will be merged with internal defaults and passed to https.createServer()
// { pfx, key, cert, passphrase, ca, ciphers, rejectUnauthorized, secureProtocol }
// See https://nodejs.org/api/https.html
// Note: if SNICallback is specified, it will be run *before*
// the internal SNICallback that manages automated certificates
//
// default uses a localhost cert and key to prevent https.createServer() from throwing an error
// and also uses our SNICallback, which manages certificates
sniCallback: func // func replace the default sniCallback handler (which manages certificates) with your own
letsencrypt: object // object configure the letsencrypt object yourself and pass it in directly
//
// default we create the letsencrypt object using parameters you specify
server: url // url use letsencrypt.productionServerUrl (i.e. https://acme-v01.api.letsencrypt.org/directory)
// or letsencrypt.stagingServerUrl (i.e. https://acme-staging.api.letsencrypt.org/directory)
//
// default production
This doesn't work on heroku because heroku uses a proxy with built-in https (which is a smart thing to do) and besides, they want you to pay big bucks for https. (hopefully not for long?...)