Currently we are deploying a beta API for our services and we want that all request/responses from the API works over https. I'm confused about using wildcard certificates for both api and www urls. Is it a good idea to use a wildcard certificate for both api.example.com and www.example.com? Are there any inconveniences?What about those 1-server-only certificates? Because I'm deploying my API in n servers with a load balancer on front.
Using wildcard certificates for multi-server deployment
https;security certificate
You are correct, using a wildcard cert is a great idea in this case.  It'll keep your configuration for separate domains simple, and ensure that any subdomains you decide to add will work.  There are a couple drawbacks: - Your top level domain is not secure.  As in, the certificate is not good for example.com. - They are very expensive, normally around $1k.As for 1-server-only certs, it depends on the agreement you make when you purchase the cert.  Some will allow the cert to be installed on multiple servers, some will not. Also, I have no idea how or if they check that the cert is only installed on a single server.  You might be able to get away with it...Also, if you are using a load balancer, I would recommend installing the cert there, if your hardware allows it.  I know the Cisco CSS series has a dedicated hardware module that handles all the encryption and decryption, saving some work for your servers.