What Is a Subject Alternative Name (SAN) SSL Certificate?

What Is a SAN certificate? Here’s what to know…

A SAN SSL certificate, short for “subject alternative name” certificate, allows you to secure multiple domain names under a single X.509 digital certificate. This versatile security tool expands beyond a singular domain to secure many alternative domain names, IP addresses, and specified subdomains.

A SAN certificate’s multipurpose nature makes it the go-to choice for businesses that manage multiple sites, ensuring streamlined administration and cost-efficiency.

How Do You Select the Right SAN SSL Certificate for Your Business?

Trusted certificate authorities (CAs) offer a variety of SAN SSL certificates that cater to a range of security requirements, support services, and, of course, budget considerations. When choosing a SAN certificate:

1. Gauge What Validation Level Your Website Needs

Securing a SAN certificate to meet your business needs requires selecting the right level of validation for your domains. For example, ask yourself whether you’re securing a website that collects sensitive customer data (think banks or other financial institutions) or if it’s strictly an informational site.

Basic domain validation (DV) SSL/TLS certificates can be issued quickly, whereas organization validation (OV) and extended validation (EV) certificates involve more rigorous validation processes. OV and EV also include the organization’s verified details in the certificate, whereas DV certificates only include domain information.

2. Determine Your Domain and Subdomain Requirements

SAN certificates can typically cover everything from a handful of domains to upward of 1,000 under a single certificate (depending on your chosen certificate). But did you know that SANs come in two varieties?

SAN Multi-Domain SSL Certificate

With a traditional SAN multi-domain SSL certificate, also called a multi-domain SSL certificate, each URL listed is secured under the same certificate. This ensures a comprehensive encryption and site authentication solution for up to 1,000 domains and subdomains you choose to protect.

For a SAN multi-domain SSL certificate, examples of the domains covered could include:

• example.com
• example1.com
• mysite.example.com
• info.example.net
• shop.example.org

But what if you want to cover all subdomains, not just select subdomains? Then you’ll want to consider the next type of certificate…

SAN Multi-Domain Wildcard SSL Certificate 

A SAN multi-domain wildcard SSL certificate that ups the game of a traditional multi-domain certificate by securing multiple separate domains and their associated subdomains. This versatile certificate provides a robust encryption blanket for many domains and their subdomains using wildcards (denoted as * at the start of domains — e.g., *.example.com) using a single solution.

As an example, you could secure example.com as the common name on the certificate and then add multiple SANs to cover additional domains and subdomains:

• *.example.com (all first-level subdomains of example.com)
• www.example.com
• *.mysite.example.com (all second-level subdomains of mysite.example.com)
• example.net
• *.shop.example.org (all second-level subdomains of shop.example.org)

Not sure which option is the best for your situation? Review our comparison table to see which certificate best aligns with your domain security strategy:

	SAN Multi-Domain SSL Certificate	SAN Multi-Domain Wildcard SSL Certificate
Domain and Subdomain Coverage	Secures up to 1,000 domains and specific subdomains (specified as SANs).	Secures up to 1,000 domain names and unlimited subdomains for each (specified as SANs).
Use Cases	Ideal for businesses with diverse online presences across multiple unique domains. Examples include enterprises with websites for different top-level domains (TLDs) and financial institutions that require higher validation to assert digital trust.	Ideal for businesses with expansive subdomain networks of subomains across multiple domains, like informational sites that offer numerous categories or regional variants.
Validation Levels Available	DV, OV, and EV are available.	DV and OV only are available. EV is not offered for wildcard certificates.
Certificate Management	Manage multiple domains with a single certificate.	Manage all subdomains of a domain with a single certificate, reducing administrative tasks.
Flexibility	Allows you to add or remove SAN domains as needed throughout the certificate lifecycle using reissuance.	Automatically secures any new subdomains on the same level as they’re created under the specified SAN domains.
Renewal Management	Simplified renewal process for all included domains.	One certificate renewal covers all domains and subdomains, simplifying the process.
Get Your SAN SSL	Positive Multi-Domain SSL Certificate @ $18.81/yr.	Positive Multi-Domain Wildcard SSL Certificate @ $156.02/yr.

3. Look For Ease of Use and Certificate Flexibility

Some providers, like ComodoSSLStore, offer SAN certificates, allowing easy updates to the domains and/or subdomains covered. This is ideal for businesses with changing domain needs and desire scalability.

Moreover, always ensure that you order your certificate from the appropriate region and in the correct currency to avoid any delays or issues with processing.

5 Major Benefits of Using a SAN Certificate

The use cases of subject alternative name SSL/TLS certificates are varied and cater to scenarios where multiple domain names require secure HTTPS connections under one umbrella. Here’s why you might consider choosing a SAN certificate.

1. You can secure many domains under one roof. A single SAN certificate simplifies domain management by covering many domains under one certificate. This is ideal for businesses spanning multiple regions. For instance, www.example.com (global), www.example.co.uk (United Kingdom), www.example.ca (Canada),and www.example.com.au (Australia).

Image caption: The image captures a certificate viewer highlighting eBay’s SSL certificate and its Subject Alternative Name (SAN) field. This field showcases a single certificate’s ability to secure multiple domains and subdomains.

2. Offers three levels of validation (DV, OV and EV). Whether you need a multi-domain certificate that validates just your domain or you need one that offers the highest level of digital identity validation for your business, there’s a solution that will meet your needs. And the best part? You only have to go through the validation once to cover all of those domains!

3. Gives you flexible domain coverage throughout the certificate’s lifespan. A SAN certificate offers immense versatility, allowing you to add or remove covered domains from the certificate as needed throughout its lifecycle. Reissue your certificate with your specified change(s) and you’ll soon be on your way.

4. Helps you manage your SSL/TLS certificates more efficiently. These certificates reduce the clutter of managing separate SSL certificates for each domain, making it easier to keep your sites secure. This also includes securing both the www and non-www versions of domain versions (using a SAN for the www version), ensuring visitors reach a secure site regardless of which version of the URL they enter.

5. Allows you to build trust with secure e-commerce transactions. Using one SAN certificate for all your e-commerce sites boosts customer trust by adding digital trust via your site’s verified digital identity (especially when using an EV SAN SSL/TLS certificate) and ensuring a consistently secure shopping experience.

Where Can I Buy a SAN Certificate?

A SAN SSL certificate can be obtained directly from ComodoSSLStore. Comodo SSL SAN certificates provide fast and secure solutions that can adapt to your organization’s changing needs.

Why You Should Get a SAN Certificate Through ComodoSSLstore.com

• Rapid certificate issuance, getting you secure faster.
• Adaptable SAN licensing models to fit your growing domain portfolio.
• Renewal is a breeze, so your security never skips a beat.
• Speedy validation means your site will be secure in no time.
• Reliable 24/7 customer support provides a frictionless experience.

Have questions? Be sure to check out our related resources or contact our Support team.