How to Revoke Let’s Encrypt Certificates on Ubuntu Linux
Revoking a Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS certificate on Ubuntu Linux immediately stops that security certificate from working on your website so web browsers no longer trust it. You typically need to cancel a certificate when your secret private key gets stolen or a new web host takes over managing your site security.
For instance, moving your domain to Google Cloud Load Balancing means Google handles security certificates for you, so you must cancel your old Let’s Encrypt files. This cleanup step prevents browser warning errors and keeps your active website security up to date.
Revoke a Let’s Encrypt certificate by running `certbot revoke –cert-path /etc/letsencrypt/live/your_domain/cert.pem –key-path /etc/letsencrypt/live/your_domain/key.pem`. Confirm package removal with `sudo apt purge letsencrypt certbot`. Finally, delete the configuration directory using `sudo rm -rf /etc/letsencrypt`.
Validate Certificate file
Before revoking a Let’s Encrypt certificate, you must first confirm you have the right certificate file. Revoking a certificate is a permanent action that cannot be undone. Once a certificate is revoked, browsers will show warnings because the certificate authority will no longer consider it trustworthy.
Revoking a certificate alerts the certificate authority via the Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP). Browsers query this system to verify whether they should still trust the site.
Revoke a Certificate for example.com
A Let’s Encrypt certificate for your domain, such as example.com, can be revoked using a specific command. This command prompts Certbot to begin revoking your certificate file. Remember to replace the example paths with the actual locations of your certificate and key files.
certbot revoke --cert-path /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/cert.pem --key-path /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/key.pem
Let’s Encrypt typically stores its certificates and corresponding keys in the /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/ directory. Remember to replace example.com with the actual domain name for which you issued the certificate.
Uninstall Let's Encrypt | Certbot
To completely stop using Let's Encrypt and Certbot on your Ubuntu system, uninstall them with a few commands. These commands will remove the software and all its related packages. You will need to type 'y' to confirm the removal when prompted.
sudo apt update sudo apt purge letsencrypt && sudo apt purge certbot
After running those commands, you'll be asked to confirm that you want to remove the listed packages. Type 'y' for yes.
Finally, run the commands below to remove Let's Encrypt directories.
sudo rm -rf /etc/letsencrypt
The cleanup is now complete.
Conclusion:
You've now learned how to revoke Let's Encrypt certificates and uninstall associated packages and directories. If you encounter any issues with these steps, please leave a comment below.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard, a writer for Geek Rewind, is a tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex IT topics into simple, easy-to-understand ideas. With years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, he’s developed a knack for offering practical tips and solutions. Richard aims to make technology more accessible and actionable. He's deeply committed to the Geek Rewind community, always ready to answer questions and engage in discussions.
key.pem isn’t there but privkey.pem is. What should I do?