Free SSL (Let's Encrypt)
INTEGRATIONS · EXPERTINI ATS

Free SSL (Let's Encrypt)

Free HTTPS for your custom careers domain — request a certificate for your CNAME and we issue, install, and auto-renew it via Let's Encrypt, at no cost on Pro and above.

3 min read · Updated July 2026 · Expertini Editorial

A branded careers site on your own domain loses its credibility the moment a browser flags it "Not secure" — and candidates notice before recruiters do. Most careers-site products either leave TLS as your problem, or price certificate management as an add-on. Expertini ATS treats HTTPS as part of the product: every custom careers domain gets a free SSL certificate, issued through Let's Encrypt, installed on our infrastructure, and renewed automatically before it ever expires.

The whole flow is designed so a non-technical recruiter can complete it: point one CNAME record at Expertini from the Custom Domain app, verify it with one click, then press "Request free SSL". The certificate for your exact hostname — a subdomain like careers.yourcompany.com or your apex domain — is typically live within 24 hours, and you're emailed when it is. You never buy a certificate, never upload one, and never touch a renewal again.

Watch the 30-second overview — no sign-up needed

01How it works, end to end

Step one lives in the Custom Domain (DNS) app: add a CNAME record at your DNS provider (guides for Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Bluehost and any other provider are built into the app) pointing your chosen hostname at Expertini, then hit Verify. Step two is one button: Request free SSL. That request goes straight to our operations queue, where the certificate is issued for your verified hostname via Let's Encrypt — the same certificate authority securing hundreds of millions of sites — and bound to your careers site on our edge. From then on, renewal is automatic roughly every 60 days, forever, with no action from you.

02What it covers — and what it costs

The certificate covers exactly the hostname you verified — subdomains (careers.yourcompany.com, jobs.yourbrand.co.uk) and apex domains are both supported. The cost is zero: no issuance fee, no renewal fee, no per-domain add-on. Custom domains and their SSL are included from the Starter plan upward, in the same flat price as everything else — consistent with how we treat the rest of the platform: capabilities ship in the plan, not as an invoice line.

03Already on Cloudflare?

If your DNS runs through Cloudflare in Proxied mode, your visitors already see Cloudflare-issued HTTPS at the edge. Requesting the free certificate here as well is still the right move: it encrypts the connection between Cloudflare and Expertini too, letting you run Cloudflare's Full (strict) SSL mode — encrypted end to end, with no certificate warnings on either hop.

04Why this matters for hiring, not just security

Candidates increasingly reach careers sites from links in messaging apps and social posts, where browsers are most aggressive about flagging insecure pages. An HTTPS careers site on your own domain keeps your employer brand intact at the exact moment a candidate decides whether to apply — and because the site itself is the multi-page company site Expertini serves natively (jobs with search, services, about, contact), the entire branded, secure experience comes from one subscription with no web-agency invoice attached.

Engineering notes

Platform architecture & operations

A1Connection architecture

The connection model for this integration is stated honestly on its card: where a public API exists it is used with your own account and consent, and where a vendor requires a partner agreement the page says so instead of showing a Connect button that cannot work.

Once available, credentials follow the platform standard: encrypted at rest, presence-flag display, immediate removal on disconnect.

A2Write semantics and data flow

Every data movement is an explicit action with a logged result. Writes happen on your click — or automatically only where you enabled a rule (auto-push on hire is off by default, per-provider). Reads — imports of people, accounts, or files — run when you press Import, deduplicate against what you already have (clients by name, people by email), skip rather than overwrite, and report created-versus-skipped honestly, which is why re-running any import is safe by design.

Each action writes a row to the app-activity journal (ats_app_activity): what ran, when, for which record, and the outcome — including the vendor's own error text verbatim when something fails. Usage reporting inside the ATS aggregates that same journal, so integration reporting and integration reality cannot diverge.

Anything that leaves the request path — notification fan-out, webhook delivery, activity journalling, mail — runs in fire-and-forget background threads. A slow external endpoint can never make the interface hang, and a failed side effect is logged rather than silently retried into inconsistency.

A3Operational considerations

Connections are organisation-level and gated to owner and admin roles; recruiters use the features a connection powers but cannot connect, disconnect, or reconfigure. Disconnecting removes stored credentials immediately and stops the dependent features visibly, not silently. Data already imported stays yours and editable.

Imported people arrive marked as imported with conservative privacy defaults — no consent is assumed for anyone who never filled in your application form, and retention defaults apply. Everything written is yours to take: CSV exports and the Data Export app cover the same stores the product itself reads. The exit is as open as the entrance — by design, not concession.

A4Placement in the integration topology

This integration is live in the registry today. One connection per provider unlocks every feature it powers, and the topology grid below shows the neighbouring connectors in the same capability area — statuses come from the same registry that drives the in-app hub, so this page can never claim more than the product does. For anything the catalogue does not cover, Webhooks and Zapier are the generic, documented escape hatch.

Dependency map

Connection typestated per-vendor on the card
Secrets at restencrypted; UI shows presence flags, never values
Action journalats_app_activity — one row per action, vendor errors verbatim
Auto-push rulesoff by default, per-provider, every run logged
Registry statuslive

Interface blueprint

Structural schematic of the surface — panels, hierarchy, and interaction affordances. A contract, not a screenshot.
Connection card
● connected — presence flag
scopes: minimum required disconnect
Actions
push — explicit clickimport — deduplicated
Activity journal
Fig. 1 — Free SSL (Let's Encrypt): structural interface schematic. Panels and states are the contract; data shown is placeholder.

Interaction flow — states, validations, feedback

Every state below is enforced server-side; the interface reports it, it doesn't decide it.
Connectowner/admin clicks Connect on the Connectors page
Vendor consentthe vendor's own screen lists the exact scopes
Token exchangeserver-side callback; secrets never touch the browser
Connectedencrypted store; card flips with presence flag
Explicit actionspush / import / schedule — each one journalled
Consent denied → the vendor's error code surfaces in a toast, namedPlatform keys missing → honest setup pointer, not a silent bounceToken expired → automatic refresh at the chokepointRefresh rejected → visible reconnect prompt, features never break silentlyPlan below minimum → lock card names the exact plan
Fig. 2 — interaction flow: navy = states, gold = server-enforced gates, green = confirmed outcomes; tags list the edge cases and their feedback.

Frequently asked questions

Is the SSL certificate really free?
Yes — issuance, installation, and automatic renewal are all included at no cost for custom domains on Pro and above. Let's Encrypt certificates carry no licence fee, and we don't charge for the operational work either.
How long does it take to go live?
Typically within 24 hours of your request — you'll get an email when your https:// URL is active. The domain must be CNAME-verified first, since the certificate is issued for the exact verified hostname.
Do I need to renew it?
Never. Let's Encrypt certificates renew on a short cycle and we automate the renewal server-side — expiry warnings are our problem, not yours.
Can I use my apex domain instead of a subdomain?
Yes — most DNS providers need an ALIAS/ANAME record instead of a CNAME at the apex; the Custom Domain app's provider guides cover it, and the certificate works the same way.
What if I leave Expertini?
Point your DNS elsewhere and the domain is yours as it always was — and the Data Export app gives you your full hiring data as one file. No part of the domain or certificate setup locks you in.

At a glance

  • Free SSL certificate for your custom careers domain — issued via Let's Encrypt
  • One-click request from the Custom Domain app after CNAME verification
  • Typically live within 24 hours, email confirmation when active
  • Automatic renewal forever — nothing to buy, upload, or remember
  • Subdomains and apex domains both supported
  • Included on Pro and above — no certificate or renewal fees, ever

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