Fixing depth_zero_self_signed_cert in cPanel with a Self-Signed Certificate

Contents: Verify the Current SSL Certificate in cPanel Install a Trusted SSL Certificate in cPanel Add the Self-Signed Certificate to Trusted Store (For Internal Use) Ignore SSL Verification for Specific Clients (If Necessary) Summary of Fixes

Fixing Self-Signed Certificate in cPanel

If you are using a self-signed SSL certificate in cPanel and encountering the error:

depth_zero_self_signed_cert

it means that the certificate is not trusted by clients because no Certificate Authority (CA) has verified it.

Verify the Current SSL Certificate in cPanel

Log into cPanel
Navigate to SSL/TLS > Manage SSL Sites
Find your domain and check the certificate issuer
- If it says Self-Signed, then your certificate is not trusted.

Alternatively, check from the terminal:

openssl s_client -connect yourdomain.com:443 -showcerts

Expected output (if self-signed):

verify error:num=18:self-signed certificate
verify return:1
verify error:num=19:self-signed certificate in certificate chain
verify return:1

Install a Trusted SSL Certificate in cPanel

Option 1: Get a Free SSL from AutoSSL (Recommended)

Go to cPanel > SSL/TLS Status
Click Run AutoSSL
Wait for cPanel to issue a free SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt or Sectigo
Refresh the page and ensure the status says "Valid"

Restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart httpd

This will replace the self-signed certificate with a valid one.

Option 2: Install a Manually Signed SSL Certificate

If AutoSSL does not work, you can install a third-party SSL.

Get an SSL Certificate

Purchase one from Namecheap, GoDaddy, or DigiCert, or
Get a free Let's Encrypt certificate using certbot.

Install the SSL in cPanel

Go to SSL/TLS > Manage SSL Sites
Upload the new certificate (CRT)
Add the Private Key (KEY)
Add the Certificate Authority Bundle (CABUNDLE)

Save and restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart httpd

Add the Self-Signed Certificate to Trusted Store (For Internal Use)

If you must use a self-signed certificate (e.g., for local development), you need to trust it manually.

Add the Certificate to the Server's Trusted CA Store

For Debian/Ubuntu

sudo cp your_certificate.crt /usr/local/share/ca-certificates/
sudo update-ca-certificates

For CentOS/RHEL

sudo cp your_certificate.crt /etc/pki/ca-trust/source/anchors/
sudo update-ca-trust

Restart Apache

sudo systemctl restart httpd

Ignore SSL Verification for Specific Clients (If Necessary)

If you are using a self-signed certificate and cannot install a trusted one, you can disable SSL verification (not recommended for production).

For curl

curl -k https://yourdomain.com

For git

git config --global http.sslVerify false

For Node.js

process.env.NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED = "0";

Warning: Disabling SSL verification is insecure. Use this only for temporary testing.

Summary of Fixes

Issue	Fix
Self-signed certificate error in cPanel	Run AutoSSL or install a trusted SSL
Certificate not trusted	Add it to `/usr/local/share/ca-certificates/` and run `update-ca-certificates`
Ignore SSL for debugging	Use `curl -k` or disable SSL verification temporarily

Now your cPanel SSL should work correctly!

Fixing depth_zero_self_signed_cert in cPanel with a Self-Signed Certificate

Verify the Current SSL Certificate in cPanel

Install a Trusted SSL Certificate in cPanel

Option 1: Get a Free SSL from AutoSSL (Recommended)

Option 2: Install a Manually Signed SSL Certificate

Get an SSL Certificate

Install the SSL in cPanel

Add the Self-Signed Certificate to Trusted Store (For Internal Use)

Add the Certificate to the Server's Trusted CA Store

Restart Apache

Ignore SSL Verification for Specific Clients (If Necessary)

For curl

For git

For Node.js

Summary of Fixes

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Fixing depth_zero_self_signed_cert in cPanel with a Self-Signed Certificate

Verify the Current SSL Certificate in cPanel

Install a Trusted SSL Certificate in cPanel

Option 1: Get a Free SSL from AutoSSL (Recommended)

Option 2: Install a Manually Signed SSL Certificate

Get an SSL Certificate

Install the SSL in cPanel

Add the Self-Signed Certificate to Trusted Store (For Internal Use)

Add the Certificate to the Server's Trusted CA Store

Restart Apache

Ignore SSL Verification for Specific Clients (If Necessary)

For curl

For git

For Node.js

Summary of Fixes

Hosting

Cloud Solution

For You

VDS

Website Builders

Our services

Client Area

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