If you’ve set up a Bitnami stack on AWS and purchased an SSL certificate from GoDaddy, this guide walks you through configuring it step by step. Bitnami packages come with pre-generated certificates, but replacing them with your own signed certificate ensures better security and trust for your domain.

Check Existing SSL Setup (Optional)

It’s good to know that Bitnami includes default SSL files when the stack is created. You can inspect them with the following commands:

sudo ls -l /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/

Check the details of the existing certificate and key:

sudo openssl x509 -in /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.crt -text -noout
sudo openssl rsa -in /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.key -check

Step 1: Generate a CSR (Certificate Signing Request)

First, navigate to the Apache configuration directory:

cd /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf

Create a new private RSA key:

sudo openssl genrsa -out server.key 2048

Next, generate a CSR using the private key:

sudo openssl req -new -key server.key -out server.csr

You’ll be prompted to enter details like your country, state, domain, and email. These details must match your domain registration info. Example:

  • Country Name: US
  • State/Province: California
  • City: Los Angeles
  • Organization: Example Inc.
  • Common Name: yourdomain.com
  • Email Address: [email protected]

(Optional but handy) Extract the public key if needed:

sudo openssl rsa -in server.key -pubout -out server.pub

Open your CSR and copy its contents to submit to GoDaddy:

cat server.csr

Step 2: Download Your SSL Files from GoDaddy

Once GoDaddy approves your request, download the certificate bundle. You’ll typically receive:

  • Your main certificate (yourdomain.crt)
  • A certificate bundle or chain (gd_bundle-g2-g1.crt or .cabundle)

Step 3: Upload the Certificate Files to AWS

Use SCP (secure copy) to upload the certificate files from your computer to your Bitnami server:

scp yourdomain.crt gd_bundle-g2-g1.crt bitnami@your-server-ip:/home/bitnami/

Step 4: Extract Files if Needed

unzip ssl-certs.zip

Step 5: Configure Apache to Use Your GoDaddy SSL

Edit the Bitnami Apache configuration file:

sudo nano /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/bitnami/bitnami.conf

Look for the <VirtualHost _default_:80> block and add the following lines to redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteRule ^/(.*) https://%{SERVER_NAME}/$1 [R,L]

In the <VirtualHost _default_:443> block, update the certificate paths to use the ones you uploaded:

SSLCertificateFile "/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/yourdomain.crt"
SSLCertificateKeyFile "/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.key"
SSLCertificateChainFile "/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/gd_bundle-g2-g1.crt"

Make sure you update the filenames to match what you received from GoDaddy.

Step 6: Test Configuration and Restart Apache

Before restarting the server, run a config test to catch any syntax errors:

sudo apachectl configtest

If everything checks out, restart the Apache server using the Bitnami control script:

sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh restart apache

You’re Done!

Your AWS Bitnami instance should now be serving your site over HTTPS using your GoDaddy SSL certificate. To confirm, open your domain in a browser and look for the secure padlock icon.

Bonus: Use WordPress SSL Plugins for Easy HTTPS Management

If you’re running WordPress on your Bitnami stack, managing redirects, mixed content issues, and force HTTPS can be made simpler with an SSL plugin. Here are some trusted options:

Really Simple SSL

Automatically detects your SSL certificate and configures your site to run over HTTPS. Great for beginners.
👉 Download from WordPress.org

WP Force SSL & HTTPS Redirect

Helps redirect all HTTP requests to HTTPS and fix insecure content warnings.
👉 Download from WordPress.org

These plugins are a huge help especially if you’re using custom themes or plugins that load non-secure resources.