Before your SSL certificate can be issued, you must generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR). If your website is hosted on a server running Plesk Control Panel, you can create a CSR and its corresponding Private Key directly from the Plesk interface.
This step-by-step guide demonstrates how to generate a CSR in Plesk and submit it to the BuySSL.lk Client Area.
Step 1: Access SSL/TLS Certificates in Plesk
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Log in to your Plesk Control Panel.
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Go to Websites & Domains from the left navigation menu.
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Locate the domain name you want to secure and click on SSL/TLS Certificates (or SSL/TLS Certificates under the Security section).
Step 2: Add a New SSL/TLS Certificate Entry
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On the SSL/TLS Certificates management page, click the Advanced Settings button.
- click the Add SSL/TLS Certificate button
Step 3: Fill Out the Certificate Details Form
Complete the required fields with accurate information:
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Certificate Name: Enter a descriptive friendly name to identify this request (e.g.,
BuySSL_2026). -
Bits: Select 2048 from the dropdown menu (industry standard).
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Country: Select your two-letter country code from the list (e.g.,
Sri Lanka). -
State or Province: Enter your province or state (e.g.,
Western Province). -
Location (city): Enter your city (e.g.,
Colombo). -
Organization Name (company): Enter your officially registered business name (e.g.,
Example Lanka Pvt Ltd). For personal sites, enter your full name. -
Department Name or Division: Enter your division (e.g.,
IT Department) or leave it blank. -
Domain Name: Enter the exact domain name you want to secure.
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For Single Domain: Enter
example.com(Plesk automatically includes[www.example.com](https://www.example.com)). -
For Wildcard SSL: Enter an asterisk before the domain, such as
*.example.com.
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Email: Enter a valid contact email address.
Step 4: Generate the CSR
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Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the Request button.
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Plesk will generate both the CSR and the Private Key, adding them as a record under your SSL/TLS Certificates list.
Step 5: Copy the CSR Code
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Under the SSL/TLS Certificates list, click on the name of the certificate entry you created in Step 3.
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Scroll down to the CSR section.
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Highlight and copy the entire block of text in the text box, including the header line
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----and footer line-----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----.
Step 6: Submit the CSR in BuySSL Client Area
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Log in to your BuySSL Client Area.
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Go to Services > My Services and select your active SSL certificate order.
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Click Configure Certificate.
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Select your web server type (e.g., Plesk / Apache / Nginx) and paste the copied CSR code into the text box.
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Select your preferred Domain Control Validation (DCV) method and submit the configuration.
Pro-Tips & Important Notes:
Automatic Private Key Storage: When you click "Request", Plesk automatically creates and stores the matching Private Key inside the Plesk database. You will not need to paste the Private Key manually when installing the certificate later.
Do Not Delete the Certificate Entry: Do not remove or delete the certificate entry in Plesk while waiting for issuance. Deleting it will remove the saved Private Key, rendering the issued certificate unusable.