Dashboard overview
What aethercert does, the seven objects a working setup is built from, and where each of them is documented.
aethercert issues TLS certificates, installs them on the servers that need them, and
renews them before they expire. The dashboard at dash.aethercert.com is where all of
that is configured; the agent on each server is what carries it
out.
These pages cover the dashboard: the objects it manages, the screens that manage them, and the limits that apply.
The objects a setup is built from
Five objects make up a working single-server setup.
| Object | What it is |
|---|---|
| Agent | The binary on a server that needs a certificate. It polls the control plane over outbound HTTPS; nothing connects into your network. |
| Domain | A DNS name, verified once with a TXT record. Connect a DNS provider to it and DNS-01 challenges are solved without you. |
| Certificate authority | Where certificates come from: Let's Encrypt, another public ACME CA, the PSW Group reseller, or your own internal CA. |
| Deploy target | What the agent does with the certificate once it has it. Import it into a Windows store, write it to disk and reload NGINX, upload it to a load balancer. |
| Certificate | A common name, an authority, a deploy target and a target agent, tied together. The control plane tracks its expiry and queues the renewal. |
Two more exist for fleets rather than single servers. An agent group is a named set of agents. A certificate policy is a standing rule on that group, so every server that joins it gets its certificate without anyone opening a form.
Where things are documented
Quickstart
A new account to a certificate that renews itself, in six steps.
How it works
The control plane, outbound-only agents, CA connectors, and the issuance flow.
Certificates
Statuses, renewal, revocation, key types, and the certificates agents find already installed.
Deploy targets
All 31 places a certificate can land, and what each one needs on the host.
Dashboard reference
Every screen and every setting, in sidebar order.
Security and data handling
What is stored, where, and what a compromise of each component would yield.
The sidebar
The dashboard groups its screens into six sections, and the reference pages use the same names.
| Section | What is in it |
|---|---|
| Dashboard | The landing page: fleet counters, an expiry chart for the coming year, and the certificates closest to expiring. |
| Build | The two creation wizards - Certificate Job and Certificate Policy. |
| Manage | Agents, Agent Groups, Domains, Connectors, Certificate Authorities, Deploy Targets, Certificate Policies, Jobs, Certificates. |
| Monitoring | Event Log, Email Notifications, Integrations. |
| MSP | Customers, Shared Customers, Branding. Shown on the MSP plans only. |
| Help | Support, Report a Bug, Feature Request. |
Personal and organization settings sit under the account menu rather than in the sidebar. Admin appears for aethercert staff accounts only.
If a page does not match what you see
The documentation is wrong, not you. Report it through Help > Report a Bug in the dashboard.