Nginx Introduces Native Support for Acme Protocol

Summary

We are very excited to announce the preview release of ACME support in NGINX. The implementation introduces a new module ngx_http_acme_module that provides built-in directives for requesting, installing, and renewing certificates directly from NGINX configuration. The ACME support leverages our NGINX-Rust SDK and is available as a Rust-based dynamic module for both NGINX Open Source users as well as enterprise NGINX One customers using NGINX Plus. NGINX’s native support for ACME brings a variety of benefits that simplify and enhance the overall SSL/TLS certificate management process. Being able to configure ACME directly using NGINX directives drastically reduces manual errors and eliminates much of the ongoing overhead traditionally associated with managing SSL/TLS certificates. It also reduces reliance on external tools like Certbot, creating a more secure and streamlined workflow with fewer vulnerabilities and a smaller attack surface. Additionally, unlike existing external tools which can be prone to platform-specific limitations, a native implementation ensures greater portability and platform independence, making it a versatile and reliable solution for modern, evolving web infrastructures. What is ACME? The ACME protocol (Automated Certificate Management Environment) is a communications protocol primarily designed to automate the process of issuing, validating, renewing, and revoking digital security certificates (e.g., SSL/TLS certificates). It allows clients to interact with a Certificate Authority (CA) without requiring manual intervention, simplifying the deployment of secure websites and other services that rely on HTTPS. The ACME protocol was initially developed by the Internet Security Research Group (ISRG) as part of the Let’s Encrypt initiative in late 2015, offering free, automated SSL/TLS certificates. Before ACME, obtaining TLS certificates was often a manual, costly, and error-prone process. ACME revolutionized this by providing open-source, auto...