---
title: #ssl
description: 7 articles about ssl — guides and explainers from the WatchFor team.
canonical: https://watchfor.io/blog/tag/ssl
---

[All posts](/blog)

# #ssl

Articles tagged "ssl".

[All](/blog)[Monitoring](/blog/category/monitoring)[Networking](/blog/category/networking)[Performance](/blog/category/performance)[Security](/blog/category/security)[Reliability](/blog/category/reliability)[Email](/blog/category/email)[DevOps](/blog/category/devops)[Engineering](/blog/category/engineering)

[All articles](/blog/all)

7 article s

[SecuritySep 01, 2026

## Why we built our own SSL/TLS grade checker

For over a decade, one free tool defined what a 'good' HTTPS setup looks like: the Qualys SSL Labs Server Test and its A+ to F grade. It's brilliant — and showing its age. Here's the short history of the SSL grade, what SSL Labs gets right, where it falls short in 2026, and why we built a faster, more modern grader of our own — including the post-quantum check SSL Labs doesn't have yet.WatchFor Team5 min read](/blog/ssl-grade-checker)[MonitoringSep 11, 2026

## The best SSL certificate monitoring tools in 2026

Certificate expiry is the most preventable outage there is, and it still happens constantly — usually because the alert went to someone who left, or because the tool only checked the certificate the CDN presents. Here is what each tool actually checks, and what most of them miss.WatchFor Team4 min read](/blog/best-ssl-monitoring-tools)[NetworkingJun 16, 2026

## How to Never Get Caught by an Expired SSL Certificate

An expired TLS certificate takes your whole site offline with a scary red warning — and it's 100% preventable. Here's why certificates expire, what it costs, and how to make sure it never catches you.WatchFor Team3 min read](/blog/ssl-certificate-expiry)[SecurityFeb 26, 2026

## SSL/TLS Handshake Failed: causes and how to fix it

When the secure connection can't be agreed, you get a handshake failure — and the page never loads. Here's what goes wrong during the TLS handshake, and how to fix each cause.WatchFor Team3 min read](/blog/ssl-handshake-failed)[SecurityDec 22, 2025

## TLS 1.2 vs 1.3: what changed (and why it matters)

TLS 1.3 made HTTPS both faster and more secure than 1.2 — by doing less, not more. Here's what changed in the handshake, why it matters, and what to make sure your servers support.WatchFor Team3 min read](/blog/tls-1-2-vs-1-3)[SecurityDec 20, 2025

## HSTS Explained: forcing browsers to always use HTTPS

You redirect HTTP to HTTPS — but that first insecure request is still a risk. HSTS closes that gap by telling browsers to never even try HTTP. Here's how it works and how to deploy it safely.WatchFor Team3 min read](/blog/hsts-explained)[SecurityDec 08, 2025

## What is mTLS (Mutual TLS)?

Normal HTTPS proves the server's identity to you. mTLS goes both ways — the client proves itself too. Here's what mutual TLS is, where it's used, and why it's a Zero Trust building block.WatchFor Team3 min read](/blog/mtls-explained)

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Canonical page: https://watchfor.io/blog/tag/ssl · Site guide: https://watchfor.io/llms.txt