--- title: SSL Certificate Monitoring & Expiry Alerts description: Professional SSL/TLS certificate monitoring by WatchFor. Monitor certificate expiration, validate chains, track security configurations 24/7. Get advance alerts before certificates expire. Prevent security warnings and maintain HTTPS trust. Free plan available. canonical: https://watchfor.io/ssl-monitoring --- # SSL/TLS Certificate Monitoring Hear about an expiring or broken certificate weeks before visitors see a browser warning. WatchFor checks validity, chain and hostname from several locations. [Get started for free](/auth/sign-up)[View pricing](/pricing) ## SSL Monitoring Features What the SSL monitor checks, and how it alerts you ### Certificate Validation Every check confirms the certificate is within its validity dates, chains to a trusted root and covers the hostname you connect to. When one of those breaks, you see which. ### Expiration Alerts The Certificate Expiry rule warns 14 days before a certificate expires. Change the number of days to fit your renewal process, and choose warning or critical severity. ### Chain Validation Verify complete certificate chains including intermediate certificates. Detect missing or improperly configured intermediate certificates. ### TLS Version & Grade Each check shows the negotiated TLS version, cipher suite and forward secrecy, and can alert below a minimum version. From the Starter plan, a daily A+ to F scan flags old protocols and weak ciphers. ### Multi-Domain Support Wildcard and multi-name (SAN) certificates are checked like any other. Each check lists every name the certificate covers and confirms it covers the host you're checking. ### Any TLS Port Check HTTPS on port 443 or any port that starts with TLS, such as IMAPS, SMTPS or LDAPS. Set the SNI name when you connect by IP address or through a load balancer. ### Legacy TLS Detection Servers that only accept outdated cipher suites are still checked, through a legacy-compatible handshake, and get a Legacy TLS badge so you know the configuration needs updating. ### Every Check Stored Each check keeps the certificate it saw: subject, issuer, alternative names, validity dates and serial. After a renewal, the latest check shows the new certificate and its expiry date. ## A closer look Certificate expiry, hostname, chain, TLS version and TLS grade rules. Each check stores the certificate, its names and the TLS connection. ## Why Choose Our SSL Monitoring Solution? Certificate outages rarely come out of nowhere: a renewal job failed weeks earlier, or a server still serves an old chain. The SSL monitor checks each certificate on a schedule, alerts you while there is still time to fix it, and from the Starter plan grades how well the server is configured. Want to check a host once? Try our free [SSL checker](/ssl-checker) or [SSL/TLS grade checker](/ssl-grade-checker). [Start monitoring now](/auth/sign-up) Expiry warnings at the number of days you choose Validate certificate chains and trust paths TLS version and cipher suite on every check Daily A+ to F TLS grade from the Starter plan Track wildcard and multi-domain certificates Any TLS port, with a custom SNI name Monitor from multiple global locations Alerts via email, Slack, Discord, webhooks and 12 more channels ## How SSL Monitoring Works Automatic protection for your SSL certificates 1 ### Add Your Domain Enter a domain, or host:port for a service that isn't on 443. The first check reads the certificate and lists every name it covers. 2 ### Configure Alerts Set how many days before expiry to warn, choose notification channels, and turn on the hostname, chain, minimum TLS version or TLS grade rules. 3 ### Continuous Validation Each check verifies validity dates, the chain and the hostname, and records the TLS version. From the Starter plan, the TLS grade is refreshed once a day. 4 ### Get Advance Warnings Get an alert while there is still time to renew, or as soon as a broken certificate is confirmed. The monitor page shows the current certificate and its expiry date. ## SSL Monitoring Use Cases Essential for any website or service using HTTPS ### E-commerce Security Keep a valid certificate on your store at all times. An expired certificate puts a full-page browser warning in front of checkout, and shoppers leave. An expiry warning weeks ahead gives you time to fix a failed renewal before anyone sees it. ### Multi-Site Management Track SSL certificates across multiple websites, subdomains, and services. Centralized monitoring prevents oversight of certificates on secondary domains. Perfect for agencies and businesses managing many properties. ### API Security Monitor SSL certificates for your API endpoints and webhooks. An expired or broken certificate stops every integration that calls you, so catch it before your customers' requests start failing. ### Mail & Other TLS Services Certificates on mail servers and internal tools are the ones that expire unnoticed, because no browser shows the warning. Point an SSL monitor at IMAPS, SMTPS, LDAPS or any other port that starts with TLS, and it is watched like a website. On STARTTLS ports such as 143, 110 and 587, the IMAP, POP3 and SMTP monitors check the certificate themselves. ## Frequently asked questions Everything you need to know about SSL certificate monitoring. [All questions→](/faq)[Ask us directly](/contact) What is SSL/TLS certificate monitoring? SSL/TLS certificate monitoring is a service that continuously checks the validity, configuration, and expiration status of SSL/TLS certificates on your websites and services. It validates the certificate chain, checks expiration dates, verifies protocol versions, and alerts you to any issues before they cause browser security warnings or service disruptions. How does SSL certificate monitoring work? How often are certificates checked, and is it on the Free plan? How early do you alert before certificate expiration? Can you monitor wildcard certificates? What happens if my SSL certificate expires? Do you check certificate chains and intermediate certificates? Can you detect weak SSL/TLS configurations? Can you check certificates on mail servers that use STARTTLS? What about Let's Encrypt and automated certificate renewal? What metrics are tracked for SSL monitoring? ## From our blog Guides, deep-dives, and best practices from the WatchFor team [Networking ### 47-day SSL certificates: what breaks and how to stay ahead Oct 03, 2026·12 min readRead article](/blog/47-day-ssl-certificates)[Networking ### How to Never Get Caught by an Expired SSL Certificate Jun 16, 2026·3 min readRead article](/blog/ssl-certificate-expiry)[Security ### How HTTPS Works: the TLS handshake, explained simply May 06, 2026·3 min readRead article](/blog/how-https-works) ## Ready to Protect Your SSL Certificates? Watch every certificate you own and catch failed renewals weeks before they bite. Get started in minutes with the free plan — no credit card required. [Get started for free](/auth/sign-up)[View documentation](/docs/monitors/certificates#ssl--tls-certificate) --- Canonical page: https://watchfor.io/ssl-monitoring · Site guide: https://watchfor.io/llms.txt