Hong Kong VPS · December 28, 2025

How to Enable HTTPS on Hong Kong VPS: Complete Guide for Secure Websites

Why HTTPS Is Essential for Every Website

Enabling HTTPS on your website encrypts all data exchanged between visitors and your server, protecting sensitive information such as login credentials, payment details, and personal data. Since 2018, Google has marked non-HTTPS sites as “Not Secure” in Chrome, which can increase bounce rates, hurt search engine rankings, and damage user trust.

For sites hosted on a Hong Kong VPS, enabling HTTPS is especially valuable because it combines strong security with ultra-low latency to mainland China and Southeast Asia. Premium CN2 GIA + BGP lines deliver pings as low as 10–30 ms to major Chinese cities, ensuring that TLS encryption adds virtually no noticeable delay. Native IP addresses and dedicated resources further enhance performance and deliverability, making a secure Hong Kong VPS ideal for cross-border e-commerce, SaaS applications, and regional marketing platforms.

Choosing the Right SSL/TLS Certificate

The most popular and cost-effective option in 2025 is Let’s Encrypt, a free, trusted Certificate Authority that issues 90-day certificates with automatic renewal. Let’s Encrypt works perfectly on Hong Kong VPS because it requires only port 80 (HTTP) for validation, and most providers keep this port open.

Paid alternatives (Sectigo, DigiCert, GlobalSign) offer extended validation (EV) or wildcard certificates, but Let’s Encrypt meets the needs of the vast majority of users.

Step-by-Step: Enabling HTTPS with Let’s Encrypt

Method 1 – Using Certbot (Recommended for Ubuntu/Debian/CentOS)

  1. Update your system and install Certbot: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y sudo apt install snapd -y sudo snap install core sudo snap install –classic certbot sudo ln -s /snap/bin/certbot /usr/bin/certbot

  2. Run Certbot with your web server plugin: For Nginx: sudo certbot –nginx -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com

    For Apache: sudo certbot –apache -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com

    Certbot will:

    • Obtain the certificate
    • Automatically configure your server
    • Set up HTTP-to-HTTPS redirection
    • Schedule automatic renewal

  3. Verify the result: Visit https://yourdomain.com and check the padlock icon. Use SSL Labs for a detailed report.

Method 2 – Using Baota Panel (One-Click Graphical Method)

Many Hong Kong VPS users prefer Baota (BT) Panel for its simplicity:

  1. Install Baota Panel (one-click from the VPS control panel).
  2. Log in to Baota → Websites → Select your site → SSL.
  3. Choose “Let’s Encrypt” → Enter your domain → Apply.
  4. Baota handles issuance, installation, and renewal automatically.

This method is perfect for beginners and supports multiple domains on the same VPS.

Method 3 – Manual Installation (Advanced Users)

If you prefer full control:

  1. Generate a certificate with Certbot in standalone mode: sudo certbot certonly –standalone -d yourdomain.com
  2. Configure your web server to use the files:
    • Fullchain.pem → ssl_certificate
    • Privkey.pem → ssl_certificate_key
  3. Add HTTP-to-HTTPS redirection and HSTS headers.

Best Practices After Enabling HTTPS

  • Force HTTPS everywhere (via server config or .htaccess).
  • Enable HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) to prevent downgrade attacks.
  • Test TLS configuration with tools like SSL Labs or Mozilla Observatory.
  • Keep certificates renewed—Let’s Encrypt handles this automatically on most setups.
  • Use strong cipher suites and disable old protocols (SSLv3, TLS 1.0/1.1).

On a Hong Kong VPS with dedicated CPU, RAM, and pure SSD storage, TLS overhead remains negligible, preserving the ultra-low latency that makes these servers ideal for Asia-Pacific traffic.

Secure Your Site with High-Performance Hosting

For the best foundation to run secure HTTPS websites, choose a Hong Kong VPS that delivers instant deployment, CN2 GIA optimization, native IPs, 99.99% uptime, and full root access for easy certificate management. Server.HK offers affordable, scalable plans with excellent Asia connectivity and 24/7 support. Explore their Cloud VPS offerings here: https://server.hk/cloud.php

By enabling HTTPS on your Hong Kong VPS, you protect user data, improve search rankings, and deliver a fast, trustworthy experience to visitors across China, Southeast Asia, and beyond.

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