Dev.to
5/11/2026

Guide to Automatic SSL Certificate Renewal for Nginx and Docker
Short summary
Tutorial for automating SSL certificate renewal on Nginx + Docker using Certbot and Let's Encrypt. Author shares a real expired-cert incident and provides step-by-step docker-compose configuration with cron-based renewal logic. Key: use webroot validation and post-hook reload to keep HTTPS current without manual intervention.
- •Automated cert renewal prevents security warnings and site downtime
- •Docker + Certbot setup with webroot challenge method and post-renewal Nginx reload
- •Host-based cron triggers renewal twice daily for reliability
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