SSL Certificate Setup for a 1C-Bitrix Site
Installing an SSL certificate is not just about obtaining the certificate. After switching to HTTPS in Bitrix, you need to re-save the site settings — otherwise resources (CSS, JS, images) will continue loading over HTTP, and the browser will display a mixed content warning or block the page entirely.
Obtaining and Installing a Certificate
Let's Encrypt — free option with auto-renewal via certbot:
certbot --nginx -d example.com -d www.example.com
Certbot automatically modifies the nginx configuration. Verify that a renewal task has been added to cron:
0 3 * * * /usr/bin/certbot renew --quiet
Commercial certificates (Sectigo, DigiCert) — required when OV/EV validation is needed or for subdomains via wildcard (*.example.com). Wildcard certificates from Let's Encrypt are also available but require a DNS challenge.
Bitrix Settings After SSL Installation
After installing the certificate and enabling HTTPS in nginx/Apache:
-
Settings → Product Settings → Sites → [your site]— change the protocol tohttpsand save -
Settings → Main Module— check the "Site Domain" field — it should not includehttp:// - Clear the cache:
Settings → Module Management → Main → Clear Cache
In /bitrix/php_interface/dbconn.php or /bitrix/.settings.php, verify that no http:// is hardcoded in paths.
Mixed Content
The most common issue after migration — some resources still load over HTTP. Search the database:
SELECT ID, DETAIL_TEXT FROM b_iblock_element
WHERE DETAIL_TEXT LIKE '%http://example.com%'
LIMIT 100;
For bulk URL replacement in content — use str_replace via a migration script or a search/replace module from the Marketplace. Check component settings for hardcoded HTTP links.
Real-World Case
A store running "Bitrix: Site Management", Business edition. After installing Let's Encrypt and enabling HTTPS, the browser showed an "insecure" warning. The cause: the sale.order.ajax component had an absolute URL hardcoded for AJAX requests (http://example.com/bitrix/components/...). Additionally, several banners in b_iblock_element_property contained HTTP image links. After replacing all links, the certificate displayed correctly.
Delivery Time
Let's Encrypt certificate installation and Bitrix configuration — 2–3 hours. Including mixed content remediation on a large site — up to 1 business day.