Supported Protocols (ACME, SCEP, EST etc)

CERTInext supports multiple industry-standard certificate enrollment and automation protocols to enable seamless integration across cloud platforms, DevOps pipelines, network devices, enterprise directories, and legacy systems. These protocols can be configured under:

Integrations → APIs → + New API Credentials

When creating new API credentials, users can select the required protocol type from the API Type dropdown.

ACME (Automated Certificate Management Environment)

ACME enables fully automated certificate issuance and renewal, commonly used for web servers, load balancers, and DevOps environments.

Typical Use Cases:

• Web server automation (Nginx, Apache, IIS)

• Kubernetes ingress controllers

• Cloud-native workloads

• CI/CD pipelines

Configuration Highlights:

• Select API Type: ACME

• Associate with User, Groups, and Product

• Generate API credentials

• Use ACME client to connect to CERTInext ACME endpoint

ACME supports automated DCV methods such as HTTP-01 and DNS-01, depending on CA configuration.

REST API

REST APIs provide programmatic access to certificate lifecycle operations including issuance, renewal, revocation, and reporting.

Typical Use Cases:

• Custom application integration

• Enterprise automation platforms

• ITSM workflows

• DevOps orchestration tools

Authentication Options:

• Access Key

• OAuth (if enabled)

REST APIs allow granular control over certificate management processes through secure token-based authentication.

EST (Enrollment over Secure Transport)

EST is designed for secure certificate enrollment over TLS, commonly used in enterprise-managed environments.

Typical Use Cases:

• Enterprise device provisioning

• Secure network equipment enrollment

• Managed infrastructure automation

Configuration Fields:

• Username and Password

• Associated Product

• Secure HTTPS communication

EST provides mutual authentication and secure CSR submission.

SCEP (Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol)

SCEP enables automated certificate enrollment for network devices and MDM-managed endpoints.

Typical Use Cases:

• Mobile Device Management (MDM)

• Routers, firewalls, and network appliances

• Enterprise device onboarding

Configuration Fields:

• Shared Secret

• Product selection

• User association

SCEP simplifies large-scale device certificate provisioning.

CMP (Certificate Management Protocol)

CMP supports enterprise-grade certificate lifecycle management with strong authentication controls.

Typical Use Cases:

• Telecom environments

• Large-scale enterprise PKI deployments

• High-security automation environments

Configuration Fields:

• Authentication Name

• Shared Secret

• Product selection

CMP enables advanced certificate request validation and secure lifecycle operations.

WAEP (Windows Auto Enrollment Protocol)

WAEP enables integration with Microsoft Active Directory environments for automated certificate enrollment.

Typical Use Cases:

• Domain-joined systems

• Enterprise Windows infrastructure

• AD-based certificate templates

Configuration Fields Include:

• LDAP URL and Port

• Domain and Username

• Kerberos configuration

• Template Type selection

• Policy interval

WAEP supports LDAP-based template discovery using the Fetch Templates option.

Operational Notes

• API credentials can be filtered, exported, revoked, or regenerated from the APIs dashboard.

• Each protocol credential is linked to a specific Product (CA template).

• Revoked credentials immediately disable associated automation flows.

• All API operations are logged for audit and traceability.

By supporting ACME, REST, EST, SCEP, CMP, and WAEP, CERTInext enables flexible automation across modern cloud-native, enterprise, and legacy environments.