> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.certinext.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.certinext.io/documentation/certificate-installation-guides/before-installation.md).

# Before Installation

Before installing your certificate, you will need to make sure you have downloaded the ZIP containing your certificate files. Please download your certificate and get ready for installation on your web server.

* **SSL Certificate (Usually a .cer file):** This file contains your primary SSL certificate, ready to be installed on your server.
* **CA certificate chain (Usually a .cer file):** This file contains only one intermediate certificate. The root certificate that signs this immediate certificate is trusted by all browsers and almost all other SSL clients. If you need the full chain including the root certificate, we recommend you use a tool like eMudhra tools to download it.
* **End Entity certificate (Usually a .cer file):** This file contains an end entity certificate referred to as an end-user certificate in the context of a public key infrastructure (PKI).

Please note you will need a different format for your certificate since you are installing the certificate on Windows Server. CERTInext by default supplies certificates in .cer format. To download the certificate please follow the below steps.

* To download certificate login to the [CERTInext](https://us.certinext.io/) portal.
* Navigate to the Certificates > Orders > View order.
* Click "Download Certificate" button to Download your certificate from CERTInext and unzip a folder on your hard disk.

**Prerequisites**

To convert your .cer into different file formats, Utilize our CERTInext utility tool to seamlessly transform your files into .cer, .pfx (.p12), .jks, or .pem formats, and conveniently import zip files using our CSR tool. Select your server type to continue:

* Installing SSL Certificate on [IIS ](/documentation/certificate-installation-guides/installing-on-iis.md)
* Installing SSL Certificate on [cPanel](/documentation/certificate-installation-guides/installing-on-cpanel.md)
* Installing SSL Certificate on [Apache ](/documentation/certificate-installation-guides/installing-on-apache.md)
* Installing SSL Certificate on [NGINX ](/documentation/certificate-installation-guides/installing-on-nginx.md)
* Installing SSL Certificate on [Amazon Web Services (AWS)](/documentation/certificate-installation-guides/installing-on-aws.md) 
* Installing SSL Certificate on [Plesk 12](/documentation/certificate-installation-guides/installing-on-plesk-12.md) 


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