How to Make a Website Use HTTPS: Let’s Encrypt vs Cloudflare for Securing Website Connections 

The best choice for most website owners is simple: use Let’s Encrypt on your server and Cloudflare in front of it if you need speed, DNS, and attack filtering. HTTPS is no longer optional; modern browsers warn users when forms, logins, or payments use plain HTTP, and Google reports that HTTPS accounts for the vast majority of Chrome page loads on major platforms [source: Google]. If your site still uses HTTP, fix that before tuning fonts, sliders, or plugins.

TLDR: Let’s Encrypt gives you a free, trusted SSL/TLS certificate for your actual web server. Cloudflare can also secure visitor connections, but the safest setup is Full (strict), not Flexible. For example, a small store receiving 20,000 visits per month may cut browser security warnings to zero and protect login forms by installing Let’s Encrypt, then using Cloudflare for DNS and caching. If you want the shortest safe answer: install Let’s Encrypt, redirect HTTP to HTTPS, then add Cloudflare only if you need its extra services.

What HTTPS actually does

HTTPS protects data between a visitor’s browser and the website endpoint. It uses TLS, which is the modern version of what many people still call SSL. The certificate proves that the browser is connecting to the expected domain, and encryption prevents casual snooping or tampering while data is in transit.

This matters even for a basic brochure site. Contact forms, quote requests, newsletter signups, admin logins, cookies, and analytics identifiers can all expose data. A missing certificate also makes a site look neglected. It drives me crazy that one expired certificate can make a legitimate business look unsafe in under ten seconds.

Option 1: Let’s Encrypt

Let’s Encrypt is a nonprofit certificate authority that issues free TLS certificates. Its certificates are trusted by major browsers and are commonly used on Linux servers, hosting panels, WordPress sites, SaaS projects, and internal tools.

Let’s Encrypt certificates last 90 days, so automation is not a nice extra; it is part of the design [source: Let’s Encrypt]. Tools such as Certbot, cPanel AutoSSL, Plesk SSL It!, and many managed WordPress hosts can request and renew them without manual work.

When Let’s Encrypt is a strong fit

• You control the server or hosting account. This includes VPS, dedicated servers, cloud instances, and many shared hosts.
• You want end-to-end encryption. Traffic is encrypted from the visitor to your origin server.
• You need a clean, standard setup. It works well with Apache, Nginx, LiteSpeed, and common hosting panels.
• You care about ownership. Your HTTPS does not depend on a proxy service staying active.

Basic Let’s Encrypt setup

1. Check that your domain points to the correct server.
2. Install your host’s SSL tool, such as Certbot or AutoSSL.
3. Request a certificate for both example.com and www.example.com.
4. Force HTTPS with a 301 redirect from HTTP.
5. Fix mixed content, such as images or scripts still loaded over HTTP.
6. Test renewal before relying on it.

The annoying part is usually not getting the certificate. It is cleaning up mixed content. One old logo URL or hardcoded script can keep a browser from showing a clean lock icon.

Option 2: Cloudflare

Cloudflare is a reverse proxy, DNS provider, CDN, and security service. When enabled, visitors connect to Cloudflare first. Cloudflare then connects to your server. It can provide HTTPS at the edge, cache files, hide your origin IP in many cases, and filter some malicious traffic.

Cloudflare is often easier to start with because you change nameservers, pick an SSL mode, and let Cloudflare issue an edge certificate. For many nontechnical site owners, that feels like a win. The catch is that not every Cloudflare SSL mode gives the same protection.

Cloudflare SSL modes explained

• Off: No HTTPS through Cloudflare. Avoid this for public websites.
• Flexible: Browser to Cloudflare is encrypted, but Cloudflare to your server is plain HTTP. This can hide the problem from users, but it is not true end-to-end HTTPS.
• Full: Browser to Cloudflare is encrypted, and Cloudflare to your server is encrypted. Cloudflare does not strictly verify that the origin certificate is valid.
• Full (strict): Browser to Cloudflare is encrypted, and Cloudflare verifies a valid certificate on your origin. This is the mode to use.

If you use Cloudflare, aim for Full (strict). You can use a Let’s Encrypt certificate on your server, or a Cloudflare Origin Certificate. Let’s Encrypt is trusted publicly by browsers. Cloudflare Origin Certificates are trusted by Cloudflare, but not by browsers if someone connects straight to the origin server.

Let’s Encrypt vs Cloudflare: the practical difference

The biggest difference is where the trust sits. Let’s Encrypt secures your origin server directly. Cloudflare secures the visitor-facing connection and can also secure the origin connection if configured correctly.

Recommended setup for a serious website

For a business website, membership site, ecommerce store, or login-based app, use this structure:

1. Install Let’s Encrypt on the origin server.
2. Enable automatic renewal. Confirm it works before the first expiry date.
3. Set Cloudflare SSL/TLS mode to Full (strict).
4. Turn on Always Use HTTPS or configure redirects at the server level.
5. Enable HSTS only after testing. A bad HSTS setup can lock users out of the HTTP version for a long time.
6. Scan for mixed content. Update old HTTP links in themes, templates, databases, and CDN paths.

This setup gives you clean browser trust, encrypted origin traffic, faster delivery through Cloudflare, and fewer weak spots. It is also portable. If you later leave Cloudflare, your server still has a valid certificate.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using Cloudflare Flexible mode on a login site. It may show HTTPS in the browser, but origin traffic is not encrypted.
• Forgetting the www version. Secure both root and www hostnames, even if one redirects.
• Ignoring renewal emails. A certificate outage can block sales, forms, and admin access.
• Leaving HTTP assets in the page. Mixed content weakens trust and can break scripts.
• Skipping redirect tests. Check HTTP, HTTPS, www, and non-www versions.

Which one should you choose?

Choose Let’s Encrypt alone if you want direct HTTPS and your host already provides reliable certificate automation. This is enough for many small websites.

Choose Cloudflare plus Let’s Encrypt if you want better DNS tools, basic DDoS protection, caching, and a proxy layer. This is often the best balance for business sites. Just do not stop at Cloudflare Flexible mode.

Choose Cloudflare Origin Certificate only if your traffic will always pass through Cloudflare. It can work well, but it ties the origin certificate to that model.

Bottom line: HTTPS should protect the whole route, not just create a lock icon. Let’s Encrypt handles the certificate at your server. Cloudflare adds useful protection and performance when configured with care. Together, with Full (strict) enabled, they make a solid and low-cost setup for securing website connections.