Certbot is a free, open source software tool for automatically using Let's Encrypt certificates on manually-administrated websites to enable HTTPS.
Publisher’s description
What is Certbot?
Certbot by Electronic Frontier Foundation is open-source Windows software in the languages & sdks category. It is written in Python.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides EXE (NSIS) installers for 64-bit Windows. Installation asks for administrator rights. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches.
Updates and version history
The current version is 2.9.0, released on February 8, 2024. The version history goes back to November 7, 2019: 45 releases, all linked to the official files. That is about 11 releases a year. The last update is more than a year old.
Popularity and file types
The source code on GitHub (certbot/certbot) has 33,291 stars. Similar programs include Go Programming Language, LLVM and Deno.
Project description on GitHub: “Certbot is EFF's tool to obtain certs from Let's Encrypt and (optionally) auto-enable HTTPS on your server. It can also act as a client for any other CA that uses the ACME protocol.”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
- Frequent updates (about 11 a year)
- Large user base
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- Installation needs administrator rights
- No update for more than a year
In short: Certbot is an open-source languages & sdk tool for 64-bit PCs. It is actively maintained. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Is Certbot safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
DA2D0647A0FE6B16A8E64DA09C210FBB382AEB93908322B299393B28846A419C· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the certbot/certbot repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- Code review10
- Security policy10
- No dangerous workflows10
- Actively maintained10
- No binaries in the repository10
- Licence declared9
- Signed releases8
- Static code analysis7
- Pinned dependencies1
- Restricted token permissions0
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Fuzzing0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 45 versions ›45 versions over 4 years · about 11 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.9.0Latest | February 8, 2024 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.8.0 | December 6, 2023 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.7.4 | November 1, 2023 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.6.0 | May 9, 2023 | — | 32-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.5.0 | April 4, 2023 | — | 32-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.4.0 | March 7, 2023 | — | 32-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.3.0 | February 14, 2023 | — | 32-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.1.1 | December 15, 2022 | — | 32-bit EXE (NSIS) |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id EFF.Certbot -ecertbot-beta-installer-win_amd64_signed.exe /SRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
brew install certbotInformation
- Publisher
- Electronic Frontier Foundation
- Category
- Languages & SDKs
- Licence
- Apache v2.0 Licence
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/certbot/certbot
- Written in
- Python
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit
- Installer
- EXE (NSIS)
- Version
- 2.9.0
- Released
- February 8, 2024
- Added to the catalogue
- May 31, 2021
- Versions listed
- 45
- Updates / year
- 10.6
- GitHub stars
- 33,291
- GitHub forks
- 3,509
- Website
- certbot.eff.org
- winget ID
- EFF.Certbot
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Alternatives to Certbot
See all ›-
Go Programming Language1.27.0An open source programming language that makes it simple to build secure, scalable systems.Open source2.1M ↓ -
Open source2.8M ↓ -
Open source249.7K ↓ -
Open source3.7M ↓ -
Yarn1.22.22Yarn is a package manager that doubles down as project manager. Whether you work on one-shot projects or large monorepos, as a hobbyist or an enterprise user, we've got you covered.Open source1.9M ↓ -
Ccache4.14.1Ccache is a compiler cache. It speeds up recompilation by caching previous compilations and detecting when the same compilation is being done again.Open source2.2M ↓ -
Open source263.6K ↓ -
Open source12.5K ↓
Frequently asked questions
Is Certbot free?
Yes. Certbot is open-source software under the Apache v2.0 Licence licence.
Is Certbot safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install Certbot with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can Certbot be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does Certbot run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of Certbot?
The versions page lists all 45 versions with links to their official installer files, back to November 7, 2019.
What are alternatives to Certbot?
Go Programming Language, LLVM, Deno, CMake and Yarn. The alternatives page compares them.
