# Let's Encrypt™ + JavaScript = [ACME.js](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme.js)
| Built by [Root](https://therootcompany.com) for [Hub](https://rootprojects.org/hub)
## Automated Certificate Management Environment
ACME ([RFC 8555](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8555)) is the protocol that powers **Let's Encrypt**.
ACME.js is a _low-level_ client that speaks RFC 8555 to get Free SSL certificates through Let's Encrypt.
Looking for an **easy**, _high-level_ client? Check out [Greenlock.js](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/greenlock.js).
# Quick Start
```js
var acme = ACME.create({ maintainerEmail, packageAgent, notify });
await acme.init(directoryUrl);
// Create Let's Encrypt Account
var accountOptions = { subscriberEmail, agreeToTerms, accountKey };
var account = await acme.accounts.create(accountOptions);
// Validate Domains
var certificateOptions = { account, accountKey, csr, domains, challenges };
var pems = await acme.certificates.create(certificateOptions);
// Get SSL Certificate
var fullchain = pems.cert + '\n' + pems.chain + '\n';
await fs.promises.writeFile('fullchain.pem', fullchain, 'ascii');
```
# Online Demo
See https://greenlock.domains
# Features
| 15k gzipped | 55k minified | 88k (2,500 loc) source with comments |
Supports the latest (Nov 2019) release of Let's Encrypt in a small, lightweight, Vanilla JS package.
- [x] Let's Encrypt v2
- [x] ACME RFC 8555
- [x] November 2019
- [x] POST-as-GET
- [ ] StartTLS Everywhere™ (in-progress)
- [x] IDN (i.e. `.中国`)
- [x] ECDSA and RSA keypairs
- [x] JWK
- [x] PEM
- [x] DER
- [x] Native Crypto in Node.js
- [x] WebCrypto in Browsers
- [x] Domain Validation Plugins
- [x] tls-alpn-01
- [x] http-01
- [x] dns-01
- [x] **Wildcards**
- [x] **Localhost**
- [x] Private Networks
- [x] [Create your own](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme-challenge-test.js)
- [x] Vanilla JS\*
- [x] No Transpiling Necessary!
- [x] Node.js
- [x] Browsers
- [x] WebPack
- [x] Zero External Dependencies
- [x] Commercial Support
- [x] Safe, Efficient, Maintained
\* Although we use `async/await` in the examples,
the codebase is written entirely in Common JS.
# Use Cases
- Home Servers
- IoT
- Enterprise On-Prem
- Web Hosting
- Cloud Services
- Localhost Development
# API
The public API encapsulates the three high-level steps of the ACME protocol:
1. API Discovery
2. Account Creation
- Subscriber Agreement
3. Certificate Issuance
- Certificate Request
- Authorization Challenges
- Challenge Presentation
- Certificate Redemption
## API Overview
The core API can be show in just four functions:
```js
ACME.create({ maintainerEmail, packageAgent, notify });
acme.init(directoryUrl);
acme.accounts.create({ subscriberEmail, agreeToTerms, accountKey });
acme.certificates.create({
customerEmail, // do not use
account,
accountKey,
csr,
domains,
challenges
});
```
Helper Functions
```js
ACME.computeChallenge({
accountKey,
hostname: 'example.com',
challenge: { type: 'dns-01', token: 'xxxx' }
});
```
| Parameter | Description |
| ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| account | an object containing the Let's Encrypt Account ID as "kid" (misnomer, not actually a key id/thumbprint) |
| accountKey | an RSA or EC public/private keypair in JWK format |
| agreeToTerms | set to `true` to agree to the Let's Encrypt Subscriber Agreement |
| challenges | the 'http-01', 'alpn-01', and/or 'dns-01' challenge plugins (`get`, `set`, and `remove` callbacks) to use |
| csr | a Certificate Signing Request (CSR), which may be generated with `@root/csr`, openssl, or another |
| customerEmail | Don't use this. Given as an example to differentiate between Maintainer, Subscriber, and End-User |
| directoryUrl | should be the Let's Encrypt Directory URL
`https://acme-staging-v02.api.letsencrypt.org/directory` |
| domains | the list of altnames (subject first) that are listed in the CSR and will be listed on the certificate |
| maintainerEmail | should be a contact for the author of the code to receive critical bug and security notices |
| notify | all callback for logging events and errors in the form `function (ev, args) { ... }` |
| packageAgent | should be an RFC72321-style user-agent string to append to the ACME client (ex: mypackage/v1.1.1) |
| skipChallengeTest | do not do a self-check that the ACME-issued challenges will pass (not recommended) |
| skipDryRun: false | do not do a self-check with self-issued challenges (not recommended) |
| subscriberEmail | should be a contact for the service provider to receive renewal failure notices and manage the ACME account |
**Maintainer vs Subscriber vs Customer**
- `maintainerEmail` should be the email address of the **author of the code**.
This person will receive critical security and API change notifications.
- `subscriberEmail` should be the email of the **admin of the hosting service**.
This person agrees to the Let's Encrypt Terms of Service and will be notified
when a certificate fails to renew.
- `customerEmail` should be the email of individual who owns the domain.
This is optional (not currently implemented).
Generally speaking **YOU** are the _maintainer_ and you **or your employer** is the _subscriber_.
If you (or your employer) is running any type of service
you **SHOULD NOT** pass the _customer_ email as the subscriber email.
If you are not running a service (you may be building a CLI, for example),
then you should prompt the user for their email address, and they are the subscriber.
## Events
These `notify` events are intended for _logging_ and debugging, NOT as a data API.
| Event Name | Example Message |
| -------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `certificate_order` | `{ subject: 'example.com', altnames: ['...'], account: { key: { kid: '...' } } }` |
| `challenge_select` | `{ altname: '*.example.com', type: 'dns-01' }` |
| `challenge_status` | `{ altname: '*.example.com', type: 'dns-01', status: 'pending' }` |
| `challenge_remove` | `{ altname: '*.example.com', type: 'dns-01' }` |
| `certificate_status` | `{ subject: 'example.com', status: 'valid' }` |
| `warning` | `{ message: 'what went wrong', description: 'what action to take about it' }` |
| `error` | `{ message: 'a background process failed, and it may have side-effects' }` |
Note: DO NOT rely on **undocumented properties**. They are experimental and **will break**.
If you have a use case for a particular property **open an issue** - we can lock it down and document it.
# Example (Full Walkthrough)
### See [examples/README.md](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme.js/src/branch/master/examples/README.md)
A basic example includes the following:
1. Initialization
- maintainer contact
- package user-agent
- log events
2. Discover API
- retrieves Terms of Service and API endpoints
3. Get Subscriber Account
- create an ECDSA (or RSA) Account key in JWK format
- agree to terms
- register account by the key
4. Prepare a Certificate Signing Request
- create a RSA (or ECDSA) Server key in PEM format
- select domains
- choose challenges
- sign CSR
- order certificate
[examples/README.md](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme.js/src/branch/master/examples/README.md)
covers all of these steps, with comments.
# Install
To make it easy to generate, encode, and decode keys and certificates,
ACME.js uses [Keypairs.js](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/keypairs.js)
and [CSR.js](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/csr.js)
Node.js
```js
npm install --save @root/acme
```
```js
var ACME = require('@root/acme');
```
WebPack
```html
```
(necessary in case the webserver headers don't specify `plain/text; charset="UTF-8"`)
```js
var ACME = require('@root/acme');
```
Vanilla JS
```html
```
(necessary in case the webserver headers don't specify `plain/text; charset="UTF-8"`)
```html
```
`acme.min.js`
```html
```
Use
```js
var ACME = window['@root/acme'];
```
# Challenge Callbacks
The challenge callbacks are documented in the [test suite](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme-dns-01-test.js),
essentially:
```js
function create(options) {
var plugin = {
init: async function(deps) {
// for http requests
plugin.request = deps.request;
},
zones: async function(args) {
// list zones relevant to the altnames
},
set: async function(args) {
// set TXT record
},
get: async function(args) {
// get TXT records
},
remove: async function(args) {
// remove TXT record
},
// how long to wait after *all* TXT records are set
// before presenting them for validation
propagationDelay: 5000
};
return plugin;
}
```
The `http-01` plugin is similar, but without `zones` or `propagationDelay`.
Many challenge plugins are already available for popular platforms.
Search `acme-http-01-` or `acme-dns-01-` on npm to find more.
| Type | Service | Plugin |
| ----------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ |
| dns-01 | CloudFlare | acme-dns-01-cloudflare |
| dns-01 | [Digital Ocean](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme-dns-01-digitalocean.js) | acme-dns-01-digitalocean |
| dns-01 | [DNSimple](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme-dns-01-dnsimple.js) | acme-dns-01-dnsimple |
| dns-01 | [DuckDNS](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme-dns-01-duckdns.js) | acme-dns-01-duckdns |
| http-01 | File System / [Web Root](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme-http-01-webroot.js) | acme-http-01-webroot |
| dns-01 | [GoDaddy](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme-dns-01-godaddy.js) | acme-dns-01-godaddy |
| dns-01 | [Gandi](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme-dns-01-gandi.js) | acme-dns-01-gandi |
| dns-01 | [NameCheap](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme-dns-01-namecheap.js) | acme-dns-01-namecheap |
| dns-01 | [Name.com](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme-dns-01-namedotcom.js) | acme-dns-01-namedotcom |
| dns-01 | Route53 (AWS) | acme-dns-01-route53 |
| http-01 | S3 (AWS, Digital Ocean, Scaleway) | acme-http-01-s3 |
| dns-01 | [Vultr](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme-dns-01-vultr.js) | acme-dns-01-vultr |
| dns-01 | [Build your own](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme-dns-01-test.js) | acme-dns-01-test |
| http-01 | [Build your own](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme-http-01-test.js) | acme-http-01-test |
| tls-alpn-01 | [Contact us](mailto:support@therootcompany.com) | - |
# Running the Tests
```bash
npm test
```
## Usa a dns-01 challenge
Although you can run the tests from a public facing server, its easiest to do so using a dns-01 challenge.
You will need to use one of the [`acme-dns-01-*` plugins](https://www.npmjs.com/search?q=acme-dns-01-)
to run the test locally.
```bash
ENV=DEV
MAINTAINER_EMAIL=letsencrypt+staging@example.com
SUBSCRIBER_EMAIL=letsencrypt+staging@example.com
BASE_DOMAIN=test.example.com
CHALLENGE_TYPE=dns-01
CHALLENGE_PLUGIN=acme-dns-01-digitalocean
CHALLENGE_OPTIONS='{"token":"xxxxxxxxxxxx"}'
```
### For Example
```bash
# Get the repo and change directories into it
git clone https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme.js
pushd acme.js/
# Install the challenge plugin you'll use for the tests
npm install --save-dev acme-dns-01-digitalocean
```
## Create a `.env` config
You'll need a `.env` in the project root that looks something like the one in `examples/example.env`:
```bash
# Copy the sample .env file
rsync -av examples/example.env .env
# Edit the config file to use a domain in your account, and your API token
#vim .env
code .env
# Run the tests
node tests/index.js
```
# Developing
Join `@rootprojects` `#general` on [Keybase](https://keybase.io) if you'd like to chat with us.
# Contributions
Did this project save you some time? Maybe make your day? Even save the day?
Please say "thanks" via Paypal or Patreon:
- Paypal: [\$5](https://paypal.me/rootprojects/5) | [\$10](https://paypal.me/rootprojects/10) | Any amount:
- Patreon:
Where does your contribution go?
[Root](https://therootcompany.com) is a collection of experts
who trust each other and enjoy working together on deep-tech,
Indie Web projects.
Our goal is to operate as a sustainable community.
Your contributions - both in code and _especially_ financially -
help to not just this project, but also our broader work
of [projects](https://rootprojects.org) that fuel the **Indie Web**.
Also, we chat on [Keybase](https://keybase.io)
in [#rootprojects](https://keybase.io/team/rootprojects)
# Commercial Support
Do you need...
- more features?
- bugfixes, on _your_ timeline?
- custom code, built by experts?
- commercial support and licensing?
You're welcome to [contact us](mailto:aj@therootcompany.com) in regards to IoT, On-Prem,
Enterprise, and Internal installations, integrations, and deployments.
We have both commercial support and commercial licensing available.
We also offer consulting for all-things-ACME and Let's Encrypt.
# Legal & Rules of the Road
ACME.js™ is a [trademark](https://rootprojects.org/legal/#trademark) of AJ ONeal
The rule of thumb is "attribute, but don't confuse". For example:
> Built with [ACME.js](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme.js) (a [Root](https://rootprojects.org) project).
Please [contact us](mailto:aj@therootcompany.com) if have any questions in regards to our trademark,
attribution, and/or visible source policies. We want to build great software and a great community.
[ACME.js](https://git.rootprojects.org/root/acme.js) |
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