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Learn how to check your SSL certificate chain using DigiCert, SSL Labs, and OpenSSL. Find and fix certificate chain errors before they affect visitors.
Reading Time: 6–7 minutes
A complete SSL certificate chain is essential for establishing trust between your website and your visitors.
Even if your SSL certificate is valid, a missing or incorrectly configured Intermediate Certificate can cause browsers to display security warnings or fail to establish a secure HTTPS connection.
Fortunately, checking your certificate chain only takes a few minutes using free online tools or command-line utilities.
A broken or incomplete certificate chain can lead to:
Browser security warnings
"Your connection is not private" messages
SSL handshake failures
Reduced visitor trust
Failed SSL scans
Compatibility issues with older devices and browsers
Checking your certificate chain helps ensure visitors can securely access your website without errors
One of the easiest ways to verify your certificate chain is by using the DigiCert SSL Checker.
Simply:
Visit the SSL Checker.
Enter your domain name.
Start the scan.
Review the results.
The tool verifies:
SSL certificate validity
Intermediate Certificates
Root Certificate trust
Certificate expiration
Common installation issues
This is often the quickest way to identify missing certificates.
Another trusted option is Qualys SSL Labs SSL Test.
It performs a comprehensive analysis of your HTTPS configuration, including:
Certificate chain validation
Supported TLS versions
Cipher suites
HTTPS security score
Server configuration
This is widely regarded as one of the industry's most detailed SSL testing tools.
If you have server access, OpenSSL allows you to inspect the certificate chain directly.
Example:
openssl s_client -connect yourdomain.com:443 -showcerts
This command displays:
Server certificate
Intermediate Certificates
Certificate hierarchy
Verification results
It's especially useful for troubleshooting server-side SSL issues.
A correctly configured certificate chain follows this structure:
Website SSL Certificate
Your web server normally sends:
Website SSL Certificate
Intermediate Certificate(s)
Your visitor's browser already contains the trusted Root Certificate.
The most common issue.
Your SSL certificate is installed correctly, but the required Intermediate Certificate is missing.
Result:
Browser warnings
Trust failures
Incomplete chain errors
Certificates must be presented in the correct sequence.
If they are installed out of order, browsers may fail to validate the chain.
An expired Intermediate Certificate can invalidate an otherwise valid SSL certificate.
Installing the wrong Intermediate Certificate can also break browser trust.
Most certificate chain problems are solved by:
Installing the correct Intermediate Certificate
Verifying the installation order
Updating expired certificates
Restarting the web server after installation
Testing again using an SSL checker
If you're unsure, your Certificate Authority will usually provide the correct Intermediate Certificate bundle.
Whenever you:
Install a new SSL certificate
Renew an SSL certificate
Change servers
Update your web server configuration
It's also good practice to run periodic SSL health checks.
No.
Browsers can only validate the certificates presented by your server.
If the chain is incomplete, the server must be corrected.
Yes.
Modern HTTPS relies on a complete chain of trust that links your website certificate back to a trusted Root Certificate.
