Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, and domain monitoring
Certack is proactive SSL, DNS, and domain monitoring: a lightweight way to verify SSL/TLS certificates, DNS records, and domain expiry. Set up in minutes.
Solid choice
Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, an… is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. Was last updated 4 days ago, and scores 64/100 on our health check.
- Actively developed — last update 4 days ago
- Tested with the latest WordPress (7.1)
- Small user base (<10 active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS… stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| certificate | >100 |
| dns | >100 |
| domain | >100 |
| monitoring | >100 |
| ssl | >100 |
About Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, and domain…
From the official readme · v1.0.0Description
Certack is proactive SSL, DNS, and domain monitoring: a lightweight way to verify SSL/TLS certificates, DNS records, and domain expiry. Set up in minutes.
What we monitor
- SSL/TLS — Certificate expiry, issuer, subject alternative names, chain validation, signature algorithm, and CT log monitoring for unauthorized issuance. Per-site thresholds: 60, 30, 14, 7, 1 days, or any custom lead time.
- DNS — A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, and NS record tracking. Detects record changes and DNS hijacking attempts. Diff-based change detection with full historical record state.
- Domain — Registration expiry, registrar, registrant changes, and WHOIS-based monitoring. Multi-stage expiry warnings at 90, 30, 14, 7, and 1 days before lapse.
WordPress integration
One-click SSL checks from Settings → Certack, a dashboard widget with days remaining, daily automatic checks with email warnings (opt-in), and a Gutenberg block plus [certack_checker] shortcode that sends your visitors to the checker on certack.com.
Results are cached for 12 hours and frontend checks are rate-limited, so the plugin never slows down your site. No external request happens without your explicit action or opt-in.
Why Certack
- Unauthorized-issuance detection. Certack watches Certificate Transparency logs and alerts you if a new certificate is issued for your domain that you did not request — a common early sign of a man-in-the-middle setup or a phishing campaign using your brand.
- Per-site thresholds. Alerts are pre-configured for 60, 30, 14, 7 and 1 days before expiry — adjust the thresholds per site if you like.
- Nine alert channels. Email, Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams, Telegram, DingTalk, Feishu, PagerDuty, and generic webhooks.
- Programmable. REST API with Bearer-token authentication on every plan, plus a native MCP server so AI assistants can manage monitoring directly.
- Nothing to install. No agent, no DNS changes — add a domain and checks begin within thirty seconds.
Learn more at Certack — proactive SSL, DNS, and domain monitoring. Read the API docs or start with the SSL expiry guide.
External services
This plugin connects to Certack’s SSL checking API to verify certificate details.
What the service is: Certack’s SSL checker retrieves public certificate information for a domain (issuer, expiry date, signature algorithm, SAN list) by connecting to that domain’s HTTPS endpoint. It also optionally registers a domain for continuous monitoring.
What data is sent and when:
– When you click “Check now”: the domain name is sent to https://certack.com/api/public/check-ssl. No personal data is transmitted.
– When you save an API key and click “Get email alerts”: the domain name, check types (ssl/dns/domain), and alert threshold are sent to https://api.certack.com/v1/sites. The API key authenticates the request.
– When automatic daily checks are enabled (opt-in): the domain name is sent once per day to the same SSL check endpoint.
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy:
– Terms of Service
– Privacy Policy
Installation
- Upload the
certackfolder to/wp-content/plugins/or install from Plugins → Add New. - Activate the plugin.
- Go to Settings → Certack and click “Check now”.
- (Optional) Paste a
ct_…API key from Certack to unlock DNS + domain monitoring and continuous alerts.
Frequently asked questions
How can I check a certificate’s expiry date without an account?
Use the free SSL Checker on our homepage: type any domain and you instantly see the issuer, validity dates and certificate chain — no signup required. When you also want to be notified before expiry, create a free account and add the domain to monitoring.
How do I monitor SSL certificate expiration?
Sign up for Certack — start on the free plan, no credit card needed. Add the domain or host you want to monitor. Alerts are pre-configured for 60, 30, 14, 7 and 1 days before expiry — adjust the thresholds per site if you like. Pick your notification channels: email, Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams, Telegram, DingTalk, Feishu, PagerDuty or a webhook. Done — you will receive an alert whenever any of your certificates is approaching its expiration date.
What kind of certificates and domains can I monitor?
Any SSL/TLS certificate on any public host, from any certificate authority — shared hosting, CDNs, load balancers, appliances. You can also monitor domain registration (expiry, registrar, WHOIS changes) and DNS records (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS). Nothing to install and no DNS changes required.
Which certificate details does Certack monitor?
Everything that matters for certificate health: issuer, expiry date, subject and SAN entries, signature algorithm, and the full certificate chain. Certack also watches Certificate Transparency logs and alerts you if a new certificate is issued for your domain that you did not request.
Can I monitor a site behind Cloudflare or another CDN?
Yes. Certack monitors the certificate actually served at the public endpoint your visitors see — for Cloudflare-fronted sites that is the edge certificate. If you also want to watch the origin certificate itself, add the origin hostname as a separate site.
Does the WordPress plugin work without an API key?
Yes. One-click SSL checks use Certack’s free public checker. An API key unlocks continuous monitoring, DNS and domain-expiry checks.
Will the plugin slow down my site?
No. Results are cached for 12 hours, frontend checks are rate-limited, and no external request happens without your explicit action or opt-in.
Changelog
First release — no upgrade steps needed.
1.0.0
- Initial release: one-click SSL check, dashboard widget, daily opt-in checks, Gutenberg CTA block + shortcode, optional API-key connection.
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
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FAQ
Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, and do…: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 30, 2026
Is Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, an… free?
Yes. Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, an… is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, an… safe to use in 2026?
Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, an… is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. Was last updated 4 days ago, and scores 64/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, an…?
Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, an… is active on <10 WordPress websites and has been downloaded 70 times since it launched in September 2026. It was downloaded 89 times in the last 30 days.
Does Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, an… work with WordPress 7.1?
Yes. The developer has tested Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, an… up to WordPress 7.1.2, the latest release. It requires WordPress 6.0 or newer.
What PHP version does Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, an… need?
Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, an… requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, an… last updated?
The latest version, 1.0.0, was released on September 25, 2026 (4 days ago).
Who makes Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, an…?
Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, an… is developed and maintained by nathanchz.
What are the best alternatives to Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, an…?
The most popular alternatives to Certack: Proactive SSL, DNS, an… are Certificate customizer for… (1K+ installs), Certificate Verification (1K+ installs) and ValidateCertify Free (900+ installs).
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