How to Disable Automatic SSL Renewal on CyberPanel

Keeping your website secure is a must and SSL certificates play a big part in protecting your visitors by encrypting their data. CyberPanel makes this simple by offering free SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt and renewing them automatically.

However, in certain cases, you might want to disable this automatic renewal and take manual control. Whether you’re using custom SSL certificates or just want more flexibility, this guide will show you how to do it safely and effectively.

What Is CyberPanel?

CyberPanel is a modern web hosting control panel powered by OpenLiteSpeed. It offers a user-friendly interface and powerful features, including free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates, automatic backups, and support for email, FTP, and databases all designed to simplify server management.

What Is SSL?

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encrypts the connection between a website and its visitors, keeping data safe from hackers and snoopers. It also builds trust websites with SSL show a padlock icon in the browser address bar.

CyberPanel uses Let’s Encrypt to automatically issue and renew SSL certificates, so your site stays secure with minimal effort.

How Does CyberPanel Handle SSL Renewal?

By default, CyberPanel uses system cronjobs to check and renew SSL certificates automatically. This ensures that your certificates never expire, keeping your site secure without manual intervention.

Here are two key cronjobs responsible for renewal:

0 2 * * * /usr/local/CyberCP/bin/python /usr/local/CyberCP/plogical/renew.py >/dev/null 2>&1

7 0 * * * "/root/.acme.sh"/acme.sh --cron --home "/root/.acme.sh" > /dev/null

Why Disable Automatic SSL Renewal?

While automatic renewal is convenient, there are scenarios where manual control is preferred:

• Custom Certificates: If you use SSL from another provider (not Let’s Encrypt), automatic renewal will overwrite your custom certificate.
• Manual Management: You may prefer renewing certificates yourself to align with certain business or security policies.
• Switching Providers: If you’re planning to move to a different SSL provider, stopping auto-renewal ensures the transition goes smoothly.

How to Disable Automatic SSL Renewal in CyberPanel (Step-by-Step)

Disabling automatic renewal involves removing the cronjobs that trigger SSL certificate updates.

Step 1: Locate Cronjob Files

Open your server terminal and check the following paths for cronjob scripts:

• /etc/crontab
• /etc/cron.d/
• /var/spool/cron/crontabs/ (user-specific)

Step 2: Identify SSL Renewal Cronjobs

Look for these two lines:

0 2 * * * /usr/local/CyberCP/bin/python /usr/local/CyberCP/plogical/renew.py >/dev/null 2>&1

7 0 * * * "/root/.acme.sh"/acme.sh --cron --home "/root/.acme.sh" > /dev/null

Step 3: Use Command Line to Remove Cronjobs

Here’s a quick and safe way to remove these cronjobs:

1. Open the crontab editor:

   crontab -e

2. Delete the SSL renewal lines mentioned above.
3. Save and exit the editor.

Or, if you’re editing root cronjobs directly, use:

nano /etc/crontab

Then locate and remove the same lines manually.

Carefully delete the lines above from the cronjob files. You can use the crontab -e command or a file editor like nano to make these changes.

FAQs

Conclusion

In this blog, we explored:

• What CyberPanel and SSL certificates are
• How CyberPanel handles automatic SSL renewal
• Scenarios where manual SSL management is preferred
• A full guide to disabling automatic renewal safely
• Useful FAQs to clear common doubts

Disabling automatic SSL renewal gives you full control over your security setup. If you’re using custom certificates or want to manage everything manually, this guide helps you make that switch with confidence. Got any questions or stuck somewhere? Leave a comment below and I’ll help you out!