Because web browsers are so easy to update, the root certificates are updated often so that SSL browser compatibility is rarely an issue unless your visitors like to use really old browsers.

You can usually verify a browser’s SSL compatibility by looking in the browser’s “certificate store” to find out if a particular root certificate is included in a web browser.

The major browsers include Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Netscape, and AOL. SSL Browser CompatibilityĪll commercial certificate authorities have relationships with web browser vendors so that their root certificates are embedded in their browsers. If they weren’t 99% compatible, you might as well create a self-signed certificate for free. This is what makes them worth paying for. Thankfully, virtually all commercial certificate authorities issue certificate that are compatible with 99% of all major browsers. Unfortunately (and fortunately in many ways), we live in a heterogeneous world with many different browsers. If all of your visitors use Firefox 3 then you only need to have a certificate that is signed by a root certificate in Firefox 3. SSL compatibility is determined by the number of browsers that automatically include the root certificate that your certificate links up to. SSL certificate compatibility is an important factor to consider when you are deciding on an SSL provider.

Old versions of safari ssl issue