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What Is The Process For Moving An Existing Application To HTTPS?

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    What Is The Process For Moving An Existing Application To HTTPS?

    I have been running my current application forever using HTTP on port 80.
    I am wondering what I need to do to move it to an encrypted application?

    Is it a simple matter of enabling SSL and moving it to port 443? Or is there more to it than that? Also, I'm currently running the IIS plugin on Alpha Server if that makes a difference.

    Thanks,
    Stephen
    Alpha Anywhere v12.4.6.5.2 Build 8867-5691 IIS v10.0 on Windows Server 2019 Std in Hyper-V

    #2
    Re: What Is The Process For Moving An Existing Application To HTTPS?

    Moving to HTTPS can be as simple as enabling SSL and changing the port. That will begin to provide HTTPS service for you right away.

    However you may also want to continue minimal HTTP service on port 80 to redirect visitors that omit the https:// when typing your URL, have old bookmarks, etc. With the Classic Application Server, you would need an additional instance running on port 80 to do this. With IIS, you can configure it to listen on both ports, and use URL Rewriting to redirect all HTTP requests to HTTPS. IIS is much easier in this regard.

    Also, once you have HTTPS up and running, you may want to consider enabling HTTP Strict Transport Security, which tells browsers that they should use HTTPS exclusively when accessing your site. In the Classic Application Server, this is just a checkbox on the SSL tab of the server settings. In IIS, you'll need to use IIS Manager to add a custom response header.
    Last edited by Lenny Forziati; 02-01-2017, 01:00 PM.

    Lenny Forziati
    Vice President, Internet Products and Technical Services
    Alpha Software Corporation

    Comment


      #3
      Re: What Is The Process For Moving An Existing Application To HTTPS?

      Awesome! Thank you Lenny.
      Alpha Anywhere v12.4.6.5.2 Build 8867-5691 IIS v10.0 on Windows Server 2019 Std in Hyper-V

      Comment


        #4
        Re: What Is The Process For Moving An Existing Application To HTTPS?

        Hi Lenny

        A quick question on certificate signing requests. I'm moving a server and we have to generate a new csr. But when I try to generate the request is wants to write the file to C:\ the server root. This is locked down for security reasons. How can I change where it writes the CSR?

        Thanks,
        tom

        Comment


          #5
          Re: What Is The Process For Moving An Existing Application To HTTPS?

          Originally posted by Tbrondolo View Post
          Hi Lenny

          A quick question on certificate signing requests. I'm moving a server and we have to generate a new csr. But when I try to generate the request is wants to write the file to C:\ the server root. This is locked down for security reasons. How can I change where it writes the CSR?

          Thanks,
          tom
          The CSR will be written to the current working directory for Alpha. You can change the current directory in Xbasic with dir_put()

          Lenny Forziati
          Vice President, Internet Products and Technical Services
          Alpha Software Corporation

          Comment


            #6
            Re: What Is The Process For Moving An Existing Application To HTTPS?

            Hi Lenny

            The error I'm getting is on opening the private key file when creating the csr. I know this is usually a UAC issue but I have now tried about everything to get this to work. I'm using the latest version of Alpha and I have admin privileges on the server.

            Any ideas would be helpful

            Thanks,
            tom

            Comment


              #7
              Re: What Is The Process For Moving An Existing Application To HTTPS?

              Ok The issue was having to run the Alpha server instance "As Administrator".

              This was on a Windows 2012 server.

              Having logged in as and Admin was not enough.

              Once run as Admin the private key file was able to be saved.

              Comment


                #8
                Re: What Is The Process For Moving An Existing Application To HTTPS?

                Hi Lenny,
                We have enabled an SSL cert and it works fine when including the https but not without the s. We have enabled the HTTP Strict Transport Security but to no avail. I note you mention "With the Classic Application Server, you would need an additional instance running on port 80 to do this". Can you please advise as to how we do this, i.e. we do want to listen on both ports.
                Kind regards,
                Larry

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: What Is The Process For Moving An Existing Application To HTTPS?

                  I have now realized that I can open another instance of the WAS and have set it to Port 80 with SSL disabled. Problem is, people Googling my website will be directed to the unsecured site. I really need both instances to point to the Port 443 site with the SSL

                  Does Alpha have a problem here?

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: What Is The Process For Moving An Existing Application To HTTPS?

                    Larry,

                    On the "goto" page of your port 80 site (typically index.a5w) just have the page be this code only:

                    <%a5
                    response.redirect("your url goes here")
                    %>
                    Peter
                    AlphaBase Solutions, LLC

                    [email protected]
                    https://www.alphabasesolutions.com


                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: What Is The Process For Moving An Existing Application To HTTPS?

                      Hi Peter,

                      Many thanks. I have done exactly as you said, plus changed my actual index page to Index1.a5w and also changed my Port 443 goto to the new landing page - and it all appears to be OK!

                      Thanks again

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: What Is The Process For Moving An Existing Application To HTTPS?

                        To enable permanent redirect you can use the second parameter and put its value: .t.
                        This is must for a public website.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: What Is The Process For Moving An Existing Application To HTTPS?

                          The default is .t.
                          Peter
                          AlphaBase Solutions, LLC

                          [email protected]
                          https://www.alphabasesolutions.com


                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: What Is The Process For Moving An Existing Application To HTTPS?

                            The default for Response.Redirect() is .f., which generates a 302 temporary redirect.

                            Specifying .t. will generate a 301 permanent redirect.

                            For this use case, you want to tell clients and search engines to never use HTTP again and always use HTTPS, so a 301 is the correct choice.

                            Lenny Forziati
                            Vice President, Internet Products and Technical Services
                            Alpha Software Corporation

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: What Is The Process For Moving An Existing Application To HTTPS?

                              I see you're right. I was looking at the wrong thing in the docs - Context.Response.Redirect which defaults to true and returns 302.
                              Peter
                              AlphaBase Solutions, LLC

                              [email protected]
                              https://www.alphabasesolutions.com


                              Comment

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