Set up mkcert HTTPS on your PHP web server running on WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)

To set up mkcert HTTPS on your PHP web server running on WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), follow these steps:

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Install mkcert on WSL

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y libnss3-tools
curl -JLO "https://dl.filippo.io/mkcert/latest?for=linux/amd64"
chmod +x mkcert
sudo mv mkcert /usr/local/bin/

Verify installation:

mkcert --version

2. Install Local Certificate Authority (CA)

Run:

mkcert -install

This will install a local CA in your system.

3. Generate SSL Certificates for Your Local Domain

mkcert localhost 127.0.0.1 ::1

This will create:

• localhost.pem (certificate)

• localhost-key.pem (private key)

4. Configure PHP’s Built-in Server to Use HTTPS

If using PHP’s built-in server, start it with:

php -S localhost:443 -t /path/to/your/project --cert=localhost.pem --key=localhost-key.pem

5. Configure Apache or Nginx

If using Apache, modify /etc/apache2/sites-available/default-ssl.conf:

<VirtualHost *:443>
    ServerAdmin webmaster@localhost
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html
    ServerName localhost

    SSLEngine on
    SSLCertificateFile /path/to/localhost.pem
    SSLCertificateKeyFile /path/to/localhost-key.pem

    <Directory /var/www/html>
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Enable SSL:

sudo a2enmod ssl
sudo a2ensite default-ssl
sudo systemctl restart apache2

6. Add Certificate to Windows Trust Store

To avoid browser warnings, copy the generated certificate to Windows and import it:

mkcert -install
cp "$(mkcert -CAROOT)/rootCA.pem" /mnt/c/Users/YOUR_WINDOWS_USERNAME/Documents/

Then, double-click rootCA.pem in Windows and install it as a Trusted Root Certificate.

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🔥 Done! Open your PHP site with https://localhost on WSL. 🚀

Would you like help debugging any issues? 😊