# How to install discourse without ssl?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817
**Category:** Self-hosting
**Created:** [February 17, 2020, 5:54pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817 "2020-02-17T17:54:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@eextra](https://meta.discourse.org/u/eextra)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2020, 5:54pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/1 "2020-02-17T17:54:54Z")
Is it possible to install without https and then implement your own ssl from hosting ?
---
### Author:  [@Falco](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Falco)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2020, 5:58pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/2 "2020-02-17T17:58:42Z")
Yes, but that requires not using the `./discourse-setup` script and editing your app.yml manually. It is not a recommended setup unless you are familiar and willing to tweak the setup.
---
### Author:  [@eextra](https://meta.discourse.org/u/eextra)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2020, 6:00pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/3 "2020-02-17T18:00:11Z")
Can I edit the file and use the / launcher rebuild ?
---
### Author:  [@Stephen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2020, 6:02pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/4 "2020-02-17T18:02:34Z")
Could you explain why the free integrated SSL isn’t an option for you?
---
### Author:  [@eextra](https://meta.discourse.org/u/eextra)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2020, 6:06pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/5 "2020-02-17T18:06:28Z")
I have a problem with cdn configuration (e.g. forum loads without style the same as with javascript disabled) and I prefer to integrate my own ssl for this purpose. For a long time I’m wondering how to install a forum without https first?
---
### Author:  [@Stephen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2020, 6:09pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/6 "2020-02-17T18:09:26Z")
And you’re blaming the built-in SSL encapsulation for that?
It has nothing to do with the certificate.
> **[Home - The XY Problem](https://xyproblem.info/)**
---
### Author:  [@eextra](https://meta.discourse.org/u/eextra)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/7 "2020-02-17T18:13:14Z")
I’m supposed to solve problems in the dark? Forgive me but I’m just learning and it’s hard to learn without making mistakes. I ask questions that are only answered by a question.
---
### Author:  [@Stephen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2020, 6:15pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/8 "2020-02-17T18:15:55Z")
No, you’re supposed to ask for help by outlining the problem. It’s much more effective than asking vague questions about guesstimate solutions.
If you want to share more info we can get to the bottom of this relatively quickly.
---
### Author:  [@eextra](https://meta.discourse.org/u/eextra)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2020, 6:20pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/9 "2020-02-17T18:20:42Z")
Trying to set up cdn via cloudfront.
and unfortunately, the page only displays well when it sets the Origin Protocol Policy to HTTP Only . When I enter [sitenumbers.cloudfront.net](http://sitenumbers.cloudfront.net), it displays the page in its entirety (but redirects to to main domain also as well). // _Anyway, in this case, the website is still loading even longer than without cdn, so it makes no sense at all._
When I set the cloudfront to Origin Protocol Policy : Match Viewer, the page only displays without styles, just like with javascript turned off. // _but website is loading very fast_
And I don’t know if it’s caused. That’s why I want to try the forum without ssl.
---
### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2020, 7:09pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/10 "2020-02-17T19:09:30Z")
`./discourse-setup` will serve http pages if you don’t provide an email address for let’s encrypt. No need to edit by hand.
> [@Falco](#):
>
> It is not a recommended setup unless you are familiar and willing to tweak the setup.
That is true.
If what you want is a CDN, then you should see [Enable a CDN for your Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/t/enable-a-cdn-for-your-discourse/14857). Disabling http is possible as described above but will almost certainly not solve your problem.
---
### Author:  [@eextra](https://meta.discourse.org/u/eextra)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2020, 7:14pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/11 "2020-02-17T19:14:58Z")
Thanks. I tried to edit the app.yml and use rebuild but the page didn’t turn on. So I understand that in this case you have to install the app again ?
How is that different (discourse-setup vs rebuild ) ? I understand that there are no changes on the site ?
---
### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2020, 7:20pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/12 "2020-02-17T19:20:37Z")
> [@eextra](#):
>
> I tried to edit the app.yml and use rebuild but the page didn’t turn on.
That’s because you did something wrong. It probably has to do with spaces.
If what you want is a CDN, your best bet is probably to
```plaintext
cd /var/discourse
docker stop app
docker rm app
rm containers/app.yml
./discourse-setup
```
and then follow the instructions in the link I provided earlier.
Good luck.
---
### Author:  [@eextra](https://meta.discourse.org/u/eextra)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2020, 7:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/13 "2020-02-17T19:41:37Z")
Thanks to this guide I use it but I have a problem with cloudfront - you write yourself:
> CloudFlare CDN and Discourse have not historically played well together, so we do not recommend running CloudFlare CDN at this time.
But I can see that you have the side well set on the cloudfront. So it works, right?
---
### Author:  [@eextra](https://meta.discourse.org/u/eextra)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2020, 11:15pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/14 "2020-02-17T23:15:57Z")
@pfaffman :cry: :sleepy:
---
### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2020, 11:34pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/15 "2020-02-17T23:34:22Z")
Use whatever CDN you want. Even cloudflare will work fine if you configure it as a CDN and not blindly put it in front of the whole site.
---
### Author:  [@Falco](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Falco)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2020, 4:22pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/16 "2020-02-18T16:22:49Z")
8 posts were split to a new topic: [Discourse setup script hostname validation for Let’s Encrypt](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-setup-script-hostname-validation-for-lets-encrypt/141911)
---
### Author:  [@eextra](https://meta.discourse.org/u/eextra)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2020, 11:43am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/24 "2020-02-18T11:43:25Z")
Then how am I gonna install ( force working installations) without https and only with http ?
---
### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2020, 1:24pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/25 "2020-02-18T13:24:02Z")
You’ll need to comment out the two lines near the top that turn on let’s encrypt and ssl
These two:
```plaintext
#- "templates/web.ssl.template.yml"
#- "templates/web.letsencrypt.ssl.template.yml"
```
But again, I don’t think that doing that will solve anything.
---
### Author:  [@eextra](https://meta.discourse.org/u/eextra)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-discourse-without-ssl/141817/26 "2020-02-18T19:17:35Z")
Well, it’s not that simple. Can you tell me how your forums configured cdn with cloudfront ?