Monitor SSL for clients (without another dashboard)
If you maintain a handful of client sites, certificate renewals often live in one person’s head — until vacation, a job change, or a “set and forget” Let’s Encrypt box goes quiet.
What clients actually need
They do not need your Prometheus stack. They need someone to notice before the browser warning. A daily probe plus email at 30 / 14 / 7 / 1 days left is enough for most brochure and Shopify-adjacent sites.
A freelancer-sized workflow
- List every production hostname you are on the hook for (apex + www if both serve traffic).
- Run a free check when you take the retainer so you know the current days-left.
- Put those hosts on a watchlist under your studio email — not the client’s spam folder.
- When an alert lands, renew in their panel and reply with a calm “handled.”
Free vs Pro for agency books
Free covers three hosts — enough for your own site plus a couple of clients. Pro (25 hosts, $9/mo) is for retainers with a longer list.
Related: SSL expired — what to do · Domain vs SSL expiry
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