# Step Certificates

Step Certificates is a self-hosted security app. An online certificate authority and related tools for secure automated certificate management, so you can use TLS everywhere. It is open source and self-hosted, installable on Kubernetes (Helm).

Canonical page: https://ourlocalhost.com/app/7262/step-certificates

## Description

An online certificate authority and related tools for secure automated certificate management, so you can use TLS everywhere.

## Platform availability

Available on 1 of 9 platforms: Helm.

## Links

- Kubernetes (Helm): https://artifacthub.io/packages/helm/smallstep/step-certificates
- GitHub: https://github.com/smallstep/certificates

## Common questions

### Can I use a Yubikey with step-ca for a homelab certificate authority?

Yes, step-ca can be used as a homelab CA with ACME support and can be set up with a Yubikey.

### Can step-ca issue SSH certificates instead of managing authorized_keys files?

Yes, it can delegate SSH authentication by issuing SSH certificates instead of public keys and authorized_keys entries. It can also connect SSH user certificates to an OAuth/OIDC provider for short-lived certificates and MFA.

### Is step-ca a simple option for setting up a home-lab CA?

It is described as a simple self-hosted CA option because much of the certificate management is handled by the tool.

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Source: Our Local Host (https://ourlocalhost.com/app/7262/step-certificates), the self-hosted and open-source app directory.
