Let’s Encrypt issues certificates through an automated API based on the ACME protocol. In order to interact with the Let’s Encrypt API and get a certificate, a piece of software called an “ACME client” is required. No part of the process for getting a certificate happens on this website, which is merely informational. The first question to answer for people who want to get started with Let’s Encrypt is: will my hosting provider get and manage certificates from Let’s Encrypt for me, or do I need to run an ACME client myself?