Self-Signed SSL Certificate Setup for iOS

By default, the AliasVault iOS app only supports connecting to servers with a valid SSL certificate from a trusted external authority. If you want to use your own self-signed certificate, you must manually install and trust the certificate on your iOS device by following these steps.

Server Setup

Standard Installation

Configure your hostname and restart AliasVault:

./install.sh configure-hostname
./install.sh restart

All-in-One Docker

Update your docker-compose.yml:

environment:
  HOSTNAME: "192.168.3.2"  # Your server IP/hostname

Then restart: docker compose down && docker compose up -d

Step 1: Get the Certificate

Option A: From Browser

Open Chrome on your computer, go to your AliasVault instance (e.g., https://192.168.3.2)
Click the padlock icon → inspect certificate
Export the certificate and send it to your device (e.g. via email)

Option B: From Server

Copy from your AliasVault installation directory:

cp [aliasvault-install-dir]/certificates/ssl/cert.pem ~/aliasvault.crt

Step 2: Install Certificate Profile

Open the certificate on your iOS device
Tap “Install” in the top right corner
Enter your passcode when prompted
Tap “Install” again to confirm the warning
Tap “Done” when complete

Step 3: Enable Certificate Trust (Critical!)

Settings → General → About → Certificate Trust Settings
Find your certificate (listed by hostname like “192.168.3.2”)
Toggle the switch to ON
Tap “Continue” in the warning

Step 4: Configure AliasVault App

Open the AliasVault app
Go to Settings → Server Configuration
Enter your server URL: https://192.168.3.2/api (use your configured hostname)
Test connection - should work without SSL errors

Troubleshooting

SSL errors: Ensure you completed Step 3 (Certificate Trust) - this is the most commonly missed step

Certificate Trust Settings not visible: You must install a certificate profile first

App can’t connect: Verify the hostname in the app matches your server configuration exactly