Utilities Windows
simple-acme
Request and automatically renew ACME certificates for IIS and other server applications with simple-acme, a free, open-source Windows command-line client.
- Operating system
- Publisher lists Windows 2012 and later
- Architecture
- x64 (selected package); separate x86 and ARM64 releases
- Download package
- ZIP archive, trimmed build
Common IIS, renewal-task and internal-validation operations require administrator privileges. Optional external plugins require a pluggable build instead. The publisher's broad Windows support statement is not an independently tested compatibility matrix.
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What is simple-acme?
simple-acme helps Windows server administrators obtain and renew SSL/TLS certificates from Let's Encrypt and other ACME providers. Its text menu offers a default route for IIS certificates, while full-options and unattended command-line modes handle more customized deployments. Certificates can be stored in the Windows certificate store or exported in formats such as PEM and PFX. The publisher describes it as a backwards-compatible replacement for win-acme built by the same developer.
The linked download is the Windows x64 trimmed ZIP for version 2.4.1.2444. Extract it to a dedicated folder and start wacs.exe; the publisher recommends running as administrator for common tasks such as creating the renewal scheduled task, managing IIS bindings and handling validation requests internally. Manual updates overwrite the program files in the existing folder while preserving settings and renewals. These are documented instructions, not results of a local installation test.
Choose the package around the plugins your deployment needs. The trimmed build includes built-in functionality but cannot load separately distributed optional plugins; those require the separate pluggable build. This matters for workflows that depend on an extra DNS, storage or validation plugin. The screenshot is the publisher's older 2.3.0.0 console example, not a capture of the linked release.
What it offers
- Use a text menu to request Let's Encrypt certificates for IIS, or choose full-options mode for customized certificate workflows.
- Create a Windows scheduled task for automatic certificate renewal.
- Run unattended certificate workflows from the command line.
- Store certificates in the Windows certificate store or export PEM and PFX/PKCS12 files.
- Use ACMEv2 with Let's Encrypt and other compatible public or private certificate authorities.
Good to know
- The selected trimmed package cannot load separately distributed optional plugins; use a pluggable release when one is required.
- Common operations, including renewal-task setup and IIS binding management, require an administrator context.
Product images
Sources
References used for this listing. Retrieval dates do not indicate hands-on testing.
- simple-acme — official features and compatibility ↗Retrieved
- simple-acme — Installation ↗Retrieved
- simple-acme — Plugins and pluggable versus trimmed releases ↗Retrieved
- simple-acme/simple-acme — official repository and license ↗Retrieved
- Release v2.4.1 — simple-acme/simple-acme ↗Retrieved
- simple-acme v2.4.1 — official release asset list ↗Retrieved
- simple-acme - Download — protected passive browser observation ↗Retrieved
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