What is Certificate Services?

Certificate Services (also known as Active Directory Certificate Services or AD CS) is a Windows Server role that allows you to build a public key infrastructure (PKI) and provide public key cryptography, digital certificates, and signing capabilities to your organization. It is commonly used to issue certificates for various purposes, including user and computer authentication, secure email (S/MIME), secure web browsing (SSL/TLS), code signing, document signing, and VPN connections. It enables secure communication and trust within a network and over the internet.