Automatic renewal of Authentication and Signature Certificates will be introduced in the Suomi.fi Data Exchange Layer
Published 16/6/2025
- The Automated Certificate Management Environment (ACME) feature will be introduced in the Suomi.fi Data Exchange Layer.
- With ACME, certificate updates will take place automatically with no manual work.
- ACME will become available in early 2026.
- Access to ACME will require Security Server version 7.5.1 or later.
- From March 2026, server-specific Authentication Certificates must be renewed every six months.
The Suomi.fi Data Exchange Layer is preparing for the introduction of the Automatic Certificate Management Environment (ACME). With ACME, the current Authentication (auth) and Signature Certificates (sign) for Security Servers can be automatically renewed directly through the Security Server user interface.
Download the Security Server version 7.5.1 – see instructions at the end
ACME support is available in X-Road version 7.5.1 and later. For this reason, we recommend updating Security Servers to at least the current version 7.5.1 to enable the automatic renewal of certificates.
To facilitate the transition to ACME, the validity period of current organisation-specific Signature Certificates (sign) will be temporarily increased to two years from the next renewal.
Timetable
The ACME feature will be tested and piloted in the coming autumn. Security Servers must be upgraded to version 7.5.1 or later by the end of 2025. ACME certificates will be introduced in all Suomi.fi Data Exchange Layer environments in early 2026. The validity period of Authentication Certificates for Security Servers in the Suomi.fi Data Exchange Layer will be reduced to six months in March 2026.
Further details about the ACME implementation schedule will be provided in the coming autumn.
Minimum requirements for X-Road 7.5.1
X-Road 7.5.1 server operating system requirements include:
- Ubuntu versions 22.04 LTS or 24.04 LTS
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) version 8 or 9
Update instructions
Operating system versions X-Road 7.3.x or 7.4.x can be upgraded directly to version 7.5.1.
Update instructions can be found on the website below:
If the Security Server is running an older operating system or X-Road version, contact palveluvayla@palveluvayla.fi Opens in a new window.for further instructions.
Further information
Technical questions: palveluvayla@palveluvayla.fiOpens in a new window.
Other questions: palveluvayla-kayttoonotot@dvv.fiOpens in a new window.
The Digital and Population Data Services Agency is responsible for the Suomi.fi Data Exchange Layer as a whole. The Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions (NIIS), a joint institute of Finland, Estonia and Iceland, is responsible for the software development of the Suomi.fi Data Exchange Layer and the publication of installation packages. The member states fund the activities of NIIS with a total of EUR 2.5 million annually, which covers not only the development of X-Road and other software products but also the provision of services to the member states, research activities and international collaboration. More information: www.niis.org