Streamlining Certificate Management in F5 Distributed Cloud: From Console Clicks to CLI Efficiency

Introduction

Managing TLS certificates at scale in F5 Distributed Cloud (F5 XC) can become a complex task, especially when dealing with multiple namespaces, domains, load balancers, and frequent certificate renewals. While the F5 Distributed Cloud Console provides a comprehensive GUI for certificate management. However, the number of clicks and navigation steps required for routine operations can impact operational efficiency.

In this article, we'll explore how to manage custom certificates in F5 Distributed Cloud. We'll compare the console-based approach with a streamlined CLI solution, and demonstrate why using automation tools can significantly improve your certificate management workflow.

The Challenge: Certificate Management at Scale

Modern enterprises often manage dozens or even hundreds of TLS certificates across their infrastructure. Each certificate requires:

Regular renewal (typically every 90 days for Let's Encrypt certificates)
Association with the correct load balancers

When multiplied across numerous applications and environments, what seems like a simple task becomes a significant operational burden.

Understanding F5 Distributed Cloud Certificate Management

F5 Distributed Cloud provides robust support for custom TLS certificates (Bring Your Own Certificate - BYOC). The platform allows you to:

Create and manage TLS certificate objects with support for both PEM and PKCS12 formats
Associate multiple certificates with a single HTTPS load balancer
Share certificates across multiple load balancers

The Console Approach: Step-by-Step Process

Let's walk through the typical process of adding a new certificate via the F5 XC Console:

Navigate to Certificate Management (3 clicks/actions)

Select Multi-Cloud App Connect service
Select Certificate Management from the left menu
Click on TLS Certificates

Create a New Certificate (8 clicks/actions)

Click "Add TLS Certificate"
Enter certificate name
Set labels and description (optional)
Click "Import from File" in the Certificate field
Click "Upload File" to upload the certificate
Enter password (for PKCS12)
Select key type
Click "Save and Exit"

Attach Certificate to Load Balancer (7 clicks/actions)

Navigate to Load Balancers
Select or create HTTP Load Balancer
Select "HTTPS with Custom Certificate"
Configure TLS parameters
Select certificates from dropdown
Apply configuration
Save and Exit

Total: 18 clicks/actions minimum for a single certificate deployment

Now imagine doing this for 50 certificates across 20 load balancers – that's potentially a lot of clicks!

Enter the CLI: CLI TLS Certificate Manager

The CLI TLS Certificate Manager (available at https://github.com/veysph/F5XC-Tools/) transforms this multi-step process into simple, scriptable commands. This tool leverages the F5 XC API to provide direct, programmatic access to certificate management functions.

Key Benefits of the CLI Approach

1. Dramatic Time Savings

What takes 18 clicks in the console becomes a single command:

python f5xc_tls_cert_manager.py --config config.json --create

2. Batch Operations / Automation-Ready

Process multiple certificates easily. The tool can be integrated/adapted for CI/CD pipelines.

3. Consistent and Repeatable

Eliminate human error with standardized commands and configuration files.

Practical Use Cases

Use Case 1: Multi-Environment Deployment

Scenario:

Deploying certificates across dev, staging, and production namespaces

Console Approach:

Navigate to each namespace
Repeat certificate upload process
Risk: High (manual process prone to errors)
Effort: a lot clicks

CLI Approach:

python f5xc_tls_cert_manager.py --config dev.json --create 
python f5xc_tls_cert_manager.py --config staging.json --create 
python f5xc_tls_cert_manager.py --config production.json --create

Time: ~5 minutes
Risk: Very low (automated validation)
Effort: 3 commands

Use Case 2: Emergency Certificate Replacement

Scenario:

Expired (or compromised) certificate needs immediate replacement

Console Approach:

Stress of navigating multiple screens under pressure
Risk of misconfiguration during urgent changes

CLI Approach:

python f5xc_tls_cert_manager.py --config config.json --replace

Conclusion

While the F5 Distributed Cloud Console provides a comprehensive and user-friendly interface for certificate management. However, the CLI approach offers undeniable advantages for organizations managing certificates at scale. The Certificate Manager CLI tool bridges the gap between the powerful capabilities of F5 Distributed Cloud and the operational efficiency demands of modern infrastructure code practices.