Smallstep Certificate Manager is a public key infrastructure (PKI) platform designed for DevSecOps teams that need to manage the complete lifecycle of private TLS/SSL certificates across their infrastructure. The platform provides automated certificate management for internal workloads, devices, and developers, eliminating manual certificate handling processes that can lead to security vulnerabilities and operational disruptions. The solution supports multiple authentication and provisioning methods, including the ACME protocol, Kubernetes workloads integration, single sign-on (SSO), one-time tokens, and Cloud VM instance APIs. Organizations can deploy Certificate Manager as a managed cloud service, linked deployment, or on-premise installation depending on their infrastructure requirements and compliance needs. Key capabilities include: Endpoint Authentication: Provisioners automate identity proofing before issuing certificates, ensuring only verified workloads and developers receive credentials through configurable authentication methods Certificate Customization: Template-based certificate generation provides control over all x.509 fields, allowing teams to add application-specific extensions and format certificates for specific use cases Automated Renewal: Multiple renewal options including the step CLI, ACME clients, systemd timers, standalone daemons, and cron jobs accommodate different endpoint management approaches Comprehensive Monitoring: Real-time alerts for expiring certificates, detailed audit logs for certificate issuance, authority management dashboards, and webhook integrations for exporting events to SIEM or infrastructure monitoring tools The platform addresses the challenge of managing short-lived certificates at scale, which enhances security posture while reducing the operational burden on IT and security teams. By automating certificate lifecycle tasks across diverse environments, from containerized applications to traditional servers, Certificate Manager helps organizations maintain encrypted communications without manual intervention. The extensible architecture allows teams to adapt the platform to their specific infrastructure patterns and security requirements.