A digital artifact used in cryptography for secure connections like SSL. The certificate is used to authenticate who a user was, letting you know that you’re dealing with the person you think you are. Certificates are normally issued by authorities who take steps to ensure identity before issuing any certificate. There are also self-signed certificates that you can create for yourself but do not have the same level of trust. In essence you are saying “I am who I say I am.” For more details see wikipedia.
