Meet AIShopStaff — your webshop team in one app

News

We built an AI assistant for online store owners. Here’s what it does and why.

Running an online store means writing constantly. Product descriptions, Instagram posts, review replies, About Us pages, email sequences — it never stops. And most store owners aren’t writers. They’re sellers.

That’s why we built AIShopStaff.

What is it?

AIShopStaff is an AI-powered assistant that handles content writing for online stores. You describe your store once — your niche, tone, audience, language — and every tool uses that context automatically. No prompting from scratch each time.

What it does:

  • Generates product descriptions from a CSV upload — entire catalogues in minutes
  • Writes Instagram and Facebook posts in your store’s voice
  • Replies to customer reviews professionally
  • Creates store pages and email templates: About Us, Delivery & Returns, FAQ, welcome and promo emails

Who is it for?

Small and mid-sized online store owners who spend hours on writing tasks that should take minutes. Shopify, WooCommerce, PrestaShop, Etsy — it doesn’t matter what platform you’re on. If you sell online and write content, AIShopStaff saves you time.

Content is generated in English, Estonian, Russian, Latvian, and Finnish.

Why did we build it?

We run hosting for hundreds of online stores. We kept hearing the same thing: setting up a store is manageable, but keeping up with the content is exhausting. Product pages stay thin, social media goes quiet, review replies get copy-pasted.

We wanted to fix that — not with another generic AI tool, but with something that actually understands what a store owner needs.

Launching a new store?

There’s a separate one-time product — the Store Launch Kit — that generates everything you need before going live: About Us, FAQ, Delivery policy, welcome emails, social media bio, and launch posts. One payment, no subscription.

Try it free

AIShopStaff comes with a 14-day free trial, no credit card required.

aishopstaff.com

Free plugin: restrict wp-admin by country

Hosting, News, Security

We’d like to share a useful tool for anyone running WordPress sites.

Protect your WordPress admin from logins outside your country

We built a free plugin that blocks access to the admin panel for IP addresses from countries not on your allowed list.

What the plugin does

The plugin blocks access to wp-admin and wp-login.php for IP addresses from countries not in the allowed list. Frontend visitors, online store customers, and members area users are not affected — only the admin panel is restricted.

Download

block-access-to-admin-by-country.zip

Installation

  1. Download the zip archive using the link above
  2. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
  3. Select the downloaded archive and click Install Now, then Activate
  4. Go to Settings → Admin Country Block and set your allowed countries

Settings

  • Allowed countries — country codes, one per line (e.g. EE, FI, LV). Only IPs from these countries will have access to the admin panel.
  • Exception IPs — IP addresses that always have access regardless of country. Add your own IP here to avoid locking yourself out.
  • Cache TTL — how long the lookup result is cached per IP address (default: 24 hours).

For Core Hosting customers

On Core Hosting servers, the plugin automatically uses a local MaxMind GeoLite2 database — no external requests, fast and reliable. The database is updated weekly. No additional configuration is needed.

For sites on other hosting providers

he plugin uses a free geolocation API (freeipapi.com). You can also specify any other compatible API in the API URL field. Results are cached, so the number of API requests stays minimal.

The plugin supports automatic updates — new versions will appear in the standard WordPress updates section.

The plugin is free and open to everyone. If you run into any issues during installation or have questions, feel free to contact our support team.

Transfer your .EE domain to us

Domains, News

We now register and manage .EE domains. If your domain is currently registered with another registrar, you can transfer it to us and manage both your domain and hosting in one place.

.EE domain transfer is free.
We can handle the transfer for you. All we need is your confirmation.

Renewal — €7 per year (excluding VAT).
A simple fixed price with no hidden fees.

Important:
If your domain has already been renewed for several years, that period remains unchanged.
When transferring a domain, the paid registration period does not disappear and no immediate renewal is required.

For example, if the domain is paid until 2029, it will remain valid until 2029 after the transfer.

Why move your domain to the same provider as your hosting

When the domain and hosting are managed by the same provider, many technical tasks become simpler and faster:

  • DNS changes can be made immediately without accessing external control panels
  • moving a website to another server can be done without additional actions from the client
  • in most cases there is no need to request access or confirmations from another registrar

In the coming months we will continue upgrading our infrastructure and migrating client accounts to new servers. If the domain is managed by us, such work can usually be completed faster and without needing to involve the website owner.

How to transfer a domain

1. Request the EPP code from your current registrar
2. Fill in the transfer form and confirm the request:
https://my.core.hosting/cart.php?a=add&domain=transfer

Alternatively

If you prefer not to handle the transfer yourself, simply send us the name of your .EE domain. We will prepare the transfer and let you know what needs to be confirmed.

New SSL certificate rules from March 15, 2026: what website owners need to know

News, Security, SSL Certificates

Starting March 15, 2026, new rules for SSL/TLS certificates will take effect. The maximum validity period will be reduced almost by half. Previously a certificate could be valid for up to 398 days, but the new limit will be 200 days.

The changes were approved by the CA/Browser Forum, an industry organization that defines security standards for certificate authorities and browser developers.

In practice, this means that the validity period of SSL certificates will gradually become shorter and certificates will need to be renewed more frequently.

Let’s look at what exactly is changing and whether website owners need to take any action.

If your website does not yet use SSL, you can use a free Let’s Encrypt certificate or a commercial certificate with extended validation. More information about available options can be found on the SSL certificates page.

What will change?

The main change concerns the maximum validity period of SSL certificates.

The transition will happen gradually:

DateMaximum SSL validity period
Before March 15, 2026398 days
From March 15, 2026200 days
From March 2027100 days
From March 202947 days

As a result, the industry will gradually move from annual certificates to certificates that are valid only for a few weeks.

The reuse period for domain validation will also be shortened. This means certificate authorities will verify domain ownership more frequently.

Why is the SSL validity period being reduced?

The main reason is improving internet security.

The longer a certificate remains valid, the more time attackers have if a private key is compromised or a configuration error occurs. Shorter validity periods allow potentially vulnerable certificates to be replaced faster.

There are also other reasons:

  • faster transition to new cryptographic algorithms
  • more frequent domain ownership verification
  • preparing infrastructure for future security standards

Will SSL certificates need to be purchased more often?

No. Shorter certificate lifetimes do not mean higher costs.

Commercial certificate authorities already use a subscription model. This means a certificate can be purchased for 1 or 2 years, while it may be reissued several times during that period at no additional cost.

For example:

  • a certificate is purchased for one year
  • the first certificate is valid for about 200 days
  • a new certificate is then issued for the remaining period

This process is called reissue and is a standard practice.

What does this mean for website owners?

The main practical change is that certificates will need to be renewed more often.

Approximate renewal frequency:

  • in 2026 — about two renewals per year
  • in 2027 — three or four renewals
  • after 2029 — renewals may happen every few weeks

If SSL certificates are installed manually, the risk of forgetting to renew them will increase.

Why automatic SSL renewal is becoming the standard

Modern web infrastructure increasingly relies on automation.

If a certificate expires, browsers begin displaying security warnings. This can lead to loss of visitors and reduced trust in the website.

For this reason, most hosting platforms now use automated SSL management.

For example, free Let’s Encrypt certificates can automatically:

  • be issued
  • be installed on the server
  • be renewed before expiration

On web hosting plans, these certificates are usually enabled through the control panel and renewed automatically.

Do hosting clients need to do anything?

In most cases, no.

If you are using a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate through the hosting control panel, it will be issued and renewed automatically without any action from the website owner.

Commercial SSL certificates (for example, OV or EV) usually require manual installation and periodic reissuance. Their validity period will also be shortened according to the new industry rules.

When should you pay attention?

You should check your SSL configuration if:

  • the certificate is installed manually on the server
  • commercial OV or EV certificates are used
  • certificates are managed within corporate infrastructure

In these cases it is recommended to configure automatic certificate renewal in advance.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the SSL validity period being shortened?

The goal is to improve security. Shorter certificates reduce risks if a key is compromised or cryptographic algorithms become outdated.

Will I need to pay for SSL more often?

No. Commercial certificates are usually purchased for one or two years and may be reissued multiple times within that period without additional cost.

What happens if an SSL certificate expires?

Browsers will display a security warning. Visitors may not open the website and search engines may reduce trust in the site.

Do hosting users need to take any action?

If you are using a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate through the hosting control panel, it is renewed automatically and requires no action.

Summary

Starting in March 2026, the maximum validity period of SSL certificates will be reduced to 200 days. In the future the validity period will become even shorter.

This is part of a global shift toward more frequent certificate renewal and automated security management.

For most website owners these changes will be almost invisible, especially if SSL certificates are managed through the hosting control panel.

Need an SSL certificate for your website?

Our hosting allows you to use free Let’s Encrypt certificates with automatic renewal as well as commercial certificates for projects that require extended validation.

View available SSL certificates

Legal Documents Updated

News

We have consolidated and updated all Core Hosting legal documents. Going forward, the authoritative source for all agreements and policies is our main domain, core.hosting.

You can find the current versions of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and all related documents at: https://core.hosting/legal/

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out at info@core.hosting.