diff --git a/federation/README.md b/federation/README.md
index 5eadafd..66130f3 100644
--- a/federation/README.md
+++ b/federation/README.md
@@ -101,6 +101,67 @@ For example:
 
 `docker network connect openfire-testing_openfire-federated-net openfire-testing_xmpp1_1`
 
+## Certificates
+
+By default, the system uses self-signed certificates that have been pre-generated and added 
+to the identity and trust stores for `xmpp1.localhost.example` and `xmpp2.localhost.example`.
+
+This simplifies the setup process and avoids the need to generate certificates, but the
+limitations of this are that the certificates are not trusted by anything other than 
+our own servers (`xmpp1` and `xmpp2`), and that they do not support OCSP (Online Certificate 
+Status Protocol).
+
+### OCSP Support
+A more fully featured solution is provided by the `-o` option of the `start.sh` script 
+which enables OCSP support for the Openfire federated environment. When passed the `-o` 
+option the script will generate a complete certificate hierarchy with OCSP support, and 
+deploy an OCSP responder service configured to respond to OCSP requests for the server 
+certificates. 
+
+Here's what the script creates:
+
+* Root CA certificate (self-signed)
+* Intermediate CA certificate (signed by Root CA)
+* Two server certificates with OCSP information (one for each Openfire instance)
+* An OCSP responder certificate (for signing OCSP responses)
+* Full certificate chains for both servers (server + intermediate + root)
+* Certificate database (index.txt) for the OCSP responder to track certificate statuses
+
+All certificates are stored in `./_data/certs/`.
+
+```
+                           Root CA
+                      (Top level trust root)
+                      (Kept offline/secure)
+                              |
+                              v
+                       Intermediate CA
+                  (Day-to-day certificate issuer)
+                  (OCSP configuration point)
+                              |
+         +--------------------+------------------+
+         v                    v                  v
+    XMPP1 Cert            XMPP2 Cert         OCSP Cert
+         |                    |              (Signs OCSP responses)
+         v                    v
+   XMPP1 Server          XMPP2 Server
+    [keystore]             [keystore]
+    (server's identity)    (server's identity)
+    [truststore]           [truststore]
+    (who to trust)         (who to trust)
+```
+
+This setup allows certificates to be checked for revocation status making a request to the 
+OCSP responder:
+```bash
+openssl ocsp -url http://localhost:8888 \
+  -issuer _data/certs/ca/intermediate-ca/intermediate.crt \
+  -CAfile _data/certs/chain1.pem \
+  -cert _data/certs/server1.crt \
+  -text
+```
+
+
 ## How it's built
 
 To recreate the known good state for the system we first create base Openfire and Postgres containers.
diff --git a/federation/docker-compose-ocsp-responder.yml b/federation/docker-compose-ocsp-responder.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e9c428f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/federation/docker-compose-ocsp-responder.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+services:
+  # OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol) Responder Service
+  #
+  # This service provides real-time certificate validation for the development environment.
+  # It works with certificates generated by ./scripts/generate-certificates.sh and imported
+  # by ./scripts/import-certificates.sh.
+  #
+  # Configuration Parameters:
+  # ------------------------
+  # Port: 8888        - OCSP responder listens for validation requests
+  # Index File:       - Lists all issued certificates (/ca/intermediate-ca/index.txt)
+  # CA Certificate:   - Issuer's certificate (/ca/intermediate-ca/intermediate.crt)
+  # OCSP Key Pair:    - Responder credentials (/ca/ocsp-responder/ocsp.{key,crt})
+  # Validity Period:  - Responses valid for 1 day (-ndays 1)
+  #
+  # Test Certificate Status:
+  # ----------------------
+  # openssl ocsp -url http://localhost:8888 \
+  #   -issuer _data/certs/ca/intermediate-ca/intermediate.crt \
+  #   -CAfile _data/certs/chain1.pem \
+  #   -cert _data/certs/server1.crt \
+  #   -text   # Adds human-readable output
+  ocsp-responder:
+    image: alpine:latest
+    volumes:
+      - ./_data/certs/ca:/ca
+    command:
+      - /bin/sh
+      - -c
+      - |
+        apk add --no-cache openssl &&
+        openssl ocsp -port 8888 -text \
+        -index /ca/intermediate-ca/index.txt \
+        -CA /ca/intermediate-ca/intermediate.crt \
+        -rkey /ca/ocsp-responder/ocsp.key \
+        -rsigner /ca/ocsp-responder/ocsp.crt \
+        -ndays 1
+    ports:
+      - "8888:8888"
+    networks:
+      openfire-federated-net:
+        ipv4_address: 172.50.0.30
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/federation/scripts/generate-certificates.sh b/federation/scripts/generate-certificates.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..7df61fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/federation/scripts/generate-certificates.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# OCSP server configuration
+# Defines where the OCSP responder will be accessible in the Docker network
+OCSP_URL="http://172.50.0.30:8888"
+
+# Base directory for all certificate-related files
+# All paths in this script will be relative to this directory
+CERT_DIR="./_data/certs"
+
+# Create the PKI directory structure:
+# We only need:
+# - root-ca: Root Certificate Authority files
+# - intermediate-ca: Intermediate Certificate Authority files
+# - ocsp-responder: OCSP responder certificates
+mkdir -p "${CERT_DIR}/ca/root-ca/private" \
+         "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/private" \
+         "${CERT_DIR}/ca/ocsp-responder"
+chmod 700 "${CERT_DIR}/ca/root-ca/private" "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/private"
+
+# Initialize the certificate databases and serial number counters
+# index.txt acts as a database of all certificates
+# serial defines the next certificate serial number
+echo -n > "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/index.txt"
+echo 1000 > "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/serial"
+
+# Generate the Root CA private key and certificate
+# This is the top-level certificate authority that signs the intermediate CA
+openssl genrsa -out "${CERT_DIR}/ca/root-ca/private/ca.key" 4096
+
+openssl req -new -x509 -key "${CERT_DIR}/ca/root-ca/private/ca.key" \
+    -out "${CERT_DIR}/ca/root-ca/ca.crt" -days 3650 \
+    -subj "/C=GB/ST=London/L=London/O=Test Openfire/CN=Test Openfire Root CA"
+
+# Generate the Intermediate CA private key and certificate signing request (CSR)
+# The intermediate CA will be used to sign the server and OCSP responder certificates
+openssl genrsa -out "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/private/intermediate.key" 4096
+
+openssl req -new -key "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/private/intermediate.key" \
+    -out "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/intermediate.csr" \
+    -subj "/C=GB/ST=London/L=London/O=Test Openfire/CN=Test Openfire Intermediate CA"
+
+# Sign the Intermediate CA certificate with the Root CA
+# The certificate includes:
+# - CA capabilities (basicConstraints)
+# - Permission to sign certificates (keyUsage)
+# - Location of the OCSP responder (authorityInfoAccess)
+openssl x509 -req -in "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/intermediate.csr" \
+    -CA "${CERT_DIR}/ca/root-ca/ca.crt" \
+    -CAkey "${CERT_DIR}/ca/root-ca/private/ca.key" -CAcreateserial \
+    -out "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/intermediate.crt" -days 1825 \
+    -extfile <(printf 'basicConstraints=critical,CA:true,pathlen:0\nkeyUsage=critical,digitalSignature,keyCertSign,cRLSign\nauthorityInfoAccess=OCSP;URI:%s' "$OCSP_URL")
+
+# Function to generate a server certificate and add it to the certificate database
+# Parameters:
+#   $1: instance number (1 or 2 for xmpp1/xmpp2)
+generate_server_cert() {
+    local instance=$1
+
+    # Generate server private key and CSR
+    openssl genrsa -out "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}.key" 2048
+
+    # Create OpenSSL config file for SAN support
+    cat > "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}.cnf" << EOF
+[req]
+distinguished_name = req_distinguished_name
+req_extensions = v3_req
+prompt = no
+
+[req_distinguished_name]
+C = GB
+ST = London
+L = London
+O = Test Openfire
+CN = xmpp${instance}.localhost.example
+
+[v3_req]
+basicConstraints = CA:FALSE
+keyUsage = critical, digitalSignature, keyEncipherment
+extendedKeyUsage = serverAuth
+subjectAltName = @alt_names
+
+[alt_names]
+DNS.1 = xmpp${instance}.localhost.example
+DNS.2 = *.xmpp${instance}.localhost.example
+EOF
+
+    # Generate CSR with the config file
+    openssl req -new -key "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}.key" \
+        -out "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}.csr" \
+        -config "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}.cnf"
+
+    # Create OpenSSL config for certificate signing
+    cat > "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}_sign.cnf" << EOF
+basicConstraints = critical,CA:false
+keyUsage = critical,digitalSignature,keyEncipherment
+extendedKeyUsage = serverAuth
+subjectAltName = @alt_names
+authorityInfoAccess = OCSP;URI:${OCSP_URL}
+
+[alt_names]
+DNS.1 = xmpp${instance}.localhost.example
+DNS.2 = *.xmpp${instance}.localhost.example
+EOF
+
+    # Sign the server certificate with the Intermediate CA
+    openssl x509 -req -in "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}.csr" \
+        -CA "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/intermediate.crt" \
+        -CAkey "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/private/intermediate.key" -CAcreateserial \
+        -out "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}.crt" -days 365 \
+        -extfile "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}_sign.cnf"
+
+    # Create the full certificate chain
+    cat "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}.crt" "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/intermediate.crt" "${CERT_DIR}/ca/root-ca/ca.crt" > "${CERT_DIR}/chain${instance}.pem"
+
+    # Add to certificate database
+    SERIAL=$(openssl x509 -in "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}.crt" -noout -serial | cut -d'=' -f2)
+    SUBJECT=$(openssl x509 -in "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}.crt" -noout -subject | cut -d'=' -f2-)
+    printf 'V\t%s\t\t%s\tunknown\t%s\n' "$(date -u +%y%m%d%H%M%SZ)" "$SERIAL" "$SUBJECT" >> "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/index.txt"
+
+    # Clean up temporary config files
+    rm -f "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}.cnf" "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}_sign.cnf"
+
+    # Display the certificate's subject and SANs for verification
+    echo "Certificate generated for instance ${instance}:"
+    openssl x509 -in "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}.crt" -noout -subject -ext subjectAltName
+}
+
+# Generate the OCSP responder certificate
+# This certificate will be used to sign OCSP responses
+openssl genrsa -out "${CERT_DIR}/ca/ocsp-responder/ocsp.key" 2048
+
+openssl req -new -key "${CERT_DIR}/ca/ocsp-responder/ocsp.key" \
+    -out "${CERT_DIR}/ca/ocsp-responder/ocsp.csr" \
+    -subj "/C=GB/ST=London/L=London/O=Test Openfire/CN=ocsp.example.com"
+
+# Sign the OCSP responder certificate
+# The certificate includes:
+# - Non-CA status (basicConstraints)
+# - OCSP signing capability (extendedKeyUsage)
+openssl x509 -req -in "${CERT_DIR}/ca/ocsp-responder/ocsp.csr" \
+    -CA "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/intermediate.crt" \
+    -CAkey "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/private/intermediate.key" -CAcreateserial \
+    -out "${CERT_DIR}/ca/ocsp-responder/ocsp.crt" -days 365 \
+    -extfile <(printf 'basicConstraints=critical,CA:false\nkeyUsage=critical,digitalSignature\nextendedKeyUsage=OCSPSigning')
+
+# Generate certificates for both Openfire instances
+generate_server_cert 1
+generate_server_cert 2
+
+# Verify the certificate chain for all generated certificates
+# This ensures that all certificates are properly signed and trusted
+echo "Verifying certificates..."
+openssl verify -CAfile "${CERT_DIR}/ca/root-ca/ca.crt" "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/intermediate.crt"
+openssl verify -CAfile <(cat "${CERT_DIR}/ca/root-ca/ca.crt" "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/intermediate.crt") "${CERT_DIR}/server1.crt"
+openssl verify -CAfile <(cat "${CERT_DIR}/ca/root-ca/ca.crt" "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/intermediate.crt") "${CERT_DIR}/server2.crt"
+openssl verify -CAfile <(cat "${CERT_DIR}/ca/root-ca/ca.crt" "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/intermediate.crt") "${CERT_DIR}/ca/ocsp-responder/ocsp.crt"
+
+printf '\nCertificate generation complete.'
+printf '\nOCSP URL configured as: %s\n\n' "$OCSP_URL"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/federation/scripts/import-certificates.sh b/federation/scripts/import-certificates.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..2433d07
--- /dev/null
+++ b/federation/scripts/import-certificates.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Default password for all keystores and truststores
+# This is Openfire's default password - changing it would require updating security.xml
+KEYSTORE_PASSWORD="changeit"
+
+# Base directory where certificates were generated
+# This should match the CERT_DIR from the certificate generation script
+CERT_DIR="./_data/certs"
+
+# Function to import certificates and set up keystores/truststores for one Openfire instance
+# Parameters:
+#   $1: instance number (1 or 2 for xmpp1/xmpp2)
+import_certificates() {
+    local instance=$1
+
+    # Directory where Openfire expects to find its certificates
+    local conf_dir="_data/xmpp/${instance}/conf/security"
+
+    echo "Importing certificates for Openfire instance ${instance}..."
+
+    # Ensure the security directory exists
+    mkdir -p "${conf_dir}"
+
+    # Remove any existing keystore to start fresh
+    rm -f "${conf_dir}/keystore"
+
+    echo "Creating new keystore for instance ${instance}"
+    # Create a new empty keystore by generating and immediately deleting a temporary keypair
+    # This ensures the keystore is properly initialized with the correct format
+    keytool -genkeypair \
+        -keystore "${conf_dir}/keystore" \
+        -storepass "${KEYSTORE_PASSWORD}" \
+        -keypass "${KEYSTORE_PASSWORD}" \
+        -alias "default" \
+        -dname "CN=temporary" \
+        -keyalg RSA \
+        -validity 1
+    # Remove the temporary keypair, leaving an empty keystore
+    keytool -delete \
+        -alias "default" \
+        -keystore "${conf_dir}/keystore" \
+        -storepass "${KEYSTORE_PASSWORD}"
+
+    # Import the server's certificate and private key
+    # First convert them to PKCS12 format which can be imported into a Java keystore
+    echo "Importing server certificate and private key..."
+    openssl pkcs12 -export \
+        -in "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}.crt" \
+        -inkey "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}.key" \
+        -chain \
+        -CAfile "${CERT_DIR}/chain${instance}.pem" \
+        -name "xmpp${instance}.localhost.example" \
+        -out "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}.p12" \
+        -password "pass:${KEYSTORE_PASSWORD}"
+
+    # Import the PKCS12 file into the keystore
+    keytool -importkeystore \
+        -deststorepass "${KEYSTORE_PASSWORD}" \
+        -destkeypass "${KEYSTORE_PASSWORD}" \
+        -destkeystore "${conf_dir}/keystore" \
+        -srckeystore "${CERT_DIR}/server${instance}.p12" \
+        -srcstoretype PKCS12 \
+        -srcstorepass "${KEYSTORE_PASSWORD}" \
+        -alias "xmpp${instance}.localhost.example"
+
+    # Create or update truststore
+    # truststore - used by the server to verify other servers
+    if [ ! -f "${conf_dir}/truststore" ]; then
+        echo "Creating new truststore for instance ${instance}"
+        # Initialize a new truststore with a dummy entry
+        keytool -importpass \
+            -keystore "${conf_dir}/truststore" \
+            -storepass "${KEYSTORE_PASSWORD}" \
+            -storetype JKS \
+            -alias "init" \
+            -noprompt
+    fi
+
+    # Add our CA certificates to truststore
+    # We preserve existing entries to maintain trust for other certificates
+    echo "Adding CA certificates to truststore..."
+
+    # Import root CA if not already present
+    # grep -q checks if the alias already exists in the store
+    if ! keytool -list -keystore "${conf_dir}/truststore" -storepass "${KEYSTORE_PASSWORD}" | grep -q "root-ca"; then
+        keytool -import -noprompt \
+            -keystore "${conf_dir}/truststore" \
+            -storepass "${KEYSTORE_PASSWORD}" \
+            -alias "root-ca" \
+            -file "${CERT_DIR}/ca/root-ca/ca.crt"
+        echo "Added root CA to truststore"
+    else
+        echo "Root CA already exists in truststore"
+    fi
+
+    # Import intermediate CA if not already present
+    if ! keytool -list -keystore "${conf_dir}/truststore" -storepass "${KEYSTORE_PASSWORD}" | grep -q "intermediate-ca"; then
+        keytool -import -noprompt \
+            -keystore "${conf_dir}/truststore" \
+            -storepass "${KEYSTORE_PASSWORD}" \
+            -alias "intermediate-ca" \
+            -file "${CERT_DIR}/ca/intermediate-ca/intermediate.crt"
+        echo "Added intermediate CA to truststore"
+    else
+        echo "Intermediate CA already exists in truststore"
+    fi
+
+    echo "Certificate import completed for instance ${instance}"
+}
+
+# Main script execution
+
+echo "Starting certificate import process..."
+
+# Import certificates for both Openfire instances
+import_certificates 1
+import_certificates 2
+
+# Clean up temporary PKCS12 files that were created during the import process
+rm -f "${CERT_DIR}"/*.p12
+
+# Display commands that can be used to verify the keystore contents
+echo -e "\nTo verify the keystores, run:"
+echo "keytool -list -keystore _data/xmpp/1/conf/security/keystore -storepass ${KEYSTORE_PASSWORD}"
+echo "keytool -list -keystore _data/xmpp/1/conf/security/truststore -storepass ${KEYSTORE_PASSWORD}"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/federation/start.sh b/federation/start.sh
index 607cd04..004f55e 100755
--- a/federation/start.sh
+++ b/federation/start.sh
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-usage() { echo "Usage: $0 [-n openfire-tag] [-6] [-h]
+usage() { echo "Usage: $0 [-n openfire-tag] [-6] [-o] [-h]
   -n openfire-tag  Launches all Openfire instances with the specified tag. This overrides the value in .env
   -6               Replace standard IPv4-based bridge networking with IPv6.
+  -o               Enable OCSP support, generates compatible certificates, & deploys associated OCSP responder
   -h               Show this helpful information
 "; exit 0; }
 
@@ -20,7 +21,7 @@ source "$SCRIPTPATH/../_common/functions.sh"
 
 check_deps
 
-while getopts n:6h o; do
+while getopts n:6oh o; do
   case "$o" in
     n)
         if [[ $OPTARG =~ " " ]]; then
@@ -34,6 +35,10 @@ while getopts n:6h o; do
 				echo "Using IPv6"
 				NETWORK_COMPOSE_FILE="docker-compose-network-dualstack.yml"
         ;;
+    o)
+        echo "Enabling OCSP support"
+        export ENABLE_OCSP=true
+        ;;
     h)
         usage
         ;;
@@ -60,5 +65,12 @@ mkdir _data
 cp -r xmpp _data/
 cp -r plugins _data/
 
+if [ "$ENABLE_OCSP" = true ]; then
+  echo "Enabling OCSP support"
+  "$SCRIPTPATH"/scripts/generate-certificates.sh
+  "$SCRIPTPATH"/scripts/import-certificates.sh
+  COMPOSE_FILE_COMMAND+=("-f" "docker-compose-ocsp-responder.yml")
+fi
+
 "${COMPOSE_FILE_COMMAND[@]}" up -d || popd
 popd
\ No newline at end of file