diff --git a/.github/workflows/macos-wheels.yml b/.github/workflows/macos-wheels.yml
index 84496163..d2f591b6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/macos-wheels.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/macos-wheels.yml
@@ -24,8 +24,26 @@ jobs:
           python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
       - name: Install build and pytest Python packages
         run: sudo pip install build pytest
-      - name: Install MacPorts
+      # sudo is required to restore macports cache, apply same workaround from
+      # https://github.com/actions/cache/issues/629#issuecomment-1189184648
+      - name: Install gtar wrapper
         run: |
+          gtar_path=$(which gtar)
+          echo "#!/bin/sh" > gtar
+          echo "exec sudo $gtar_path.orig \"\$@\"" >> gtar
+          sudo mv $gtar_path $gtar_path.orig
+          sudo mv gtar $gtar_path
+          sudo chmod +x $gtar_path
+      - name: Restore macports cache
+        id: restore-macports-cache
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@v5
+        with:
+          path: /opt/local/
+          key: macports-cache-${{ matrix.config.arch }}-${{ matrix.config.os }}
+          restore-keys: macports-cache-${{ matrix.config.arch }}-${{ matrix.config.os }}
+      - name: Install MacPorts and other tools
+        run: |
+          brew install md5sha1sum
           curl -LO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GiovanniBussi/macports-ci/master/macports-ci
           source ./macports-ci install --sync=rsync
       - name: Set macOS deployment target and install MacOSX sdk 11.3
@@ -37,6 +55,17 @@ jobs:
           sudo mv MacOSX11.3.sdk /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/SDKs/
       - name: Install subvertpy build dependencies
         run: sudo port -N -s install subversion db48
+      # hash software source paths including versions to get a cache key
+      - name: Compute cache key
+        id: cache-key
+        run: |
+          echo "value=$(find /opt/local/var/macports/software | sha1sum | cut -c1-40)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+        shell: bash
+      - name: Save macports cache
+        uses: actions/cache/save@v5
+        with:
+          path: /opt/local/
+          key: macports-cache-${{ matrix.config.arch }}-${{ matrix.config.os }}-${{ steps.cache-key.outputs.value }}
       - name: Sets CIBW_BUILD and SDKROOT environment variable
         env:
           pyVer: "${{matrix.python-version}}"
@@ -54,7 +83,13 @@ jobs:
         working-directory: wheelhouse
         run: |
           pip install $(ls -t | head -1)
-          python -c "from subvertpy import client, ra, repos, subr, wc"
+
+          # check modules import and https support
+          python -c "
+          from subvertpy import client, ra, repos, subr, wc;
+          client = client.Client(auth=ra.Auth([ra.get_username_provider()]));
+          client.info('https://svn.pld-linux.org/svn')"
+
           cd ../ && mv subvertpy/tests . && rm -rf subvertpy && python -m pytest tests
       - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/manylinux-wheels.yml b/.github/workflows/manylinux-wheels.yml
index 55a4af36..6aa14249 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/manylinux-wheels.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/manylinux-wheels.yml
@@ -33,8 +33,13 @@ jobs:
       - name: Test wheel can be installed and subvertpy module imported
         run: |
           $Python3_ROOT_DIR/bin/pip install $(ls -t | head -1)
+
+          # check modules import and https support
           $Python3_ROOT_DIR/bin/python -c "
-          from subvertpy import client, ra, repos, subr, wc"
+          from subvertpy import client, ra, repos, subr, wc;
+          client = client.Client(auth=ra.Auth([ra.get_username_provider()]));
+          client.info('https://svn.pld-linux.org/svn')"
+
           pip3 install pytest
           cd ../ && mv subvertpy/tests . && rm -rf subvertpy && python3 -m pytest tests
         working-directory: wheelhouse
diff --git a/.github/workflows/sdist.yml b/.github/workflows/sdist.yml
index 65f2c8bc..eb1384c8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/sdist.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/sdist.yml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           python-version: "3.x"
       - name: Install dependencies
-        run: sudo apt-get install -y libsvn-dev
+        run: sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y libsvn-dev
       - name: Build sdist
         run: |
           pip install build
diff --git a/.github/workflows/windows-wheels.yml b/.github/workflows/windows-wheels.yml
index 396b51c3..362c202d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/windows-wheels.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/windows-wheels.yml
@@ -62,12 +62,20 @@ jobs:
       - name: Test built wheel can be installed and imported
         working-directory: wheelhouse
         run: |
-          set PATH=%Python3_ROOT_DIR%\Scripts:%PATH%
-          set PYTHONIOENCODING=utf-8
-          for /f "tokens=*" %%g in ('dir /b *.whl') do (set wheel=%%g)
-          pip install %wheel%
-          python -c "from subvertpy import client, ra, repos, subr, wc"
-          cd .. && python -m pytest tests
+          python_dir=$(cygpath -u $Python3_ROOT_DIR)
+          export PATH=$python_dir:$python_dir/Scripts:$PATH
+
+          pip install $(ls -t | head -1)
+
+          # check modules import and https support
+          python -c "
+          from subvertpy import client, ra, repos, subr, wc;
+          client = client.Client(auth=ra.Auth([ra.get_username_provider()]));
+          client.info('https://svn.pld-linux.org/svn')"
+
+          pip install pytest
+          cd ../ && rm -rf subvertpy && python -m pytest tests
+        shell: msys2 {0}
       - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
         with:
           name: subvertpy-wheel-windows-${{ matrix.python-version }}
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 4020c07f..d2bee715 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -14,3 +14,6 @@ apidocs
 .tox/
 .pybuild
 subvertpy.egg-info
+
+# bundled certificate for wheels
+subvertpy/cert/cacert.pem
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index e0c12635..70603e33 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+[build-system]
+requires = ["setuptools", "requests"]
+build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
+
 [tool.ruff]
 exclude = [
     "build",
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 036bdac2..37945665 100755
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -282,10 +282,14 @@ def subvertpy_modules():
 
 
 def package_data():
-    if sys.platform == "win32":
-        return {"subvertpy": ["subvertpy/*.dll"]}
-    else:
-        return {}
+    import requests
+
+    os.makedirs("subvertpy/cert", exist_ok=True)
+    with open("subvertpy/cert/cacert.pem", "wb") as cert:
+        response = requests.get("https://curl.se/ca/cacert.pem")
+        response.raise_for_status()
+        cert.write(response.content)
+    return {"subvertpy": ["cert/cacert.pem"]}
 
 
 subvertpy_version = (0, 11, 1)
diff --git a/subvertpy/__init__.py b/subvertpy/__init__.py
index bf5add8f..2ae1d34c 100644
--- a/subvertpy/__init__.py
+++ b/subvertpy/__init__.py
@@ -101,6 +101,17 @@
 SSL_UNKNOWNCA = 0x00000008
 SSL_OTHER = 0x40000000
 
+_module_dir = os.path.dirname(__file__)
+_wheel_libs_dir = os.path.join(_module_dir, "../subvertpy.libs")
+_wheel_dylibs_dir = os.path.join(_module_dir, ".dylibs")
+
+if os.path.exists(_wheel_libs_dir) or os.path.exists(_wheel_dylibs_dir):
+    # when subvertpy is installed from a binary wheel the hardcoded path to
+    # certificates in bundled openssl does not necessarily exist on the host
+    # system so we ensure one can be found or manipulating remote svn repos
+    # through HTTPS does not work
+    os.environ["SSL_CERT_FILE"] = os.path.join(_module_dir, "cert/cacert.pem")
+
 
 class SubversionException(Exception):
     """A Subversion exception"""