There are many different filename extensions that digital certificates can take. crt, cer, pem, or der There are two primary X encoding schemes that these additions typically map to. PEM (Base64 ASCII) and DER (binary) formats for 509 certificates and keys. File types can sometimes be deduced from their names, but there is overlap and other extensions are used, so you may need to open the file in a text editor and take a look for yourself.
Converting between PEM and DER files, viewing their contents as plain text, and combining them into common container formats like PKCS#12 and PKCS#7 are all useful skills to have when working with digital certificates. The differences between PEM and DER files, as well as the most common filename extensions for each, are highlighted in this reference. It shows images of each encoding and describes how to use OpenSSL to convert between common file types.
When asked, "What is OpenSSL,"
When dealing with X.509 certificates, certificate signing requests (CSRs), and cryptographic keys, the OpenSSL command-line toolkit comes in very handy. OpenSSL is pre-installed on most computers running Linux or macOS because it is a UNIX-based operating system. To use OpenSSL on Windows, either activate the Linux compatibility mode in Windows 10 or download and install Cygwin.
It is widely accepted that X.509 certificates, CSRs, and cryptographic keys should be stored in PEM (originally "Privacy Enhanced Mail") format. To put it simply, a PEM file is just a text file with one or more items encoded in Base64 ASCII and plain-text headers and footers (e.g. g Certificate Start and Finish (-----CERTIFICATE START and -----CERTIFICATE END) End-entity certificates, private keys, and intermediate certificates that together form a trust anchor can all be stored in a single PEM file. Certificate files downloaded via SSL are typically com files will be in the Portable Executable File Format
A PEM file is typically identified by the extensions crt, pem, cer, and key (typically for use in private key exchanges) but others may have other extensions For illustration, consider the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). certificate order download table, the.com CA bundle file has an extension ca-bundle
This certificate is the www.ssl.org ssl The PEM version of www.com is displayed below (click to view):
View PEM Certificate by Clicking Here
Certificate of Completion Begins Here. MIIH/TCCBeWgAwIBAgIQaBYE3/M08XHYCnNVmcFBcjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQsFADBy MQswCQYDVQQGEwJVUzEOMAwGA1UECAwFVGV4YXMxEDAOBgNVBAcMB0hvdXN0b24x ETAPBgNVBAoMCFNTTCBDb3JwMS4wLAYDVQQDDCVTU0wuY29tIEVWIFNTTCBJbnRl cm1lZGlhdGUgQ0EgUlNBIFIzMB4XDTIwMDQwMTAwNTgzM1oXDTIxMDcxNjAwNTgz M1owgb0xCzAJBgNVBAYTAlVTMQ4wDAYDVQQIDAVUZXhhczEQMA4GA1UEBwwHSG91 c3RvbjERMA8GA1UECgwIU1NMIENvcnAxFjAUBgNVBAUTDU5WMjAwODE2MTQyNDMx FDASBgNVBAMMC3d3dy5zc2wuY29tMR0wGwYDVQQPDBRQcml2YXRlIE9yZ2FuaXph dGlvbjEXMBUGCysGAQQBgjc8AgECDAZOZXZhZGExEzARBgsrBgEEAYI3PAIBAxMC VVMwggEiMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4IBDwAwggEKAoIBAQDHheRkbb1FCc7xRKst wK0JIGaKY8t7JbS2bQ2b6YIJDgnHuIYHqBrCUV79oelikkokRkFvcvpaKinFHDQH UpWEI6RUERYmSCg3O8Wi42uOcV2B5ZabmXCkwdxY5Ecl51BbM8UnGdoAGbdNmiRm SmTjcs+lhMxg4fFY6lBpiEVFiGUjGRR+61R67Lz6U4KJeLNcCm07QwFYKBmpi08g dygSvRdUw55Jopredj+VGtjUkB4hFT4GQX/ght69Rlqz/+8u0dEQkhuUuucrqalm SGy43HRwBfDKFwYeWM7CPMd5e/dO+t08t8PbjzVTTv5hQDCsEYIV2T7AFI9ScNxM kh7/AgMBAAGjggNBMIIDPTAfBgNVHSMEGDAWgBS/wVqH/yj6QT39t0/kHa+gYVgp vTB/BggrBgEFBQcBAQRzMHEwTQYIKwYBBQUHMAKGQWh0dHA6Ly93d3cuc3NsLmNv bS9yZXBvc2l0b3J5L1NTTGNvbS1TdWJDQS1FVi1TU0wtUlNBLTQwOTYtUjMuY3J0 MCAGCCsGAQUFBzABhhRodHRwOi8vb2NzcHMuc3NsLmNvbTAfBgNVHREEGDAWggt3 d3cuc3NsLmNvbYIHc3NsLmNvbTBfBgNVHSAEWDBWMAcGBWeBDAEBMA0GCyqEaAGG 9ncCBQEBMDwGDCsGAQQBgqkwAQMBBDAsMCoGCCsGAQUFBwIBFh5odHRwczovL3d3 dy5zc2wuY29tL3JlcG9zaXRvcnkwHQYDVR0lBBYwFAYIKwYBBQUHAwIGCCsGAQUF BwMBMEgGA1UdHwRBMD8wPaA7oDmGN2h0dHA6Ly9jcmxzLnNzbC5jb20vU1NMY29t LVN1YkNBLUVWLVNTTC1SU0EtNDA5Ni1SMy5jcmwwHQYDVR0OBBYEFADAFUIazw5r ZIHapnRxIUnpw+GLMA4GA1UdDwEB/wQEAwIFoDCCAX0GCisGAQQB1nkCBAIEggFt BIIBaQFnAHcA9lyUL9F3MCIUVBgIMJRWjuNNExkzv98MLyALzE7xZOMAAAFxM0ho bwAABAMASDBGAiEA6xeliNR8Gk/63pYdnS/vOx/CjptEMEv89WWh1/urWIECIQDy BreHU25DzwukQaRQjwW655ZLkqCnxbxQWRiOemj9JAB1AJQgvB6O1Y1siHMfgosi LA3R2k1ebE+UPWHbTi9YTaLCAAABcTNIaNwAAAQDAEYwRAIgGRE4wzabNRdD8kq/ vFP3tQe2hm0x5nXulowh4Ibw3lkCIFYb/3lSDplS7AcR4r+XpWtEKSTFWJmNCRbc XJur2RGBAHUA7sCV7o1yZA+S48O5G8cSo2lqCXtLahoUOOZHssvtxfkAAAFxM0ho 8wAABAMARjBEAiB6IvboWss3R4ItVwjebl7D3yoFaX0NDh2dWhhgwCxrHwIgCfq7 ocMC5t+1ji5M5xaLmPC4I+WX3I/ARkWSyiO7IQcwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQELBQADggIB ACeuur4QnujqmguSrHU3mhf+cJodzTQNqo4tde+PD1/eFdYAELu8xF+0At7xJiPY i5RKwilyP56v+3iY2T9lw7S8TJ041VLhaIKp14MzSUzRyeoOAsJ7QADMClHKUDlH UU2pNuo88Y6igovT3bsnwJNiEQNqymSSYhktw0taduoqjqXn06gsVioWTVDXysd5 qEx4t6sIgIcMm26YH1vJpCQEhKpc2y07gRkklBZRtMjThv4cXyyMX7uTcdT7AJBP ueifCoV25JxXuo8d5139gwP1BAe7IBVPx2u7KN/UyOXdZmwMf/TmFGwDdCfsyHf/ ZsB2wLHozTYoAVmQ9FoU1JLgcVivqJ+vNlBhHXhlxMdN0j80R9Nz6EIglQjeK3O8 I/cFGm/B8+42hOlCId9ZdtndJcRJVji0wD0qwevCafA9jJlHv/jsE+I9Uz6cpCyh sw+lrFdxUgqU58axqeK89FR+No4q0IIO+Ji1rJKr9nkSB0BqXozVnE1YB/KLvdIs uYZJuqb2pKku+zzT6gUwHUTZvBiNOtXL4Nxwc/KT7WzOSd2wP10QI8DKg4vfiNDs HWmB1c4Kji6gOgA5uSUzaGmq/v4VncK5Ur+n9LbfnfLc28J5ft/GotinMyDk3iar F10YlqcOmeX1uFmKbdi/XorGlkCoMF3TDx8rmp9DBiB/ CERTIFICATE CONCLUDED -----
Replace the filenames in ALL CAPS with the actual paths and filenames you're working with in the OpenSSL commands below.
uses the CERTIFICATE option of openssl x509 CERTIFICATE = pem -text -noout openssl x509 -outform der -in CERTIFICATE pem -out der
In Windows and Java server environments, you'll most frequently encounter PKCS#7 (or P7B for short), a container format for digital certificates. p7b Forget about using PKCS#7 for your private key storage needs. Below is an example of the use of the -certfile MORE directive: The pem file format is used to indicate a certificate chain that includes intermediate and root certificates. The SSL ca-bundle was successfully downloaded. com)
using the command openssl crl2pkcs7 -nocrl -certfile CERTIFICATE MORE pem -certfile CERTIFICATE OF PEM EXIT p7b
Common binary filename extensions for the PKCS#12 (also known as PKCS12 or PFX) format, which is used to store a certificate chain and private key in an encrypted single file, are and.pfx. p12 or pfx Use -certfile MORE as shown in the example below. When you use pem, you can add a file to your keychain that contains a series of certificates that serve as intermediates and root certificates. SSL ca-bundle download com), -inkey PRIVATEKEY, and -inkey key incorporates the CERTIFICATE private key certificate of finalization (crt) If you want to learn more about the command displayed, check out this tutorial.
uses the command openssl pkcs12 -export -out CERTIFICATE to generate a certificate. Replace PRIVATEKEY with your own key using pfx -inkey. To enter the CERTIFICATE, press [key]. certfile - crt MORE crt
A password prompt to secure the PKCS#12 file will appear after you run the preceding command. Don't forget this code. The file's certificates and keys cannot be accessed without it.
X.509 certificates and private keys are encoded in a binary format called DER (Distinguished Encoding Rules). In contrast to PEM, DER-encoded files do not include headers that read "BEGIN CERTIFICATE" or "END CERTIFICATE." The DER file format is typically used in a Java setting.
The file extensions commonly associated with DER-encoded files are der and cer
A DER-encoded version of the SSL/TLS certificate for the www ssl For more information, please visit the link below:
To see the DER certificate, click here.
3082 07fd 3082 05e5 a003 0201 0202 1068 ID: 1604: dff3:34f1:71d8:0a73:5599:c141:7230 0d06 092a 8648 86f7 0d01 010b 0500 3072 310b 3009 0603 5504 0613 0255 5331 0e30 0c06 0355 0408 0c05 5465 7861 7331 1030 0e06 0355 0407 0c07 486f 7573 746f 6e31 1130 0f06 0355 040a 0c08 5353 4c20 436f 7270 312e 302c 0603 5504 030c 2553 534c 2e63 6f6d 2045 5620 5353 4c20 496e 7465 726d 6564 6961 7465 2043 4120 5253 4120 5233 301e 170d 3230 3034 3031 3030 3538 3333 5a17 0d32 3130 3731 3630 3035 3833 335a 3081 bd31 0b30 0906 0355 0406 1302 5553 310e 300c 0603 5504 080c 0554 6578 6173 3110 300e 0603 5504 070c 0748 6f75 7374 6f6e 3111 300f 0603 5504 0a0c 0853 534c 2043 6f72 7031 1630 1406 0355 0405 130d 4e56 3230 3038 3136 3134 3234 3331 1430 1206 0355 0403 0c0b 7777 772e 7373 The code is 6c2e 636f 6d31 1d30 1b06 0355 040f 0c14. 5072 6976 6174 6520 4f72 6761 6e69 7a61 7469 6f6e 3117 3015 060b 2b06 0104 0182 373c 0201 020c 064e 6576 6164 6131 1330 1106 0b2b 0601 0401 8237 3c02 0103 1302 5553 3082 0122 300d 0609 2a86 4886 f70d 0101 0105 0003 8201 0f00 3082 010a 0282 The code is: 0101 00c7 85e4 646d bd45 09ce f144 ab2d number sequence: c0ad 0920 668a 63cb 7b25 b4b6 6d0d 9be9 5efda1e9 8209 0e09 c7b8 8607 a81a c251 The code is 6292-4a24-4641-6f72-f5A-2a29-c51c-3407. 5295 8423 a454 1116 2648 2837 3bc5 a2e3 It is 6b8e 715d 81e5 969b 9970 a4c1 dc58 e447. 2719 da00 19b7 4d9a 2466 25e7 505b 33c5 Code: 4a64e372cfa584cc60e1f158ea506988 This is a random number generator: 4545 8865 2319 147e eb54 7aec bcfa 5382 This sequence of numbers is: 8978:b35c:0a6d:3b43:0158:2819:a98b:4f20 the random numbers are: 7728 12bd 1754 c39e 49a2 9ade 763f 951a This is a very long string: d8d4 901e 2115 3e06 417f e086 debd 465a number sequence: b3ff ef2e d1d1 1092 1b94 bae7 2ba9 a966 To decode: 486c b8dc 7470 05f0 ca17 061e 58ce c23c 7bf7 4efa dd3c b7c3 db8f 3553 4efe c779 5270 dc4c 6140 30ac 1182 15d9 3ec0 148f 921e ff02 0301 0001 a382 0341 3082 033d Code: 301F 0603 551D 2304 1830 1680 14BF C15A ID: 87ff 28fa 413d fdb7 4fe4 1daf a061 5829 bd30 7f06 082b 0601 0505 0701 0104 7330 7130 4d06 082b 0601 0505 0730 0286 4168 It is: 7474 703a 2f2f 7777 772e 7373 6c2e 636f Its numerical value is 6d2f 7265 706f 7369 746f 7279 2f53 534c. ID: 636f 6d2d 5375 6243 412d 4556 2d53 534c 2d52 5341 2d34 3039 362d 5233 2e63 7274 3020 0608 2b06 0105 0507 3001 8614 6874 I got a 7470, a 3a2f, a 2f6f, a 6373, a 7073, a 2e73, a 7 6f6d 301f 0603 551d 1104 1830 1682 0b77 8207 7373 6c2e 7777 2e73 736c 2e63 6f6d 636f 6d30 5f06 0355 1d20 0458 3056 3007 0605 6781 0c01 0130 0d06 0b2a 8468 0186 f677 0205 0101 303c 060c 2b06 0104 0182 a930 0103 0104 302c 302a 0608 2b06 0105 0507 0201 161e 6874 7470 733a 2f2f 7777 6c2e 636f 6d2f 7265 706f 7369 772e 7373 746f 7279 301d 0603 551d 2504 1630 1406 082b 0601 0505 0703 0206 082b 0601 0505 0703 0130 4806 0355 1d1f 0441 303f 303d codes: a03b a039 8637 6874 7470 3a2f 2f63 726c The hexadecimal representation of this sequence is: 732e 7373 6c2e 636f 6d2f 5353 4c63 6f6d 2d53 7562 4341 2d45 562d 5353 4c2d 5253 412d 3430 3936 2d52 332e 6372 6c30 1d06 The numerical sequence is: 0355 1d0e 0416 0414 00c0 1542 1acf 0e6b Number: 6481: daa6: 7471: 2149: e9c3: e18b: 300e: 0603 Code: 551d 0f01 00f0 050 004 0510 00a8 007d 060a 2b06 0104 01d6 7902 0402 0482 016d 0482 0169 0167 0077 00f6 5c94 2fd1 7730 To illustrate: 2214 5418 0830 9456 8ee3 4d13 1933 bfdf 7133 4868 0c2f 200b cc4e f164 e300 6f00 0004 0300 4830 4602 2100 eb17 a588 The code is: d47c 1a4f fade 961d 9d2f ef3b 1fc2 8e9b 5881 0221 00f2 4430 4bfc f565 a1d7 fbab Combining: 06b7 8753 6e43 cf0b a441 a450 8f05 bae7 the numbers 964b 92a0 a7c5 bc50 5918 8e7a 68fd 2400 This is a 7500 9220 bc1e 8ed5 8d6c 8873 1f82 8b22 61db 4e2f 584d 2c0d d1da 4d5e 6c4f 943d a2c2 0000 0171 3348 68dc 0000 0403 0046 The code is 3044 0220 1911 38c3 369b 3517 43f2 4abf. code: bc53:f7b5:07b6:866d:31e6:75ee:968c:21e0 860 0 220 561 FF79 520 EC07 86f0 0b11e2bf97a56b442924c558998d0916dc 11e2 bf97a56b442924c558998d09 Code: 5c9b abd9 1181 0075 00ee c095 ee8d 7264 Combination: 0f92 e3c3 b91b c712 a369 6a09 7b4b 6a1a I got: 1438 e647 b2cb edc5 f900 0001 7133 4868 f300 0004 0300 4630 4402 207a 22f6 e85a 697d c3df 2a05 4782 2d57 08de 6e5e code: 0d0e1d9d5a1860c02c6b1f022009fabb I got a1c3 02e6 dfb5 8e2e 4ce7 168b 98f0 b823. To be exact: e597 dc8f c046 4592 ca23 bb21 0730 0d06. 092a 8648 86f7 0d01 010b 0500 0382 0201 For example: 0027 aeba be10 9ee8 ea9a 0b92 ac75 379a 0f5f 17fe 709a 1dcd 340d aa8e 2d75 ef8f The numbers are: de15 d600 10bb bcc4 5fb4 02de f126 23d8 Its numerical value is 8b94 4ac2 2972 3f9e affb 7898 d93f 65c3. code: b4bc4c9d38d552e1-6882a9d7-8333-494c This sequence of numbers is: d1c9 ea0e 02c2 7b40 00cc 0a51 ca50 3947 The hexadecimal equivalent of this string is: 514d a936 ea3c f18e a282 8bd3 ddbb 27c0. number sequence: 936211036aca649262192dc34b5a76ea 779 2a8e a5e7 d3a8 2c56 2a16 4d50 d7ca c779 the numbers are: a84c 78b7 ab08 8087 0c9b 6e98 1f5b c9a4 I got: 2404 84aa 5cdb 2d3b 8119 2494 1651 b4c8 ID: d386FE1C5F2C8C5FBB9371D4FB00904F number sequence: b9e8 9f0a 8576 e49c 57ba 8f1d e75d fd83 In the following sequence: 03f5 0407 bb20 154f c76b bb28 dfd4 c8e5 numerical code: dd66 6c0c 7ff4 e614 6c03 7427 ecc8 77ff 2660 f45a 14d4 66c0 76c0 b1e8 cd36 2801 5990 7158 92e0 9fa8 3650 611d 7865 c4c7 7bc 4dd2 3f34 47d3 73e8 4220 9508 de2b 73bc F3ee 3684 E942 21df 5976 23f7051a6fc1 6fc1 the random numbers are: d9dd 25c4 4956 38b4 c03d 2ac1 ebc2 69f0 9ca4 2ca1 3d8c 9947 bff8 ec13 e23d 533e code: b30f:a5ac:5771:520a:94e7:c6b1:a9e2:bcf4:a:c:f:f:f:f:f:f:f:f:f:f:f: The hash is: 547e 368e 2ad0 820e f898 b5ac 92ab f679. To illustrate: 1207 406a 5e8c d59c 4d58 07f2 8bbd d22c The digits in this code are: b986 49ba a6f6 a4a9 2efb 3cd3 ea05 301d Code: 44d9 bc18 8d3a d5cb e0dc 7073 f293 ed6c code: ce49 ddb0 3f5d 1023 c0ca 838b df88 d0ec A random sequence of hexadecimal digits: 1d69 81d5 ce0a 8e2e a03a 0039 b925 3368 The code is: 69aa fefe 159d c2b9 52bf a7f4 b6df 9df2 code: dcdb::c279::7edf::c6a2::d8a7:::3320::e4de::26ab::::::::::::::::: Numbers: 175d 1896 a70e 99e5 f5b8 598a 6dd8 bf5e 9aac 9604a830 5dd3 0f1f 2b9a 9f43 0620 7f
All filenames in the following OpenSSL commands should be replaced with the appropriate paths and filenames.
launchessl x509 -inform der -in CERTIFICATE CERTIFICATE der -text -noout openssl x509 -inform der -in certification of completion pem
To use a DER certificate with PKCS#12, you must first convert it to PEM format, and then merge it with any other certificates and/or private key you may need. See this guide for a comprehensive breakdown of the process of moving from DER to PKCS#12.