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NAME | SYNOPSIS | DESCRIPTION | OPTIONS | FILES | EXAMPLES | EXIT STATUS | SEE ALSO | AUTHORS | COPYRIGHT | BUGS | COLOPHON |
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certtool(1) User Commands certtool(1)
certtool - GnuTLS certificate tool
certtool [-flags] [-flag [value]] [--option-name[[=| ]value]]
All arguments must be options.
Tool to parse and generate X.509 certificates, requests and
private keys. It can be used interactively or non interactively
by specifying the template command line option.
The tool accepts files or supported URIs via the --infile option.
In case PIN is required for URI access you can provide it using
the environment variables GNUTLS_PIN and GNUTLS_SO_PIN.
-d num, --debug=num Enable debugging. This option takes an
integer number as its argument. The value of num is constrained
to being:
in the range 0 through 9999
Specifies the debug level.
-V, --verbose More verbose output.
--infile=file Input file.
--outfile=str Output file.
--attime=timestamp Perform validation at the timestamp instead of
the system time.
timestamp is an instance in time encoded as Unix time or in a
human
readable timestring such as "29 Feb 2004", "2004-02-29". Full
documentation available at
<https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/html_node/Date-input-formats.html>
or locally via info '(coreutils) date invocation'.
Certificate related options
-i, --certificate-info Print information on the given certificate.
--pubkey-info Print information on a public key.
The option combined with --load-request, --load-pubkey,
--load-privkey and --load-certificate will extract the public key
of the object in question.
-s, --generate-self-signed Generate a self-signed certificate.
-c, --generate-certificate Generate a signed certificate.
--generate-proxy Generates a proxy certificate.
-u, --update-certificate Update a signed certificate.
--fingerprint Print the fingerprint of the given certificate.
This is a simple hash of the DER encoding of the certificate. It
can be combined with the --hash parameter. However, it is
recommended for identification to use the key-id which depends
only on the certificate's key.
--key-id Print the key ID of the given certificate.
This is a hash of the public key of the given certificate. It
identifies the key uniquely, remains the same on a certificate
renewal and depends only on signed fields of the certificate.
--certificate-pubkey Print certificate's public key.
This option is deprecated as a duplicate of --pubkey-info
NOTE: THIS OPTION IS DEPRECATED
--v1 Generate an X.509 version 1 certificate (with no extensions).
--sign-params=str Sign a certificate with a specific signature
algorithm.
This option can be combined with --generate-certificate, to sign
the certificate with a specific signature algorithm variant. The
only option supported is 'RSA-PSS', and should be specified when
the signer does not have a certificate which is marked for RSA-PSS
use only.
Certificate request related options
--crq-info Print information on the given certificate request.
-q, --generate-request Generate a PKCS #10 certificate request.
This option must not appear in combination with any of the
following options: infile.
Will generate a PKCS #10 certificate request. To specify a private
key use --load-privkey.
--no-crq-extensions Do not use extensions in certificate requests.
PKCS#12 file related options
--p12-info Print information on a PKCS #12 structure.
This option will dump the contents and print the metadata of the
provided PKCS #12 structure.
--p12-name=str The PKCS #12 friendly name to use.
The name to be used for the primary certificate and private key in
a PKCS #12 file.
--to-p12 Generate a PKCS #12 structure.
It requires a certificate, a private key and possibly a CA
certificate to be specified.
--pbmac1 Use PBMAC1 in a PKCS #12 structure.
Private key related options
-k, --key-info Print information on a private key.
--p8-info Print information on a PKCS #8 structure.
This option will print information about encrypted PKCS #8
structures. That option does not require the decryption of the
structure.
--to-rsa Convert an RSA-PSS key to raw RSA format.
It requires an RSA-PSS key as input and will output a raw RSA key.
This command is necessary for compatibility with applications that
cannot read RSA-PSS keys.
-p, --generate-privkey Generate a private key.
When generating RSA-PSS or RSA-OAEP private keys, the --hash
option will restrict the allowed hash for the key; For RSA-PSS
keys the --salt-size option is also acceptable.
--key-type=str Specify the key type to use on key generation.
This option can be combined with --generate-privkey, to specify
the key type to be generated. Valid options are, 'rsa', 'rsa-pss',
'rsa-oaep', 'dsa', 'ecdsa', 'ed25519, 'ed448', 'x25519', and
'x448'.'. When combined with certificate generation it can be
used to specify an RSA-PSS certificate when an RSA key is given.
--key-format=str Specify the key format to use on key generation.
This option can be combined with --generate-privkey, to specify
the key format to be generated, when the key type is ML-DSA. Valid
options are, 'seed', 'expanded', and 'both'.
--bits=num Specify the number of bits for key generation. This
option takes an integer number as its argument.
--curve=str Specify the curve used for EC key generation.
Supported values are secp192r1, secp224r1, secp256r1, secp384r1
and secp521r1.
--sec-param=security parameter Specify the security level [low,
legacy, medium, high, ultra].
This is alternative to the bits option.
--to-p8 Convert a given key to a PKCS #8 structure.
This needs to be combined with --load-privkey.
-8, --pkcs8 Use PKCS #8 format for private keys.
--provable Generate a private key or parameters from a seed using
a provable method.
This will use the FIPS PUB186-4 algorithms (i.e., Shawe-Taylor)
for provable key generation. When specified the private keys or
parameters will be generated from a seed, and can be later
validated with --verify-provable-privkey to be correctly generated
from the seed. You may specify --seed or allow GnuTLS to generate
one (recommended). This option can be combined with
--generate-privkey or --generate-dh-params.
That option applies to RSA and DSA keys. On the DSA keys the PQG
parameters are generated using the seed, and on RSA the two
primes.
--verify-provable-privkey Verify a private key generated from a
seed using a provable method.
This will use the FIPS-186-4 algorithms for provable key
generation. You may specify --seed or use the seed stored in the
private key structure.
--seed=str When generating a private key use the given hex-encoded
seed.
The seed acts as a security parameter for the private key, and
thus a seed size which corresponds to the security level of the
private key should be provided (e.g., 256-bits seed).
CRL related options
-l, --crl-info Print information on the given CRL structure.
--generate-crl Generate a CRL.
This option generates a Certificate Revocation List. When combined
with --load-crl it would use the loaded CRL as base for the
generated (i.e., all revoked certificates in the base will be
copied to the new CRL). To add new certificates to the CRL use
--load-certificate.
--verify-crl Verify a Certificate Revocation List using a trusted
list. This option must appear in combination with the following
options: load-ca-certificate.
The trusted certificate list must be loaded with
--load-ca-certificate.
Certificate verification related options
-e, --verify-chain Verify a PEM encoded certificate chain.
Verifies the validity of a certificate chain. That is, an ordered
set of certificates where each one is the issuer of the previous,
and the first is the end-certificate to be validated. In a proper
chain the last certificate is a self signed one. It can be
combined with --verify-purpose or --verify-hostname.
--verify Verify a PEM encoded certificate (chain) against a
trusted set.
The trusted certificate list can be loaded with
--load-ca-certificate. If no certificate list is provided, then
the system's trusted certificate list is used. Note that during
verification multiple paths may be explored. On a successful
verification the successful path will be the last one. It can be
combined with --verify-purpose or --verify-hostname.
--verify-hostname=str Specify a hostname to be used for
certificate chain verification.
This is to be combined with one of the verify certificate options.
--verify-email=str Specify a email to be used for certificate
chain verification. This option must not appear in combination
with any of the following options: verify-hostname.
This is to be combined with one of the verify certificate options.
--verify-purpose=str Specify a purpose OID to be used for
certificate chain verification.
This object identifier restricts the purpose of the certificates
to be verified. Example purposes are 1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.1 (TLS WWW),
1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.4 (EMAIL) etc. Note that a CA certificate without
a purpose set (extended key usage) is valid for any purpose.
--verify-allow-broken Allow broken algorithms, such as MD5 for
verification.
This can be combined with --p7-verify, --verify or --verify-chain.
--verify-profile=str Specify a security level profile to be used
for verification.
This option can be used to specify a certificate verification
profile. Certificate
verification profiles correspond to the security level. This
should be one of
'none', 'very weak', 'low', 'legacy', 'medium', 'high',
'ultra',
'future'. Note that by default no profile is applied, unless
one is set
as minimum in the gnutls configuration file.
PKCS#7 structure options
--p7-generate Generate a PKCS #7 structure.
This option generates a PKCS #7 certificate container structure.
To add certificates in the structure use --load-certificate and
--load-crl.
--p7-sign Signs using a PKCS #7 structure.
This option generates a PKCS #7 structure containing a signature
for the provided data from infile. The data are stored within the
structure. The signer certificate has to be specified using
--load-certificate and --load-privkey. The input to
--load-certificate can be a list of certificates. In case of a
list, the first certificate is used for signing and the other
certificates are included in the structure.
--p7-detached-sign Signs using a detached PKCS #7 structure.
This option generates a PKCS #7 structure containing a signature
for the provided data from infile. The signer certificate has to
be specified using --load-certificate and --load-privkey. The
input to --load-certificate can be a list of certificates. In case
of a list, the first certificate is used for signing and the other
certificates are included in the structure.
--p7-include-cert, --no-p7-include-cert The signer's certificate
will be included in the cert list. The no-p7-include-cert form
will disable the option. This option is enabled by default.
This options works with --p7-sign or --p7-detached-sign and will
include or exclude the signer's certificate into the generated
signature.
--p7-time, --no-p7-time Will include a timestamp in the PKCS #7
structure. The no-p7-time form will disable the option.
This option will include a timestamp in the generated signature
--p7-show-data, --no-p7-show-data Will show the embedded data in
the PKCS #7 structure. The no-p7-show-data form will disable the
option.
This option can be combined with --p7-verify or --p7-info and will
display the embedded signed data in the PKCS #7 structure.
--p7-info Print information on a PKCS #7 structure.
--p7-verify Verify the provided PKCS #7 structure.
This option verifies the signed PKCS #7 structure. The certificate
list to use for verification can be specified with
--load-ca-certificate. When no certificate list is provided, then
the system's certificate list is used. Alternatively a direct
signer can be provided using --load-certificate. A key purpose can
be enforced with the --verify-purpose option, and the --load-data
option will utilize detached data.
--smime-to-p7 Convert S/MIME to PKCS #7 structure.
Other options
--generate-dh-params Generate PKCS #3 encoded Diffie-Hellman
parameters.
The will generate random parameters to be used with Diffie-Hellman
key exchange. The output parameters will be in PKCS #3 format.
Note that it is recommended to use the --get-dh-params option
instead.
NOTE: THIS OPTION IS DEPRECATED
--get-dh-params List the included PKCS #3 encoded Diffie-Hellman
parameters.
Returns stored DH parameters in GnuTLS. Those parameters returned
are defined in RFC7919, and can be considered standard parameters
for a TLS key exchange. This option is provided for old
applications which require DH parameters to be specified; modern
GnuTLS applications should not require them.
--dh-info Print information PKCS #3 encoded Diffie-Hellman
parameters.
--load-privkey=str Loads a private key file.
This can be either a file or a PKCS #11 URL
--load-pubkey=str Loads a public key file.
This can be either a file or a PKCS #11 URL
--load-request=str Loads a certificate request file.
This option can be used with a file
--load-certificate=str Loads a certificate file.
This option can be used with a file
--load-ca-privkey=str Loads the certificate authority's private
key file.
This can be either a file or a PKCS #11 URL
--load-ca-certificate=str Loads the certificate authority's
certificate file.
This can be either a file or a PKCS #11 URL
--load-crl=str Loads the provided CRL.
This option can be used with a file
--load-data=str Loads auxiliary data.
This option can be used with a file
--password=str Password to use.
You can use this option to specify the password in the command
line instead of reading it from the tty. Note, that the command
line arguments are available for view in others in the system.
Specifying password as '' is the same as specifying no password.
--null-password Enforce a NULL password.
This option enforces a NULL password. This is different than the
empty or no password in schemas like PKCS #8.
--empty-password Enforce an empty password.
This option enforces an empty password. This is different than the
NULL or no password in schemas like PKCS #8.
--hex-numbers Print big number in an easier format to parse.
--cprint In certain operations it prints the information in C-
friendly format.
In certain operations it prints the information in C-friendly
format, suitable for including into C programs.
--rsa Generate RSA key.
When combined with --generate-privkey generates an RSA private
key.
NOTE: THIS OPTION IS DEPRECATED
--dsa Generate DSA key.
When combined with --generate-privkey generates a DSA private key.
NOTE: THIS OPTION IS DEPRECATED
--ecc Generate ECC (ECDSA) key.
When combined with --generate-privkey generates an elliptic curve
private key to be used with ECDSA.
NOTE: THIS OPTION IS DEPRECATED
--ecdsa This is an alias for the --ecc option.
NOTE: THIS OPTION IS DEPRECATED
--hash=str Hash algorithm to use for signing.
Available hash functions are SHA1, RMD160, SHA256, SHA384, SHA512,
SHA3-224, SHA3-256, SHA3-384, SHA3-512.
--salt-size=num Specify the RSA-PSS key default salt size. This
option takes an integer number as its argument.
Typical keys shouldn't set or restrict this option.
--label=str Specify the RSA-OAEP label, encoded in hexadecimal.
Typical keys shouldn't set or restrict this option.
--inder, --no-inder Use DER format for input certificates, private
keys, and DH parameters . The no-inder form will disable the
option.
The input files will be assumed to be in DER or RAW format.
Unlike options that in PEM input would allow multiple input data
(e.g. multiple certificates), when reading in DER format a single
data structure is read.
--inraw This is an alias for the --inder option.
--outder, --no-outder Use DER format for output certificates,
private keys, and DH parameters. The no-outder form will disable
the option.
The output will be in DER or RAW format.
--outraw This is an alias for the --outder option.
--disable-quick-random No effect.
NOTE: THIS OPTION IS DEPRECATED
--template=str Template file to use for non-interactive operation.
--stdout-info Print information to stdout instead of stderr.
--ask-pass Enable interaction for entering password when in batch
mode.
This option will enable interaction to enter password when in
batch mode. That is useful when the template option has been
specified.
--pkcs-cipher=cipher Cipher to use for PKCS #8 and #12 operations.
Cipher may be one of 3des, 3des-pkcs12, aes-128, aes-192, aes-256,
rc2-40, arcfour.
--provider=str Specify the PKCS #11 provider library.
This will override the default options in /etc/gnutls/pkcs11.conf
--text, --no-text Output textual information before PEM-encoded
certificates, private keys, etc. The no-text form will disable
the option. This option is enabled by default.
Output textual information before PEM-encoded data
-v arg, --version=arg Output version of program and exit. The
default mode is `v', a simple version. The `c' mode will print
copyright information and `n' will print the full copyright
notice.
-h, --help Display usage information and exit.
-!, --more-help Pass the extended usage information through a
pager.
Certtool's template file format
A template file can be used to avoid the interactive
questions of certtool. Initially create a file named
'cert.cfg' that contains the information about the
certificate. The template can be used as below:
$ certtool --generate-certificate --load-privkey key.pem --template cert.cfg --outfile cert.pem --load-ca-certificate ca-cert.pem --load-ca-privkey ca-key.pem
An example certtool template file that can be used to
generate a certificate request or a self signed certificate
follows.
# X.509 Certificate options
#
# DN options
# The organization of the subject.
organization = "Koko inc."
# The organizational unit of the subject.
unit = "sleeping dept."
# The locality of the subject.
# locality =
# The state of the certificate owner.
state = "Attiki"
# The country of the subject. Two letter code.
country = GR
# The common name of the certificate owner.
cn = "Cindy Lauper"
# A user id of the certificate owner.
#uid = "clauper"
# Set domain components
#dc = "name"
#dc = "domain"
# If the supported DN OIDs are not adequate you can set
# any OID here.
# For example set the X.520 Title and the X.520 Pseudonym
# by using OID and string pairs.
#dn_oid = "2.5.4.12 Dr."
#dn_oid = "2.5.4.65 jackal"
# This is deprecated and should not be used in new
# certificates.
# pkcs9_email = "none@none.org"
# An alternative way to set the certificate's distinguished name directly
# is with the "dn" option. The attribute names allowed are:
# C (country), street, O (organization), OU (unit), title, CN (common name),
# L (locality), ST (state), placeOfBirth, gender, countryOfCitizenship,
# countryOfResidence, serialNumber, telephoneNumber, surName, initials,
# generationQualifier, givenName, pseudonym, dnQualifier, postalCode, name,
# businessCategory, DC, UID, jurisdictionOfIncorporationLocalityName,
# jurisdictionOfIncorporationStateOrProvinceName,
# jurisdictionOfIncorporationCountryName, XmppAddr, and numeric OIDs.
#dn = "cn = Nikos,st = New Something,C=GR,surName=Mavrogiannopoulos,2.5.4.9=Arkadias"
# The serial number of the certificate
# The value is in decimal (i.e. 1963) or hex (i.e. 0x07ab).
# Comment the field for a random serial number.
serial = 007
# In how many days, counting from today, this certificate will expire.
# Use -1 if there is no expiration date.
expiration_days = 700
# Alternatively you may set concrete dates and time. The GNU date string
# formats are accepted. See:
# https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/manual/html_node/Date-input-formats.html
#activation_date = "2004-02-29 16:21:42"
#expiration_date = "2025-02-29 16:24:41"
# X.509 v3 extensions
# A dnsname in case of a WWW server.
#dns_name = "www.none.org"
#dns_name = "www.morethanone.org"
# An othername defined by an OID and a hex encoded string
#other_name = "1.3.6.1.5.2.2 302ca00d1b0b56414e5245494e2e4f5247a11b3019a006020400000002a10f300d1b047269636b1b0561646d696e"
#other_name_utf8 = "1.2.4.5.6 A UTF8 string"
#other_name_octet = "1.2.4.5.6 A string that will be encoded as ASN.1 octet string"
# Allows writing an XmppAddr Identifier
#xmpp_name = juliet@im.example.com
# Names used in PKINIT
#krb5_principal = user@REALM.COM
#krb5_principal = HTTP/user@REALM.COM
# A subject alternative name URI
#uri = "https://www.example.com"
# An IP address in case of a server.
#ip_address = "192.168.1.1"
# An email in case of a person
email = "none@none.org"
# TLS feature (rfc7633) extension. That can is used to indicate mandatory TLS
# extension features to be provided by the server. In practice this is used
# to require the Status Request (extid: 5) extension from the server. That is,
# to require the server holding this certificate to provide a stapled OCSP response.
# You can have multiple lines for multiple TLS features.
# To ask for OCSP status request use:
#tls_feature = 5
# Challenge password used in certificate requests
challenge_password = 123456
# Password when encrypting a private key
#password = secret
# An URL that has CRLs (certificate revocation lists)
# available. Needed in CA certificates.
#crl_dist_points = "https://www.getcrl.crl/getcrl/"
# Whether this is a CA certificate or not
#ca
# Subject Unique ID (in hex)
#subject_unique_id = 00153224
# Issuer Unique ID (in hex)
#issuer_unique_id = 00153225
#### Key usage
# The following key usage flags are used by CAs and end certificates
# Whether this certificate will be used to sign data (needed
# in TLS DHE ciphersuites). This is the digitalSignature flag
# in RFC5280 terminology.
signing_key
# Whether this certificate will be used to encrypt data (needed
# in TLS RSA ciphersuites). Note that it is preferred to use different
# keys for encryption and signing. This is the keyEncipherment flag
# in RFC5280 terminology.
encryption_key
# Whether this key will be used to sign other certificates. The
# keyCertSign flag in RFC5280 terminology.
#cert_signing_key
# Whether this key will be used to sign CRLs. The
# cRLSign flag in RFC5280 terminology.
#crl_signing_key
# The keyAgreement flag of RFC5280. Its purpose is loosely
# defined. Not use it unless required by a protocol.
#key_agreement
# The dataEncipherment flag of RFC5280. Its purpose is loosely
# defined. Not use it unless required by a protocol.
#data_encipherment
# The nonRepudiation flag of RFC5280. Its purpose is loosely
# defined. Not use it unless required by a protocol.
#non_repudiation
#### Extended key usage (key purposes)
# The following extensions are used in an end certificate
# to clarify its purpose. Some CAs also use it to indicate
# the types of certificates they are purposed to sign.
# Whether this certificate will be used for a TLS client;
# this sets the id-kp-clientAuth (1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.2) of
# extended key usage.
#tls_www_client
# Whether this certificate will be used for a TLS server;
# this sets the id-kp-serverAuth (1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.1) of
# extended key usage.
#tls_www_server
# Whether this key will be used to sign code. This sets the
# id-kp-codeSigning (1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.3) of extended key usage
# extension.
#code_signing_key
# Whether this key will be used to sign OCSP data. This sets the
# id-kp-OCSPSigning (1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.9) of extended key usage extension.
#ocsp_signing_key
# Whether this key will be used for time stamping. This sets the
# id-kp-timeStamping (1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.8) of extended key usage extension.
#time_stamping_key
# Whether this key will be used for email protection. This sets the
# id-kp-emailProtection (1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.4) of extended key usage extension.
#email_protection_key
# Whether this key will be used for IPsec IKE operations (1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.17).
#ipsec_ike_key
## adding custom key purpose OIDs
# for microsoft smart card logon
# key_purpose_oid = 1.3.6.1.4.1.311.20.2.2
# for email protection
# key_purpose_oid = 1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.4
# for any purpose (must not be used in intermediate CA certificates)
# key_purpose_oid = 2.5.29.37.0
### end of key purpose OIDs
### Adding arbitrary extensions
# This requires to provide the extension OIDs, as well as the extension data in
# hex format. The following two options are available since GnuTLS 3.5.3.
#add_extension = "1.2.3.4 0x0AAB01ACFE"
# As above but encode the data as an octet string
#add_extension = "1.2.3.4 octet_string(0x0AAB01ACFE)"
# For portability critical extensions shouldn't be set to certificates.
#add_critical_extension = "5.6.7.8 0x1AAB01ACFE"
# When generating a certificate from a certificate
# request, then honor the extensions stored in the request
# and store them in the real certificate.
#honor_crq_extensions
# Alternatively only specific extensions can be copied.
#honor_crq_ext = 2.5.29.17
#honor_crq_ext = 2.5.29.15
# Path length constraint. Sets the maximum number of
# certificates that can be used to certify this certificate.
# (i.e. the certificate chain length)
#path_len = -1
#path_len = 2
# OCSP URI
# ocsp_uri = https://my.ocsp.server/ocsp
# CA issuers URI
# ca_issuers_uri = https://my.ca.issuer
# Certificate policies
#policy1 = 1.3.6.1.4.1.5484.1.10.99.1.0
#policy1_txt = "This is a long policy to summarize"
#policy1_url = https://www.example.com/a-policy-to-read
#policy2 = 1.3.6.1.4.1.5484.1.10.99.1.1
#policy2_txt = "This is a short policy"
#policy2_url = https://www.example.com/another-policy-to-read
# The number of additional certificates that may appear in a
# path before the anyPolicy is no longer acceptable.
#inhibit_anypolicy_skip_certs 1
# Name constraints
# DNS
#nc_permit_dns = example.com
#nc_exclude_dns = test.example.com
# EMAIL
#nc_permit_email = "nmav@ex.net"
# Exclude subdomains of example.com
#nc_exclude_email = .example.com
# Exclude all e-mail addresses of example.com
#nc_exclude_email = example.com
# IP
#nc_permit_ip = 192.168.0.0/16
#nc_exclude_ip = 192.168.5.0/24
#nc_permit_ip = fc0a:eef2:e7e7:a56e::/64
# Options for proxy certificates
#proxy_policy_language = 1.3.6.1.5.5.7.21.1
# Options for generating a CRL
# The number of days the next CRL update will be due.
# next CRL update will be in 43 days
#crl_next_update = 43
# this is the 5th CRL by this CA
# The value is in decimal (i.e. 1963) or hex (i.e. 0x07ab).
# Comment the field for a time-based number.
# Time-based CRL numbers generated in GnuTLS 3.6.3 and later
# are significantly larger than those generated in previous
# versions. Since CRL numbers need to be monotonic, you need
# to specify the CRL number here manually if you intend to
# downgrade to an earlier version than 3.6.3 after publishing
# the CRL as it is not possible to specify CRL numbers greater
# than 2**63-2 using hex notation in those versions.
#crl_number = 5
# Specify the update dates more precisely.
#crl_this_update_date = "2004-02-29 16:21:42"
#crl_next_update_date = "2025-02-29 16:24:41"
# The date that the certificates will be made seen as
# being revoked.
#crl_revocation_date = "2025-02-29 16:24:41"
Generating private keys
To create an RSA private key, run:
$ certtool --generate-privkey --outfile key.pem --rsa
To create a DSA or elliptic curves (ECDSA) private key use the
above command combined with 'dsa' or 'ecc' options.
Generating certificate requests
To create a certificate request (needed when the certificate is
issued by another party), run:
certtool --generate-request --load-privkey key.pem --outfile request.pem
If the private key is stored in a smart card you can generate a
request by specifying the private key object URL.
$ ./certtool --generate-request --load-privkey "pkcs11:..." --load-pubkey "pkcs11:..." --outfile request.pem
Generating a self-signed certificate
To create a self signed certificate, use the command:
$ certtool --generate-privkey --outfile ca-key.pem
$ certtool --generate-self-signed --load-privkey ca-key.pem --outfile ca-cert.pem
Note that a self-signed certificate usually belongs to a
certificate authority, that signs other certificates.
Generating a certificate
To generate a certificate using the previous request, use the
command:
$ certtool --generate-certificate --load-request request.pem --outfile cert.pem --load-ca-certificate ca-cert.pem --load-ca-privkey ca-key.pem
To generate a certificate using the private key only, use the
command:
$ certtool --generate-certificate --load-privkey key.pem --outfile cert.pem --load-ca-certificate ca-cert.pem --load-ca-privkey ca-key.pem
Certificate information
To view the certificate information, use:
$ certtool --certificate-info --infile cert.pem
Changing the certificate format
To convert the certificate from PEM to DER format, use:
$ certtool --certificate-info --infile cert.pem --outder --outfile cert.der
PKCS #12 structure generation
To generate a PKCS #12 structure using the previous key and
certificate, use the command:
$ certtool --load-certificate cert.pem --load-privkey key.pem --to-p12 --outder --outfile key.p12
Some tools (reportedly web browsers) have problems with that file
because it does not contain the CA certificate for the
certificate. To work around that problem in the tool, you can use
the --load-ca-certificate parameter as follows:
$ certtool --load-ca-certificate ca.pem --load-certificate cert.pem --load-privkey key.pem --to-p12 --outder --outfile key.p12
Obtaining Diffie-Hellman parameters
To obtain the RFC7919 parameters for Diffie-Hellman key exchange,
use the command:
$ certtool --get-dh-params --outfile dh.pem --sec-param medium
Verifying a certificate
To verify a certificate in a file against the system's CA trust
store use the following command:
$ certtool --verify --infile cert.pem
It is also possible to simulate hostname verification with the
following options:
$ certtool --verify --verify-hostname www.example.com --infile cert.pem
Proxy certificate generation
Proxy certificate can be used to delegate your credential to a
temporary, typically short-lived, certificate. To create one from
the previously created certificate, first create a temporary key
and then generate a proxy certificate for it, using the commands:
$ certtool --generate-privkey > proxy-key.pem
$ certtool --generate-proxy --load-ca-privkey key.pem --load-privkey proxy-key.pem --load-certificate cert.pem --outfile proxy-cert.pem
Certificate revocation list generation
To create an empty Certificate Revocation List (CRL) do:
$ certtool --generate-crl --load-ca-privkey x509-ca-key.pem --load-ca-certificate x509-ca.pem
To create a CRL that contains some revoked certificates, place the
certificates in a file and use --load-certificate as follows:
$ certtool --generate-crl --load-ca-privkey x509-ca-key.pem --load-ca-certificate x509-ca.pem --load-certificate revoked-certs.pem
To verify a Certificate Revocation List (CRL) do:
$ certtool --verify-crl --load-ca-certificate x509-ca.pem < crl.pem
One of the following exit values will be returned:
0 (EXIT_SUCCESS) Successful program execution.
1 (EXIT_FAILURE) The operation failed or the command syntax was
not valid.
p11tool(1), psktool(1), srptool(1)
Copyright (C) 2020-2023 Free Software Foundation, and others all
rights reserved. This program is released under the terms of the
GNU General Public License, version 3 or later
Please send bug reports to: bugs@gnutls.org
This page is part of the GnuTLS (GnuTLS Transport Layer Security
Library) project. Information about the project can be found at
⟨http://www.gnutls.org/⟩. If you have a bug report for this
manual page, send it to bugs@gnutls.org. This page was obtained
from the tarball fetched from
⟨https://www.gnupg.org/ftp/gcrypt/gnutls/⟩ on 2025-08-11. If you
discover any rendering problems in this HTML version of the page,
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page, or you have corrections or improvements to the information
in this COLOPHON (which is not part of the original manual page),
send a mail to man-pages@man7.org
3.8.10 09 Jul 2025 certtool(1)
Pages that refer to this page: danetool(1), ocsptool(1), p11tool(1), psktool(1), srptool(1), tpmtool(1)
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