There are many formats in whichdigital certificatescan be downloaded or converted. Following are X.509 certificate encoding formats and extensions:
Binary
DER: .der, .cer
PKCS#12: .p12, pfx
Base64
PKCS#7: .p7c, .p7b
PEM: .crt, .ca-bundle, .pem
However, different certificate forms have no advantages or disadvantages. It all depends on the certificate’s format requirements for the application that will be using it.
PEM
A PEM (Privacy Enhanced Mail) file is a Base64-encoded certificate file used to verify a website’s security. It may contain a private key, a server certificate from a certificate authority (CA), or other trust chain certificates. PEM files are compatible with OpenSSL applications and are commonly imported from a Unix-based Apache Web server.
You can see the contents of a PEM file with the help of a text editor. The file has one or more headers that describe the information contained within it. A PEM file for a certificate includes the “—-BEGIN CERTIFICATE—-” and “—-END CERTIFICATE—-” statements.
A PEM file can have several certificates and private keys one after another.
Linux and Unix-based web servers typically use PEM files.
Commonly used extensions of PEM files are: .cer, .pem, .crt, .key
DER (Distinguished Encoding Rules)
A DER (Distinguished Encoding Rules) file is a binary format certificate file. As DER files can end in either .der or .cer, you will need to read the file with a text editor to tell the difference between DER.cer and PEM.cer. There should be no BEGIN/END statements in a DER file, or the binary information will be distorted.
The DER format can be used to encode both digital certificates and private keys.
DER files are generally used with java platforms.
Commonly used extensions of DER files are: .cer and .der
PKCS#7
PKCS#7 is a Base64-encoded certificate file. This format cannot be used to store private keys. Only digital certificates and Certificate Revocation List (CRL) can be stored in PKCS#7 file format.
A PKCS#7 file contains the “—-BEGIN PKCS7—-” and “—-END PKCS7—-” statements.
Commonly used extensions of PKCS#7 files are: .p7b and .p7c
Java Tomcat and Microsoft Windows platforms commonly use these files.
PKCS#12
PKCS#12 is a single password-protected binary file format that stores the server certificate, intermediate certificate, and private key. It refers to a personal information exchange format.
Windows platforms commonly use these files to import and export certificates and private keys.
Commonly used extensions are: .p12, ,pfx
Change Certificate Format By Changing The Extension
You can convert the following file format into different formats by changing the extensions.
PEM
You can change the PEM file format to the following formats by changing its extension:
.crt
.cer
.pem
.key
For Example: Convert the .crt certificate file into .pem file.
Open the .crt certificate file in any text editor.
Go to File.
Click on Save As
In Save as type “Select All Files.”
In the File name, enter the file name and the extension you want to convert (.cer, .key, .pem, .crt).
Note: OpenSSL will combine all the Certificates and Private Keys into a single file when converting PFX to PEM format. You will need to open the file in Text Editor and copy each
Certificate and Private key (including the BEGIN/END instructions) to its text file.
The most common format for public key certificates is defined by X.509. [2] Because X. 509 is very general, the format is further constrained by profiles defined for certain use cases, such as Public Key Infrastructure (X.
Select Email Security.Under Digital IDs, select Import/Export.Select Export Your Digital ID to a file.Choose Select and then select the correct certificate.
3 Answers. Certificates cannot be edited; they are signed and the signature becomes invalid if you changes the slightest bit in them (literally: there is not a single bit that you can flip without breaking the signature).
509 is an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standard defining the format of public key certificates. X.509 certificates are used in many Internet protocols, including TLS/SSL, which is the basis for HTTPS, the secure protocol for browsing the web.
There are three different types of public key certificates: a transport layer security (TLS)/SSL certificate, a code signing certificate, and a client certificate.
The X.509 standard is a widely used specification for defining the format and requirements for digital certificates. Digital certificates play a crucial role in securing online communication, including websites, email, and various network services.
The SSL Converter Tool provides an easy way to convert SSL/TLS certificates and keys between different formats without having to deal with complex command line commands. It allows users to upload a certificate or key in PEM, DER, PFX/P12 or other formats and convert it to the desired format with just a few clicks.
Introduction: My name is Francesca Jacobs Ret, I am a innocent, super, beautiful, charming, lucky, gentle, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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