2 {- OpenSSL::safe::output_do_not_edit_headers(); -}
6 openssl-req - PKCS#10 certificate request and certificate generating command
12 [B<-inform> B<DER>|B<PEM>]
13 [B<-outform> B<DER>|B<PEM>]
25 [B<-pkeyopt> I<opt>:I<value>]
28 [B<-keyform> B<DER>|B<PEM>|B<P12>|B<ENGINE>]
29 [B<-keyout> I<filename>]
30 [B<-keygen_engine> I<id>]
32 [B<-config> I<filename>]
40 [B<-extensions> I<section>]
41 [B<-reqexts> I<section>]
47 [B<-sigopt> I<nm>:I<v>]
48 [B<-vfyopt> I<nm>:I<v>]
51 {- $OpenSSL::safe::opt_name_synopsis -}
52 {- $OpenSSL::safe::opt_r_synopsis -}
53 {- $OpenSSL::safe::opt_engine_synopsis -}
54 {- $OpenSSL::safe::opt_provider_synopsis -}
56 =for openssl ifdef engine keygen_engine
60 This command primarily creates and processes certificate requests
61 in PKCS#10 format. It can additionally create self signed certificates
62 for use as root CAs for example.
70 Print out a usage message.
72 =item B<-inform> B<DER>|B<PEM>, B<-outform> B<DER>|B<PEM>
74 The input and formats; the default is B<PEM>.
75 See L<openssl(1)/Format Options> for details.
77 The data is a PKCS#10 object.
79 =item B<-in> I<filename>
81 This specifies the input filename to read a request from or standard input
82 if this option is not specified. A request is only read if the creation
83 options (B<-new> and B<-newkey>) are not specified.
85 =item B<-sigopt> I<nm>:I<v>
87 Pass options to the signature algorithm during sign operations.
88 Names and values of these options are algorithm-specific.
90 =item B<-vfyopt> I<nm>:I<v>
92 Pass options to the signature algorithm during verify operations.
93 Names and values of these options are algorithm-specific.
97 Maybe it would be preferable to only have -opts instead of -sigopt and
98 -vfyopt? They are both present here to be compatible with L<openssl-ca(1)>,
99 which supports both options for good reasons.
103 =item B<-passin> I<arg>, B<-passout> I<arg>
105 The password source for the input and output file.
106 For more information about the format of B<arg>
107 see L<openssl(1)/Pass Phrase Options>.
109 =item B<-out> I<filename>
111 This specifies the output filename to write to or standard output by
116 Prints out the certificate request in text form.
120 Prints out the request subject (or certificate subject if B<-x509> is
125 Outputs the public key.
129 This option prevents output of the encoded version of the request.
133 This option prints out the value of the modulus of the public key
134 contained in the request.
138 Verifies the signature on the request.
142 This option generates a new certificate request. It will prompt
143 the user for the relevant field values. The actual fields
144 prompted for and their maximum and minimum sizes are specified
145 in the configuration file and any requested extensions.
147 If the B<-key> option is not used it will generate a new RSA private
148 key using information specified in the configuration file.
150 =item B<-newkey> I<arg>
152 This option creates a new certificate request and a new private
153 key. The argument takes one of several forms.
155 B<rsa:>I<nbits>, where
156 I<nbits> is the number of bits, generates an RSA key I<nbits>
157 in size. If I<nbits> is omitted, i.e. B<-newkey> I<rsa> specified,
158 the default key size, specified in the configuration file is used.
160 All other algorithms support the B<-newkey> I<alg>:I<file> form, where file
161 may be an algorithm parameter file, created with C<openssl genpkey -genparam>
162 or an X.509 certificate for a key with appropriate algorithm.
164 B<param:>I<file> generates a key using the parameter file or certificate
165 I<file>, the algorithm is determined by the parameters. I<algname>:I<file>
166 use algorithm I<algname> and parameter file I<file>: the two algorithms must
167 match or an error occurs. I<algname> just uses algorithm I<algname>, and
168 parameters, if necessary should be specified via B<-pkeyopt> parameter.
170 B<dsa:>I<filename> generates a DSA key using the parameters
171 in the file I<filename>. B<ec:>I<filename> generates EC key (usable both with
172 ECDSA or ECDH algorithms), B<gost2001:>I<filename> generates GOST R
173 34.10-2001 key (requires B<gost> engine configured in the configuration
174 file). If just B<gost2001> is specified a parameter set should be
175 specified by B<-pkeyopt> I<paramset:X>
177 =item B<-pkeyopt> I<opt>:I<value>
179 Set the public key algorithm option I<opt> to I<value>. The precise set of
180 options supported depends on the public key algorithm used and its
182 See L<openssl-genpkey(1)/KEY GENERATION OPTIONS> for more details.
184 =item B<-key> I<filename>
186 This specifies the file to read the private key from. It also
187 accepts PKCS#8 format private keys for PEM format files.
189 =item B<-keyform> B<DER>|B<PEM>|B<P12>|B<ENGINE>
191 The format of the private key; the default is B<PEM>.
192 The only value with effect is B<ENGINE>; all others have become obsolete.
193 See L<openssl(1)/Format Options> for details.
195 =item B<-keyout> I<filename>
197 This gives the filename to write the newly created private key to.
198 If this option is not specified then the filename present in the
199 configuration file is used.
203 If this option is specified then if a private key is created it
204 will not be encrypted.
208 This specifies the message digest to sign the request.
209 Any digest supported by the OpenSSL B<dgst> command can be used.
210 This overrides the digest algorithm specified in
211 the configuration file.
213 Some public key algorithms may override this choice. For instance, DSA
214 signatures always use SHA1, GOST R 34.10 signatures always use
215 GOST R 34.11-94 (B<-md_gost94>), Ed25519 and Ed448 never use any digest.
217 =item B<-config> I<filename>
219 This allows an alternative configuration file to be specified.
220 Optional; for a description of the default value,
221 see L<openssl(1)/COMMAND SUMMARY>.
223 =item B<-section> I<name>
225 Specifies the name of the section to use; the default is B<req>.
227 =item B<-subj> I<arg>
229 Sets subject name for new request or supersedes the subject name
230 when processing a request.
231 The arg must be formatted as C</type0=value0/type1=value1/type2=...>.
232 Keyword characters may be escaped by \ (backslash), and whitespace is retained.
233 Empty values are permitted, but the corresponding type will not be included
236 =item B<-multivalue-rdn>
238 This option causes the -subj argument to be interpreted with full
239 support for multivalued RDNs. Example:
241 C</DC=org/DC=OpenSSL/DC=users/UID=123456+CN=John Doe>
243 If -multi-rdn is not used then the UID value is C<123456+CN=John Doe>.
247 This option outputs a self signed certificate instead of a certificate
248 request. This is typically used to generate a test certificate or
249 a self signed root CA. The extensions added to the certificate
250 (if any) are specified in the configuration file. Unless specified
251 using the B<-set_serial> option, a large random number will be used for
254 If existing request is specified with the B<-in> option, it is converted
255 to the self signed certificate otherwise new request is created.
259 When the B<-x509> option is being used this specifies the number of
260 days to certify the certificate for, otherwise it is ignored. I<n> should
261 be a positive integer. The default is 30 days.
263 =item B<-set_serial> I<n>
265 Serial number to use when outputting a self signed certificate. This
266 may be specified as a decimal value or a hex value if preceded by C<0x>.
268 =item B<-addext> I<ext>
270 Add a specific extension to the certificate (if the B<-x509> option is
271 present) or certificate request. The argument must have the form of
272 a key=value pair as it would appear in a config file.
274 This option can be given multiple times.
276 =item B<-extensions> I<section>
278 =item B<-reqexts> I<section>
280 These options specify alternative sections to include certificate
281 extensions (if the B<-x509> option is present) or certificate
282 request extensions. This allows several different sections to
283 be used in the same configuration file to specify requests for
284 a variety of purposes.
288 A poison extension will be added to the certificate, making it a
289 "pre-certificate" (see RFC6962). This can be submitted to Certificate
290 Transparency logs in order to obtain signed certificate timestamps (SCTs).
291 These SCTs can then be embedded into the pre-certificate as an extension, before
292 removing the poison and signing the certificate.
294 This implies the B<-new> flag.
298 This option causes field values to be interpreted as UTF8 strings, by
299 default they are interpreted as ASCII. This means that the field
300 values, whether prompted from a terminal or obtained from a
301 configuration file, must be valid UTF8 strings.
303 =item B<-reqopt> I<option>
305 Customise the output format used with B<-text>. The I<option> argument can be
306 a single option or multiple options separated by commas.
308 See discussion of the B<-certopt> parameter in the L<openssl-x509(1)>
313 Adds the word B<NEW> to the PEM file header and footer lines on the outputted
314 request. Some software (Netscape certificate server) and some CAs need this.
318 Non-interactive mode.
322 Print extra details about the operations being performed.
324 =item B<-keygen_engine> I<id>
326 Specifies an engine (by its unique I<id> string) which would be used
327 for key generation operations.
329 {- $OpenSSL::safe::opt_name_item -}
331 {- $OpenSSL::safe::opt_r_item -}
333 {- $OpenSSL::safe::opt_engine_item -}
335 {- $OpenSSL::safe::opt_provider_item -}
339 =head1 CONFIGURATION FILE FORMAT
341 The configuration options are specified in the B<req> section of
342 the configuration file. An alternate name be specified by using the
344 As with all configuration files, if no
345 value is specified in the specific section then
346 the initial unnamed or B<default> section is searched too.
348 The options available are described in detail below.
352 =item B<input_password output_password>
354 The passwords for the input private key file (if present) and
355 the output private key file (if one will be created). The
356 command line options B<passin> and B<passout> override the
357 configuration file values.
359 =item B<default_bits>
361 Specifies the default key size in bits.
363 This option is used in conjunction with the B<-new> option to generate
364 a new key. It can be overridden by specifying an explicit key size in
365 the B<-newkey> option. The smallest accepted key size is 512 bits. If
366 no key size is specified then 2048 bits is used.
368 =item B<default_keyfile>
370 This is the default filename to write a private key to. If not
371 specified the key is written to standard output. This can be
372 overridden by the B<-keyout> option.
376 This specifies a file containing additional B<OBJECT IDENTIFIERS>.
377 Each line of the file should consist of the numerical form of the
378 object identifier followed by whitespace then the short name followed
379 by whitespace and finally the long name.
383 This specifies a section in the configuration file containing extra
384 object identifiers. Each line should consist of the short name of the
385 object identifier followed by B<=> and the numerical form. The short
386 and long names are the same when this option is used.
390 At startup the specified file is loaded into the random number generator,
391 and at exit 256 bytes will be written to it.
392 It is used for private key generation.
396 If this is set to B<no> then if a private key is generated it is
397 B<not> encrypted. This is equivalent to the B<-nodes> command line
398 option. For compatibility B<encrypt_rsa_key> is an equivalent option.
402 This option specifies the digest algorithm to use. Any digest supported by the
403 OpenSSL B<dgst> command can be used. This option can be overridden on the
404 command line. Certain signing algorithms (i.e. Ed25519 and Ed448) will ignore
405 any digest that has been set.
409 This option masks out the use of certain string types in certain
410 fields. Most users will not need to change this option.
412 It can be set to several values B<default> which is also the default
413 option uses PrintableStrings, T61Strings and BMPStrings if the
414 B<pkix> value is used then only PrintableStrings and BMPStrings will
415 be used. This follows the PKIX recommendation in RFC2459. If the
416 B<utf8only> option is used then only UTF8Strings will be used: this
417 is the PKIX recommendation in RFC2459 after 2003. Finally the B<nombstr>
418 option just uses PrintableStrings and T61Strings: certain software has
419 problems with BMPStrings and UTF8Strings: in particular Netscape.
421 =item B<req_extensions>
423 This specifies the configuration file section containing a list of
424 extensions to add to the certificate request. It can be overridden
425 by the B<-reqexts> command line switch. See the
426 L<x509v3_config(5)> manual page for details of the
427 extension section format.
429 =item B<x509_extensions>
431 This specifies the configuration file section containing a list of
432 extensions to add to certificate generated when the B<-x509> switch
433 is used. It can be overridden by the B<-extensions> command line switch.
437 If set to the value B<no> this disables prompting of certificate fields
438 and just takes values from the config file directly. It also changes the
439 expected format of the B<distinguished_name> and B<attributes> sections.
443 If set to the value B<yes> then field values to be interpreted as UTF8
444 strings, by default they are interpreted as ASCII. This means that
445 the field values, whether prompted from a terminal or obtained from a
446 configuration file, must be valid UTF8 strings.
450 This specifies the section containing any request attributes: its format
451 is the same as B<distinguished_name>. Typically these may contain the
452 challengePassword or unstructuredName types. They are currently ignored
453 by OpenSSL's request signing utilities but some CAs might want them.
455 =item B<distinguished_name>
457 This specifies the section containing the distinguished name fields to
458 prompt for when generating a certificate or certificate request. The format
459 is described in the next section.
463 =head1 DISTINGUISHED NAME AND ATTRIBUTE SECTION FORMAT
465 There are two separate formats for the distinguished name and attribute
466 sections. If the B<prompt> option is set to B<no> then these sections
467 just consist of field names and values: for example,
471 emailAddress=someone@somewhere.org
473 This allows external programs (e.g. GUI based) to generate a template file with
474 all the field names and values and just pass it to this command. An example
475 of this kind of configuration file is contained in the B<EXAMPLES> section.
477 Alternatively if the B<prompt> option is absent or not set to B<no> then the
478 file contains field prompting information. It consists of lines of the form:
481 fieldName_default="default field value"
485 "fieldName" is the field name being used, for example commonName (or CN).
486 The "prompt" string is used to ask the user to enter the relevant
487 details. If the user enters nothing then the default value is used if no
488 default value is present then the field is omitted. A field can
489 still be omitted if a default value is present if the user just
490 enters the '.' character.
492 The number of characters entered must be between the fieldName_min and
493 fieldName_max limits: there may be additional restrictions based
494 on the field being used (for example countryName can only ever be
495 two characters long and must fit in a PrintableString).
497 Some fields (such as organizationName) can be used more than once
498 in a DN. This presents a problem because configuration files will
499 not recognize the same name occurring twice. To avoid this problem
500 if the fieldName contains some characters followed by a full stop
501 they will be ignored. So for example a second organizationName can
502 be input by calling it "1.organizationName".
504 The actual permitted field names are any object identifier short or
505 long names. These are compiled into OpenSSL and include the usual
506 values such as commonName, countryName, localityName, organizationName,
507 organizationalUnitName, stateOrProvinceName. Additionally emailAddress
508 is included as well as name, surname, givenName, initials, and dnQualifier.
510 Additional object identifiers can be defined with the B<oid_file> or
511 B<oid_section> options in the configuration file. Any additional fields
512 will be treated as though they were a DirectoryString.
517 Examine and verify certificate request:
519 openssl req -in req.pem -text -verify -noout
521 Create a private key and then generate a certificate request from it:
523 openssl genrsa -out key.pem 2048
524 openssl req -new -key key.pem -out req.pem
526 The same but just using req:
528 openssl req -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout key.pem -out req.pem
530 Generate a self signed root certificate:
532 openssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout key.pem -out req.pem
534 Create an SM2 private key and then generate a certificate request from it:
536 openssl ecparam -genkey -name SM2 -out sm2.key
537 openssl req -new -key sm2.key -out sm2.csr -sm3 -sigopt "distid:1234567812345678"
539 Examine and verify an SM2 certificate request:
541 openssl req -verify -in sm2.csr -sm3 -vfyopt "distid:1234567812345678"
543 Example of a file pointed to by the B<oid_file> option:
545 1.2.3.4 shortName A longer Name
546 1.2.3.6 otherName Other longer Name
548 Example of a section pointed to by B<oid_section> making use of variable
552 testoid2=${testoid1}.6
554 Sample configuration file prompting for field values:
558 default_keyfile = privkey.pem
559 distinguished_name = req_distinguished_name
560 attributes = req_attributes
561 req_extensions = v3_ca
563 dirstring_type = nobmp
565 [ req_distinguished_name ]
566 countryName = Country Name (2 letter code)
567 countryName_default = AU
571 localityName = Locality Name (eg, city)
573 organizationalUnitName = Organizational Unit Name (eg, section)
575 commonName = Common Name (eg, YOUR name)
578 emailAddress = Email Address
579 emailAddress_max = 40
582 challengePassword = A challenge password
583 challengePassword_min = 4
584 challengePassword_max = 20
588 subjectKeyIdentifier=hash
589 authorityKeyIdentifier=keyid:always,issuer:always
590 basicConstraints = critical, CA:true
592 Sample configuration containing all field values:
597 default_keyfile = keyfile.pem
598 distinguished_name = req_distinguished_name
599 attributes = req_attributes
601 output_password = mypass
603 [ req_distinguished_name ]
605 ST = Test State or Province
607 O = Organization Name
608 OU = Organizational Unit Name
610 emailAddress = test@email.address
613 challengePassword = A challenge password
615 Example of giving the most common attributes (subject and extensions)
618 openssl req -new -subj "/C=GB/CN=foo" \
619 -addext "subjectAltName = DNS:foo.co.uk" \
620 -addext "certificatePolicies = 1.2.3.4" \
621 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout key.pem -out req.pem
626 The certificate requests generated by B<Xenroll> with MSIE have extensions
627 added. It includes the B<keyUsage> extension which determines the type of
628 key (signature only or general purpose) and any additional OIDs entered
629 by the script in an B<extendedKeyUsage> extension.
633 The following messages are frequently asked about:
635 Using configuration from /some/path/openssl.cnf
636 Unable to load config info
638 This is followed some time later by:
640 unable to find 'distinguished_name' in config
641 problems making Certificate Request
643 The first error message is the clue: it can't find the configuration
644 file! Certain operations (like examining a certificate request) don't
645 need a configuration file so its use isn't enforced. Generation of
646 certificates or requests however does need a configuration file. This
647 could be regarded as a bug.
649 Another puzzling message is this:
654 this is displayed when no attributes are present and the request includes
655 the correct empty B<SET OF> structure (the DER encoding of which is 0xa0
656 0x00). If you just see:
660 then the B<SET OF> is missing and the encoding is technically invalid (but
661 it is tolerated). See the description of the command line option B<-asn1-kludge>
662 for more information.
666 OpenSSL's handling of T61Strings (aka TeletexStrings) is broken: it effectively
667 treats them as ISO-8859-1 (Latin 1), Netscape and MSIE have similar behaviour.
668 This can cause problems if you need characters that aren't available in
669 PrintableStrings and you don't want to or can't use BMPStrings.
671 As a consequence of the T61String handling the only correct way to represent
672 accented characters in OpenSSL is to use a BMPString: unfortunately Netscape
673 currently chokes on these. If you have to use accented characters with Netscape
674 and MSIE then you currently need to use the invalid T61String form.
676 The current prompting is not very friendly. It doesn't allow you to confirm what
677 you've just entered. Other things like extensions in certificate requests are
678 statically defined in the configuration file. Some of these: like an email
679 address in subjectAltName should be input by the user.
686 L<openssl-genrsa(1)>,
687 L<openssl-gendsa(1)>,
693 The B<-section> option was added in OpenSSL 3.0.0.
695 All B<-keyform> values except B<ENGINE> have become obsolete in OpenSSL 3.0.0
700 Copyright 2000-2020 The OpenSSL Project Authors. All Rights Reserved.
702 Licensed under the Apache License 2.0 (the "License"). You may not use
703 this file except in compliance with the License. You can obtain a copy
704 in the file LICENSE in the source distribution or at
705 L<https://www.openssl.org/source/license.html>.