6 req - PKCS#10 certificate request and certificate generating utility.
31 [B<-keygen_engine id>]
39 [B<-extensions section>]
52 The B<req> command primarily creates and processes certificate requests
53 in PKCS#10 format. It can additionally create self signed certificates
54 for use as root CAs for example.
56 =head1 COMMAND OPTIONS
62 Print out a usage message.
64 =item B<-inform DER|PEM>
66 This specifies the input format. The B<DER> option uses an ASN1 DER encoded
67 form compatible with the PKCS#10. The B<PEM> form is the default format: it
68 consists of the B<DER> format base64 encoded with additional header and
71 =item B<-outform DER|PEM>
73 This specifies the output format, the options have the same meaning as the
78 This specifies the input filename to read a request from or standard input
79 if this option is not specified. A request is only read if the creation
80 options (B<-new> and B<-newkey>) are not specified.
84 the input file password source. For more information about the format of B<arg>
85 see the B<PASS PHRASE ARGUMENTS> section in L<openssl(1)>.
87 =item B<-out filename>
89 This specifies the output filename to write to or standard output by
94 the output file password source. For more information about the format of B<arg>
95 see the B<PASS PHRASE ARGUMENTS> section in L<openssl(1)>.
99 prints out the certificate request in text form.
103 prints out the request subject (or certificate subject if B<-x509> is
108 outputs the public key.
112 this option prevents output of the encoded version of the request.
116 this option prints out the value of the modulus of the public key
117 contained in the request.
121 verifies the signature on the request.
125 this option generates a new certificate request. It will prompt
126 the user for the relevant field values. The actual fields
127 prompted for and their maximum and minimum sizes are specified
128 in the configuration file and any requested extensions.
130 If the B<-key> option is not used it will generate a new RSA private
131 key using information specified in the configuration file.
133 =item B<-rand file(s)>
135 a file or files containing random data used to seed the random number
136 generator, or an EGD socket (see L<RAND_egd(3)>).
137 Multiple files can be specified separated by a OS-dependent character.
138 The separator is B<;> for MS-Windows, B<,> for OpenVMS, and B<:> for
143 this option creates a new certificate request and a new private
144 key. The argument takes one of several forms. B<rsa:nbits>, where
145 B<nbits> is the number of bits, generates an RSA key B<nbits>
146 in size. If B<nbits> is omitted, i.e. B<-newkey rsa> specified,
147 the default key size, specified in the configuration file is used.
149 All other algorithms support the B<-newkey alg:file> form, where file may be
150 an algorithm parameter file, created by the B<genpkey -genparam> command
151 or and X.509 certificate for a key with appropriate algorithm.
153 B<param:file> generates a key using the parameter file or certificate B<file>,
154 the algorithm is determined by the parameters. B<algname:file> use algorithm
155 B<algname> and parameter file B<file>: the two algorithms must match or an
156 error occurs. B<algname> just uses algorithm B<algname>, and parameters,
157 if necessary should be specified via B<-pkeyopt> parameter.
159 B<dsa:filename> generates a DSA key using the parameters
160 in the file B<filename>. B<ec:filename> generates EC key (usable both with
161 ECDSA or ECDH algorithms), B<gost2001:filename> generates GOST R
162 34.10-2001 key (requires B<ccgost> engine configured in the configuration
163 file). If just B<gost2001> is specified a parameter set should be
164 specified by B<-pkeyopt paramset:X>
167 =item B<-pkeyopt opt:value>
169 set the public key algorithm option B<opt> to B<value>. The precise set of
170 options supported depends on the public key algorithm used and its
171 implementation. See B<KEY GENERATION OPTIONS> in the B<genpkey> manual page
174 =item B<-key filename>
176 This specifies the file to read the private key from. It also
177 accepts PKCS#8 format private keys for PEM format files.
179 =item B<-keyform PEM|DER>
181 the format of the private key file specified in the B<-key>
182 argument. PEM is the default.
184 =item B<-keyout filename>
186 this gives the filename to write the newly created private key to.
187 If this option is not specified then the filename present in the
188 configuration file is used.
192 if this option is specified then if a private key is created it
193 will not be encrypted.
197 this specifies the message digest to sign the request.
198 Any digest supported by the OpenSSL B<dgst> command can be used.
199 This overrides the digest algorithm specified in
200 the configuration file.
202 Some public key algorithms may override this choice. For instance, DSA
203 signatures always use SHA1, GOST R 34.10 signatures always use
204 GOST R 34.11-94 (B<-md_gost94>).
206 =item B<-config filename>
208 this allows an alternative configuration file to be specified,
209 this overrides the compile time filename or any specified in
210 the B<OPENSSL_CONF> environment variable.
214 sets subject name for new request or supersedes the subject name
215 when processing a request.
216 The arg must be formatted as I</type0=value0/type1=value1/type2=...>,
217 characters may be escaped by \ (backslash), no spaces are skipped.
219 =item B<-multivalue-rdn>
221 this option causes the -subj argument to be interpreted with full
222 support for multivalued RDNs. Example:
224 I</DC=org/DC=OpenSSL/DC=users/UID=123456+CN=John Doe>
226 If -multi-rdn is not used then the UID value is I<123456+CN=John Doe>.
230 this option outputs a self signed certificate instead of a certificate
231 request. This is typically used to generate a test certificate or
232 a self signed root CA. The extensions added to the certificate
233 (if any) are specified in the configuration file. Unless specified
234 using the B<set_serial> option, a large random number will be used for
239 when the B<-x509> option is being used this specifies the number of
240 days to certify the certificate for. The default is 30 days.
242 =item B<-set_serial n>
244 serial number to use when outputting a self signed certificate. This
245 may be specified as a decimal value or a hex value if preceded by B<0x>.
246 It is possible to use negative serial numbers but this is not recommended.
248 =item B<-extensions section>
250 =item B<-reqexts section>
252 these options specify alternative sections to include certificate
253 extensions (if the B<-x509> option is present) or certificate
254 request extensions. This allows several different sections to
255 be used in the same configuration file to specify requests for
256 a variety of purposes.
260 this option causes field values to be interpreted as UTF8 strings, by
261 default they are interpreted as ASCII. This means that the field
262 values, whether prompted from a terminal or obtained from a
263 configuration file, must be valid UTF8 strings.
265 =item B<-nameopt option>
267 option which determines how the subject or issuer names are displayed. The
268 B<option> argument can be a single option or multiple options separated by
269 commas. Alternatively the B<-nameopt> switch may be used more than once to
270 set multiple options. See the L<x509(1)> manual page for details.
274 customise the output format used with B<-text>. The B<option> argument can be
275 a single option or multiple options separated by commas.
277 See discussion of the B<-certopt> parameter in the L<x509(1)>
282 Adds the word B<NEW> to the PEM file header and footer lines on the outputted
283 request. Some software (Netscape certificate server) and some CAs need this.
287 non-interactive mode.
291 print extra details about the operations being performed.
295 specifying an engine (by its unique B<id> string) will cause B<req>
296 to attempt to obtain a functional reference to the specified engine,
297 thus initialising it if needed. The engine will then be set as the default
298 for all available algorithms.
300 =item B<-keygen_engine id>
302 specifies an engine (by its unique B<id> string) which would be used
303 for key generation operations.
307 =head1 CONFIGURATION FILE FORMAT
309 The configuration options are specified in the B<req> section of
310 the configuration file. As with all configuration files if no
311 value is specified in the specific section (i.e. B<req>) then
312 the initial unnamed or B<default> section is searched too.
314 The options available are described in detail below.
318 =item B<input_password output_password>
320 The passwords for the input private key file (if present) and
321 the output private key file (if one will be created). The
322 command line options B<passin> and B<passout> override the
323 configuration file values.
325 =item B<default_bits>
327 This specifies the default key size in bits. If not specified then
328 512 is used. It is used if the B<-new> option is used. It can be
329 overridden by using the B<-newkey> option.
331 =item B<default_keyfile>
333 This is the default filename to write a private key to. If not
334 specified the key is written to standard output. This can be
335 overridden by the B<-keyout> option.
339 This specifies a file containing additional B<OBJECT IDENTIFIERS>.
340 Each line of the file should consist of the numerical form of the
341 object identifier followed by white space then the short name followed
342 by white space and finally the long name.
346 This specifies a section in the configuration file containing extra
347 object identifiers. Each line should consist of the short name of the
348 object identifier followed by B<=> and the numerical form. The short
349 and long names are the same when this option is used.
353 This specifies a filename in which random number seed information is
354 placed and read from, or an EGD socket (see L<RAND_egd(3)>).
355 It is used for private key generation.
359 If this is set to B<no> then if a private key is generated it is
360 B<not> encrypted. This is equivalent to the B<-nodes> command line
361 option. For compatibility B<encrypt_rsa_key> is an equivalent option.
365 This option specifies the digest algorithm to use.
366 Any digest supported by the OpenSSL B<dgst> command can be used.
367 If not present then MD5 is used.
368 This option can be overridden on the command line.
372 This option masks out the use of certain string types in certain
373 fields. Most users will not need to change this option.
375 It can be set to several values B<default> which is also the default
376 option uses PrintableStrings, T61Strings and BMPStrings if the
377 B<pkix> value is used then only PrintableStrings and BMPStrings will
378 be used. This follows the PKIX recommendation in RFC2459. If the
379 B<utf8only> option is used then only UTF8Strings will be used: this
380 is the PKIX recommendation in RFC2459 after 2003. Finally the B<nombstr>
381 option just uses PrintableStrings and T61Strings: certain software has
382 problems with BMPStrings and UTF8Strings: in particular Netscape.
384 =item B<req_extensions>
386 this specifies the configuration file section containing a list of
387 extensions to add to the certificate request. It can be overridden
388 by the B<-reqexts> command line switch. See the
389 L<x509v3_config(5)> manual page for details of the
390 extension section format.
392 =item B<x509_extensions>
394 this specifies the configuration file section containing a list of
395 extensions to add to certificate generated when the B<-x509> switch
396 is used. It can be overridden by the B<-extensions> command line switch.
400 if set to the value B<no> this disables prompting of certificate fields
401 and just takes values from the config file directly. It also changes the
402 expected format of the B<distinguished_name> and B<attributes> sections.
406 if set to the value B<yes> then field values to be interpreted as UTF8
407 strings, by default they are interpreted as ASCII. This means that
408 the field values, whether prompted from a terminal or obtained from a
409 configuration file, must be valid UTF8 strings.
413 this specifies the section containing any request attributes: its format
414 is the same as B<distinguished_name>. Typically these may contain the
415 challengePassword or unstructuredName types. They are currently ignored
416 by OpenSSL's request signing utilities but some CAs might want them.
418 =item B<distinguished_name>
420 This specifies the section containing the distinguished name fields to
421 prompt for when generating a certificate or certificate request. The format
422 is described in the next section.
426 =head1 DISTINGUISHED NAME AND ATTRIBUTE SECTION FORMAT
428 There are two separate formats for the distinguished name and attribute
429 sections. If the B<prompt> option is set to B<no> then these sections
430 just consist of field names and values: for example,
434 emailAddress=someone@somewhere.org
436 This allows external programs (e.g. GUI based) to generate a template file
437 with all the field names and values and just pass it to B<req>. An example
438 of this kind of configuration file is contained in the B<EXAMPLES> section.
440 Alternatively if the B<prompt> option is absent or not set to B<no> then the
441 file contains field prompting information. It consists of lines of the form:
444 fieldName_default="default field value"
448 "fieldName" is the field name being used, for example commonName (or CN).
449 The "prompt" string is used to ask the user to enter the relevant
450 details. If the user enters nothing then the default value is used if no
451 default value is present then the field is omitted. A field can
452 still be omitted if a default value is present if the user just
453 enters the '.' character.
455 The number of characters entered must be between the fieldName_min and
456 fieldName_max limits: there may be additional restrictions based
457 on the field being used (for example countryName can only ever be
458 two characters long and must fit in a PrintableString).
460 Some fields (such as organizationName) can be used more than once
461 in a DN. This presents a problem because configuration files will
462 not recognize the same name occurring twice. To avoid this problem
463 if the fieldName contains some characters followed by a full stop
464 they will be ignored. So for example a second organizationName can
465 be input by calling it "1.organizationName".
467 The actual permitted field names are any object identifier short or
468 long names. These are compiled into OpenSSL and include the usual
469 values such as commonName, countryName, localityName, organizationName,
470 organizationalUnitName, stateOrProvinceName. Additionally emailAddress
471 is include as well as name, surname, givenName initials and dnQualifier.
473 Additional object identifiers can be defined with the B<oid_file> or
474 B<oid_section> options in the configuration file. Any additional fields
475 will be treated as though they were a DirectoryString.
480 Examine and verify certificate request:
482 openssl req -in req.pem -text -verify -noout
484 Create a private key and then generate a certificate request from it:
486 openssl genrsa -out key.pem 2048
487 openssl req -new -key key.pem -out req.pem
489 The same but just using req:
491 openssl req -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout key.pem -out req.pem
493 Generate a self signed root certificate:
495 openssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout key.pem -out req.pem
497 Example of a file pointed to by the B<oid_file> option:
499 1.2.3.4 shortName A longer Name
500 1.2.3.6 otherName Other longer Name
502 Example of a section pointed to by B<oid_section> making use of variable
506 testoid2=${testoid1}.6
508 Sample configuration file prompting for field values:
512 default_keyfile = privkey.pem
513 distinguished_name = req_distinguished_name
514 attributes = req_attributes
515 req_extensions = v3_ca
517 dirstring_type = nobmp
519 [ req_distinguished_name ]
520 countryName = Country Name (2 letter code)
521 countryName_default = AU
525 localityName = Locality Name (eg, city)
527 organizationalUnitName = Organizational Unit Name (eg, section)
529 commonName = Common Name (eg, YOUR name)
532 emailAddress = Email Address
533 emailAddress_max = 40
536 challengePassword = A challenge password
537 challengePassword_min = 4
538 challengePassword_max = 20
542 subjectKeyIdentifier=hash
543 authorityKeyIdentifier=keyid:always,issuer:always
544 basicConstraints = CA:true
546 Sample configuration containing all field values:
549 RANDFILE = $ENV::HOME/.rnd
553 default_keyfile = keyfile.pem
554 distinguished_name = req_distinguished_name
555 attributes = req_attributes
557 output_password = mypass
559 [ req_distinguished_name ]
561 ST = Test State or Province
563 O = Organization Name
564 OU = Organizational Unit Name
566 emailAddress = test@email.address
569 challengePassword = A challenge password
574 The header and footer lines in the B<PEM> format are normally:
576 -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----
577 -----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----
579 some software (some versions of Netscape certificate server) instead needs:
581 -----BEGIN NEW CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----
582 -----END NEW CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----
584 which is produced with the B<-newhdr> option but is otherwise compatible.
585 Either form is accepted transparently on input.
587 The certificate requests generated by B<Xenroll> with MSIE have extensions
588 added. It includes the B<keyUsage> extension which determines the type of
589 key (signature only or general purpose) and any additional OIDs entered
590 by the script in an extendedKeyUsage extension.
594 The following messages are frequently asked about:
596 Using configuration from /some/path/openssl.cnf
597 Unable to load config info
599 This is followed some time later by...
601 unable to find 'distinguished_name' in config
602 problems making Certificate Request
604 The first error message is the clue: it can't find the configuration
605 file! Certain operations (like examining a certificate request) don't
606 need a configuration file so its use isn't enforced. Generation of
607 certificates or requests however does need a configuration file. This
608 could be regarded as a bug.
610 Another puzzling message is this:
615 this is displayed when no attributes are present and the request includes
616 the correct empty B<SET OF> structure (the DER encoding of which is 0xa0
617 0x00). If you just see:
621 then the B<SET OF> is missing and the encoding is technically invalid (but
622 it is tolerated). See the description of the command line option B<-asn1-kludge>
623 for more information.
625 =head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
627 The variable B<OPENSSL_CONF> if defined allows an alternative configuration
628 file location to be specified, it will be overridden by the B<-config> command
629 line switch if it is present.
633 OpenSSL's handling of T61Strings (aka TeletexStrings) is broken: it effectively
634 treats them as ISO-8859-1 (Latin 1), Netscape and MSIE have similar behaviour.
635 This can cause problems if you need characters that aren't available in
636 PrintableStrings and you don't want to or can't use BMPStrings.
638 As a consequence of the T61String handling the only correct way to represent
639 accented characters in OpenSSL is to use a BMPString: unfortunately Netscape
640 currently chokes on these. If you have to use accented characters with Netscape
641 and MSIE then you currently need to use the invalid T61String form.
643 The current prompting is not very friendly. It doesn't allow you to confirm what
644 you've just entered. Other things like extensions in certificate requests are
645 statically defined in the configuration file. Some of these: like an email
646 address in subjectAltName should be input by the user.
650 L<x509(1)>, L<ca(1)>, L<genrsa(1)>,
651 L<gendsa(1)>, L<config(5)>,