2 {- OpenSSL::safe::output_do_not_edit_headers(); -}
6 openssl-req - PKCS#10 certificate request and certificate generating utility
12 [B<-inform> B<DER>|B<PEM>]
13 [B<-outform> B<DER>|B<PEM>]
27 [B<-keyform> B<DER>|B<PEM>]
28 [B<-keyout> I<filename>]
29 [B<-keygen_engine> I<id>]
31 [B<-config> I<filename>]
38 [B<-extensions> I<section>]
39 [B<-reqexts> I<section>]
46 [B<-sigopt> I<nm>:I<v>]
50 [B<-sm2-id> I<string>]
51 [B<-sm2-hex-id> I<hex-string>]
52 {- $OpenSSL::safe::opt_r_synopsis -}
54 =for openssl ifdef engine keygen_engine sm2-id sm2-hex-id
58 This command primarily creates and processes certificate requests
59 in PKCS#10 format. It can additionally create self signed certificates
60 for use as root CAs for example.
68 Print out a usage message.
70 =item B<-inform> B<DER>|B<PEM>, B<-outform> B<DER>|B<PEM>
72 The input and formats; the default is B<PEM>.
73 See L<openssl(1)/Format Options> for details.
75 The data is a PKCS#10 object.
77 =item B<-in> I<filename>
79 This specifies the input filename to read a request from or standard input
80 if this option is not specified. A request is only read if the creation
81 options (B<-new> and B<-newkey>) are not specified.
83 =item B<-sigopt> I<nm>:I<v>
85 Pass options to the signature algorithm during sign or verify operations.
86 Names and values of these options are algorithm-specific.
88 =item B<-passin> I<arg>, B<-passout> I<arg>
90 The password source for the input and output file.
91 For more information about the format of B<arg>
92 see L<openssl(1)/Pass Phrase Options>.
94 =item B<-out> I<filename>
96 This specifies the output filename to write to or standard output by
101 Prints out the certificate request in text form.
105 Prints out the request subject (or certificate subject if B<-x509> is
110 Outputs the public key.
114 This option prevents output of the encoded version of the request.
118 This option prints out the value of the modulus of the public key
119 contained in the request.
123 Verifies the signature on the request.
127 This option generates a new certificate request. It will prompt
128 the user for the relevant field values. The actual fields
129 prompted for and their maximum and minimum sizes are specified
130 in the configuration file and any requested extensions.
132 If the B<-key> option is not used it will generate a new RSA private
133 key using information specified in the configuration file.
135 =item B<-newkey> I<arg>
137 This option creates a new certificate request and a new private
138 key. The argument takes one of several forms.
140 B<rsa:>I<nbits>, where
141 I<nbits> is the number of bits, generates an RSA key I<nbits>
142 in size. If I<nbits> is omitted, i.e. B<-newkey> I<rsa> specified,
143 the default key size, specified in the configuration file is used.
145 All other algorithms support the B<-newkey> I<alg>:I<file> form, where file
146 may be an algorithm parameter file, created with C<openssl genpkey -genparam>
147 or an X.509 certificate for a key with appropriate algorithm.
149 B<param:>I<file> generates a key using the parameter file or certificate
150 I<file>, the algorithm is determined by the parameters. I<algname>:I<file>
151 use algorithm I<algname> and parameter file I<file>: the two algorithms must
152 match or an error occurs. I<algname> just uses algorithm I<algname>, and
153 parameters, if necessary should be specified via B<-pkeyopt> parameter.
155 B<dsa:>I<filename> generates a DSA key using the parameters
156 in the file I<filename>. B<ec:>I<filename> generates EC key (usable both with
157 ECDSA or ECDH algorithms), B<gost2001:>I<filename> generates GOST R
158 34.10-2001 key (requires B<gost> engine configured in the configuration
159 file). If just B<gost2001> is specified a parameter set should be
160 specified by B<-pkeyopt> I<paramset:X>
162 =item B<-pkeyopt> I<opt>:I<value>
164 Set the public key algorithm option I<opt> to I<value>. The precise set of
165 options supported depends on the public key algorithm used and its
167 See L<openssl-genpkey(1)/KEY GENERATION OPTIONS> for more details.
169 =item B<-key> I<filename>
171 This specifies the file to read the private key from. It also
172 accepts PKCS#8 format private keys for PEM format files.
174 =item B<-keyform> B<DER>|B<PEM>
176 The format of the private key; the default is B<PEM>.
177 See L<openssl(1)/Format Options> for details.
179 =item B<-keyout> I<filename>
181 This gives the filename to write the newly created private key to.
182 If this option is not specified then the filename present in the
183 configuration file is used.
187 If this option is specified then if a private key is created it
188 will not be encrypted.
192 This specifies the message digest to sign the request.
193 Any digest supported by the OpenSSL B<dgst> command can be used.
194 This overrides the digest algorithm specified in
195 the configuration file.
197 Some public key algorithms may override this choice. For instance, DSA
198 signatures always use SHA1, GOST R 34.10 signatures always use
199 GOST R 34.11-94 (B<-md_gost94>), Ed25519 and Ed448 never use any digest.
201 =item B<-config> I<filename>
203 This allows an alternative configuration file to be specified.
204 Optional; for a description of the default value,
205 see L<openssl(1)/COMMAND SUMMARY>.
207 =item B<-subj> I<arg>
209 Sets subject name for new request or supersedes the subject name
210 when processing a request.
211 The arg must be formatted as C</type0=value0/type1=value1/type2=...>.
212 Keyword characters may be escaped by \ (backslash), and whitespace is retained.
213 Empty values are permitted, but the corresponding type will not be included
216 =item B<-multivalue-rdn>
218 This option causes the -subj argument to be interpreted with full
219 support for multivalued RDNs. Example:
221 C</DC=org/DC=OpenSSL/DC=users/UID=123456+CN=John Doe>
223 If -multi-rdn is not used then the UID value is C<123456+CN=John Doe>.
227 This option outputs a self signed certificate instead of a certificate
228 request. This is typically used to generate a test certificate or
229 a self signed root CA. The extensions added to the certificate
230 (if any) are specified in the configuration file. Unless specified
231 using the B<-set_serial> option, a large random number will be used for
234 If existing request is specified with the B<-in> option, it is converted
235 to the self signed certificate otherwise new request is created.
239 When the B<-x509> option is being used this specifies the number of
240 days to certify the certificate for, otherwise it is ignored. I<n> should
241 be a positive integer. The default is 30 days.
243 =item B<-set_serial> I<n>
245 Serial number to use when outputting a self signed certificate. This
246 may be specified as a decimal value or a hex value if preceded by C<0x>.
248 =item B<-addext> I<ext>
250 Add a specific extension to the certificate (if the B<-x509> option is
251 present) or certificate request. The argument must have the form of
252 a key=value pair as it would appear in a config file.
254 This option can be given multiple times.
256 =item B<-extensions> I<section>
258 =item B<-reqexts> I<section>
260 These options specify alternative sections to include certificate
261 extensions (if the B<-x509> option is present) or certificate
262 request extensions. This allows several different sections to
263 be used in the same configuration file to specify requests for
264 a variety of purposes.
268 A poison extension will be added to the certificate, making it a
269 "pre-certificate" (see RFC6962). This can be submitted to Certificate
270 Transparency logs in order to obtain signed certificate timestamps (SCTs).
271 These SCTs can then be embedded into the pre-certificate as an extension, before
272 removing the poison and signing the certificate.
274 This implies the B<-new> flag.
278 This option causes field values to be interpreted as UTF8 strings, by
279 default they are interpreted as ASCII. This means that the field
280 values, whether prompted from a terminal or obtained from a
281 configuration file, must be valid UTF8 strings.
283 =item B<-nameopt> I<option>
285 Option which determines how the subject or issuer names are displayed. The
286 I<option> argument can be a single option or multiple options separated by
287 commas. Alternatively the B<-nameopt> switch may be used more than once to
288 set multiple options. See the L<openssl-x509(1)> manual page for details.
290 =item B<-reqopt> I<option>
292 Customise the output format used with B<-text>. The I<option> argument can be
293 a single option or multiple options separated by commas.
295 See discussion of the B<-certopt> parameter in the L<openssl-x509(1)>
300 Adds the word B<NEW> to the PEM file header and footer lines on the outputted
301 request. Some software (Netscape certificate server) and some CAs need this.
305 Non-interactive mode.
309 Print extra details about the operations being performed.
311 =item B<-engine> I<id>
313 Specifying an engine (by its unique I<id> string) will cause this command
314 to attempt to obtain a functional reference to the specified engine,
315 thus initialising it if needed. The engine will then be set as the default
316 for all available algorithms.
318 =item B<-keygen_engine> I<id>
320 Specifies an engine (by its unique I<id> string) which would be used
321 for key generation operations.
325 Specify the ID string to use when verifying an SM2 certificate request. The ID
326 string is required by the SM2 signature algorithm for signing and verification.
330 Specify a binary ID string to use when verifying an SM2 certificate request. The
331 argument for this option is string of hexadecimal digits.
333 {- $OpenSSL::safe::opt_r_item -}
337 =head1 CONFIGURATION FILE FORMAT
339 The configuration options are specified in the B<req> section of
340 the configuration file. As with all configuration files if no
341 value is specified in the specific section (i.e. B<req>) then
342 the initial unnamed or B<default> section is searched too.
344 The options available are described in detail below.
348 =item B<input_password output_password>
350 The passwords for the input private key file (if present) and
351 the output private key file (if one will be created). The
352 command line options B<passin> and B<passout> override the
353 configuration file values.
355 =item B<default_bits>
357 Specifies the default key size in bits.
359 This option is used in conjunction with the B<-new> option to generate
360 a new key. It can be overridden by specifying an explicit key size in
361 the B<-newkey> option. The smallest accepted key size is 512 bits. If
362 no key size is specified then 2048 bits is used.
364 =item B<default_keyfile>
366 This is the default filename to write a private key to. If not
367 specified the key is written to standard output. This can be
368 overridden by the B<-keyout> option.
372 This specifies a file containing additional B<OBJECT IDENTIFIERS>.
373 Each line of the file should consist of the numerical form of the
374 object identifier followed by white space then the short name followed
375 by white space and finally the long name.
379 This specifies a section in the configuration file containing extra
380 object identifiers. Each line should consist of the short name of the
381 object identifier followed by B<=> and the numerical form. The short
382 and long names are the same when this option is used.
386 At startup the specified file is loaded into the random number generator,
387 and at exit 256 bytes will be written to it.
388 It is used for private key generation.
392 If this is set to B<no> then if a private key is generated it is
393 B<not> encrypted. This is equivalent to the B<-nodes> command line
394 option. For compatibility B<encrypt_rsa_key> is an equivalent option.
398 This option specifies the digest algorithm to use. Any digest supported by the
399 OpenSSL B<dgst> command can be used. This option can be overridden on the
400 command line. Certain signing algorithms (i.e. Ed25519 and Ed448) will ignore
401 any digest that has been set.
405 This option masks out the use of certain string types in certain
406 fields. Most users will not need to change this option.
408 It can be set to several values B<default> which is also the default
409 option uses PrintableStrings, T61Strings and BMPStrings if the
410 B<pkix> value is used then only PrintableStrings and BMPStrings will
411 be used. This follows the PKIX recommendation in RFC2459. If the
412 B<utf8only> option is used then only UTF8Strings will be used: this
413 is the PKIX recommendation in RFC2459 after 2003. Finally the B<nombstr>
414 option just uses PrintableStrings and T61Strings: certain software has
415 problems with BMPStrings and UTF8Strings: in particular Netscape.
417 =item B<req_extensions>
419 This specifies the configuration file section containing a list of
420 extensions to add to the certificate request. It can be overridden
421 by the B<-reqexts> command line switch. See the
422 L<x509v3_config(5)> manual page for details of the
423 extension section format.
425 =item B<x509_extensions>
427 This specifies the configuration file section containing a list of
428 extensions to add to certificate generated when the B<-x509> switch
429 is used. It can be overridden by the B<-extensions> command line switch.
433 If set to the value B<no> this disables prompting of certificate fields
434 and just takes values from the config file directly. It also changes the
435 expected format of the B<distinguished_name> and B<attributes> sections.
439 If set to the value B<yes> then field values to be interpreted as UTF8
440 strings, by default they are interpreted as ASCII. This means that
441 the field values, whether prompted from a terminal or obtained from a
442 configuration file, must be valid UTF8 strings.
446 This specifies the section containing any request attributes: its format
447 is the same as B<distinguished_name>. Typically these may contain the
448 challengePassword or unstructuredName types. They are currently ignored
449 by OpenSSL's request signing utilities but some CAs might want them.
451 =item B<distinguished_name>
453 This specifies the section containing the distinguished name fields to
454 prompt for when generating a certificate or certificate request. The format
455 is described in the next section.
459 =head1 DISTINGUISHED NAME AND ATTRIBUTE SECTION FORMAT
461 There are two separate formats for the distinguished name and attribute
462 sections. If the B<prompt> option is set to B<no> then these sections
463 just consist of field names and values: for example,
467 emailAddress=someone@somewhere.org
469 This allows external programs (e.g. GUI based) to generate a template file with
470 all the field names and values and just pass it to this command. An example
471 of this kind of configuration file is contained in the B<EXAMPLES> section.
473 Alternatively if the B<prompt> option is absent or not set to B<no> then the
474 file contains field prompting information. It consists of lines of the form:
477 fieldName_default="default field value"
481 "fieldName" is the field name being used, for example commonName (or CN).
482 The "prompt" string is used to ask the user to enter the relevant
483 details. If the user enters nothing then the default value is used if no
484 default value is present then the field is omitted. A field can
485 still be omitted if a default value is present if the user just
486 enters the '.' character.
488 The number of characters entered must be between the fieldName_min and
489 fieldName_max limits: there may be additional restrictions based
490 on the field being used (for example countryName can only ever be
491 two characters long and must fit in a PrintableString).
493 Some fields (such as organizationName) can be used more than once
494 in a DN. This presents a problem because configuration files will
495 not recognize the same name occurring twice. To avoid this problem
496 if the fieldName contains some characters followed by a full stop
497 they will be ignored. So for example a second organizationName can
498 be input by calling it "1.organizationName".
500 The actual permitted field names are any object identifier short or
501 long names. These are compiled into OpenSSL and include the usual
502 values such as commonName, countryName, localityName, organizationName,
503 organizationalUnitName, stateOrProvinceName. Additionally emailAddress
504 is included as well as name, surname, givenName, initials, and dnQualifier.
506 Additional object identifiers can be defined with the B<oid_file> or
507 B<oid_section> options in the configuration file. Any additional fields
508 will be treated as though they were a DirectoryString.
513 Examine and verify certificate request:
515 openssl req -in req.pem -text -verify -noout
517 Create a private key and then generate a certificate request from it:
519 openssl genrsa -out key.pem 2048
520 openssl req -new -key key.pem -out req.pem
522 The same but just using req:
524 openssl req -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout key.pem -out req.pem
526 Generate a self signed root certificate:
528 openssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout key.pem -out req.pem
530 Create an SM2 private key and then generate a certificate request from it:
532 openssl ecparam -genkey -name SM2 -out sm2.key
533 openssl req -new -key sm2.key -out sm2.csr -sm3 -sigopt "sm2_id:1234567812345678"
535 Examine and verify an SM2 certificate request:
537 openssl req -verify -in sm2.csr -sm3 -sm2-id 1234567812345678
539 Example of a file pointed to by the B<oid_file> option:
541 1.2.3.4 shortName A longer Name
542 1.2.3.6 otherName Other longer Name
544 Example of a section pointed to by B<oid_section> making use of variable
548 testoid2=${testoid1}.6
550 Sample configuration file prompting for field values:
554 default_keyfile = privkey.pem
555 distinguished_name = req_distinguished_name
556 attributes = req_attributes
557 req_extensions = v3_ca
559 dirstring_type = nobmp
561 [ req_distinguished_name ]
562 countryName = Country Name (2 letter code)
563 countryName_default = AU
567 localityName = Locality Name (eg, city)
569 organizationalUnitName = Organizational Unit Name (eg, section)
571 commonName = Common Name (eg, YOUR name)
574 emailAddress = Email Address
575 emailAddress_max = 40
578 challengePassword = A challenge password
579 challengePassword_min = 4
580 challengePassword_max = 20
584 subjectKeyIdentifier=hash
585 authorityKeyIdentifier=keyid:always,issuer:always
586 basicConstraints = critical, CA:true
588 Sample configuration containing all field values:
593 default_keyfile = keyfile.pem
594 distinguished_name = req_distinguished_name
595 attributes = req_attributes
597 output_password = mypass
599 [ req_distinguished_name ]
601 ST = Test State or Province
603 O = Organization Name
604 OU = Organizational Unit Name
606 emailAddress = test@email.address
609 challengePassword = A challenge password
611 Example of giving the most common attributes (subject and extensions)
614 openssl req -new -subj "/C=GB/CN=foo" \
615 -addext "subjectAltName = DNS:foo.co.uk" \
616 -addext "certificatePolicies = 1.2.3.4" \
617 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout key.pem -out req.pem
622 The certificate requests generated by B<Xenroll> with MSIE have extensions
623 added. It includes the B<keyUsage> extension which determines the type of
624 key (signature only or general purpose) and any additional OIDs entered
625 by the script in an B<extendedKeyUsage> extension.
629 The following messages are frequently asked about:
631 Using configuration from /some/path/openssl.cnf
632 Unable to load config info
634 This is followed some time later by:
636 unable to find 'distinguished_name' in config
637 problems making Certificate Request
639 The first error message is the clue: it can't find the configuration
640 file! Certain operations (like examining a certificate request) don't
641 need a configuration file so its use isn't enforced. Generation of
642 certificates or requests however does need a configuration file. This
643 could be regarded as a bug.
645 Another puzzling message is this:
650 this is displayed when no attributes are present and the request includes
651 the correct empty B<SET OF> structure (the DER encoding of which is 0xa0
652 0x00). If you just see:
656 then the B<SET OF> is missing and the encoding is technically invalid (but
657 it is tolerated). See the description of the command line option B<-asn1-kludge>
658 for more information.
662 OpenSSL's handling of T61Strings (aka TeletexStrings) is broken: it effectively
663 treats them as ISO-8859-1 (Latin 1), Netscape and MSIE have similar behaviour.
664 This can cause problems if you need characters that aren't available in
665 PrintableStrings and you don't want to or can't use BMPStrings.
667 As a consequence of the T61String handling the only correct way to represent
668 accented characters in OpenSSL is to use a BMPString: unfortunately Netscape
669 currently chokes on these. If you have to use accented characters with Netscape
670 and MSIE then you currently need to use the invalid T61String form.
672 The current prompting is not very friendly. It doesn't allow you to confirm what
673 you've just entered. Other things like extensions in certificate requests are
674 statically defined in the configuration file. Some of these: like an email
675 address in subjectAltName should be input by the user.
682 L<openssl-genrsa(1)>,
683 L<openssl-gendsa(1)>,
689 Copyright 2000-2019 The OpenSSL Project Authors. All Rights Reserved.
691 Licensed under the Apache License 2.0 (the "License"). You may not use
692 this file except in compliance with the License. You can obtain a copy
693 in the file LICENSE in the source distribution or at
694 L<https://www.openssl.org/source/license.html>.