NAME
certutil - Manage keys and certificate in both NSS databases and other NSS tokensSYNOPSIS
certutil
[ options] [[arguments]]
STATUS
This documentation is still work in progress. Please contribute to the initial review in Mozilla NSS bug 836477[1]DESCRIPTION
The Certificate Database Tool, certutil, is a command-line utility that can create and modify certificate and key databases. It can specifically list, generate, modify, or delete certificates, create or change the password, generate new public and private key pairs, display the contents of the key database, or delete key pairs within the key database. Certificate issuance, part of the key and certificate management process, requires that keys and certificates be created in the key database. This document discusses certificate and key database management. For information on the security module database management, see the modutil manpage.COMMAND OPTIONS AND ARGUMENTS
Running certutil always requires one and only one command option to specify the type of certificate operation. Each command option may take zero or more arguments. The command option -H will list all the command options and their relevant arguments. Command Options -AAdd an existing certificate to a certificate
database. The certificate database should already exist; if one is not
present, this command option will initialize one by default.
-B
Run a series of commands from the specified
batch file. This requires the -i argument.
-C
Create a new binary certificate file from a
binary certificate request file. Use the -i argument to specify the
certificate request file. If this argument is not used, certutil
prompts for a filename.
-D
Delete a certificate from the certificate
database.
--rename
Change the database nickname of a
certificate.
-E
Add an email certificate to the certificate
database.
-F
Delete a private key and the associated
certificate from a database. Specify the key to delete with the -n argument or
the -k argument. Specify the database from which to delete the key with the
-d argument.
Some smart cards do not let you remove a public key you have generated. In such
a case, only the private key is deleted from the key pair.
-G
Generate a new public and private key pair
within a key database. The key database should already exist; if one is not
present, this command option will initialize one by default. Some smart cards
can store only one key pair. If you create a new key pair for such a card, the
previous pair is overwritten.
-H
Display a list of the command options and
arguments.
-K
List the key ID of keys in the key database. A
key ID is the modulus of the RSA key or the publicValue of the DSA key. IDs
are displayed in hexadecimal ("0x" is not shown).
-L
List all the certificates, or display
information about a named certificate, in a certificate database. Use the -h
tokenname argument to specify the certificate database on a particular
hardware or software token.
-M
Modify a certificate's trust attributes using
the values of the -t argument.
-N
Create new certificate and key
databases.
-O
Print the certificate chain.
-R
Create a certificate request file that can be
submitted to a Certificate Authority (CA) for processing into a finished
certificate. Output defaults to standard out unless you use -o output-file
argument. Use the -a argument to specify ASCII output.
-S
Create an individual certificate and add it to
a certificate database.
-T
Reset the key database or token.
-U
List all available modules or print a single
named module.
-V
Check the validity of a certificate and its
attributes.
-W
Change the password to a key database.
--merge
Merge two databases into one.
--upgrade-merge
Upgrade an old database and merge it into a
new database. This is used to migrate legacy NSS databases (cert8.db and
key3.db) into the newer SQLite databases (cert9.db and key4.db).
Arguments
Arguments modify a command option and are usually lower case, numbers, or
symbols.
-a
Use ASCII format or allow the use of ASCII
format for input or output. This formatting follows RFC 1113. For certificate
requests, ASCII output defaults to standard output unless redirected.
--simple-self-signed
When printing the certificate chain, don't
search for a chain if issuer name equals to subject name.
-b validity-time
Specify a time at which a certificate is
required to be valid. Use when checking certificate validity with the
-V option. The format of the validity-time argument is
YYMMDDHHMMSS[+HHMM|-HHMM|Z], which allows offsets to be set relative to
the validity end time. Specifying seconds ( SS) is optional. When
specifying an explicit time, use a Z at the end of the term,
YYMMDDHHMMSSZ, to close it. When specifying an offset time, use
YYMMDDHHMMSS+HHMM or YYMMDDHHMMSS-HHMM for adding or subtracting
time, respectively.
If this option is not used, the validity check defaults to the current system
time.
-c issuer
Identify the certificate of the CA from which
a new certificate will derive its authenticity. Use the exact nickname or
alias of the CA certificate, or use the CA's email address. Bracket the issuer
string with quotation marks if it contains spaces.
-d [prefix]directory
Specify the database directory containing the
certificate and key database files.
certutil supports two types of databases: the legacy security databases
(cert8.db, key3.db, and secmod.db) and new SQLite databases (cert9.db,
key4.db, and pkcs11.txt).
NSS recognizes the following prefixes:
If no prefix is specified the default type is retrieved from
NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE. If NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE is not set then sql: is the
default.
--dump-ext-val OID
•sql: requests the newer
database
•dbm: requests the legacy
database
For single cert, print binary DER encoding of
extension OID.
-e
Check a certificate's signature during the
process of validating a certificate.
--email email-address
Specify the email address of a certificate to
list. Used with the -L command option.
--extGeneric OID:critical-flag:filename[,OID:critical-flag:filename]...
Add one or multiple extensions that certutil
cannot encode yet, by loading their encodings from external files.
-f password-file
•OID (example): 1.2.3.4
•critical-flag: critical or
not-critical
•filename: full path to a file
containing an encoded extension
Specify a file that will automatically supply
the password to include in a certificate or to access a certificate database.
This is a plain-text file containing one password. Be sure to prevent
unauthorized access to this file.
-g keysize
Set a key size to use when generating new
public and private key pairs. The minimum is 512 bits and the maximum is 16384
bits. The default is 2048 bits. Any size between the minimum and maximum is
allowed.
-h tokenname
Specify the name of a token to use or act on.
If not specified the default token is the internal database slot.
The name can also be a PKCS #11 URI. For example, the NSS internal certificate
store can be unambiguously specified as
"pkcs11:token=NSS%20Certificate%20DB". For details about the format,
see RFC 7512.
-i input_file
Pass an input file to the command. Depending
on the command option, an input file can be a specific certificate, a
certificate request file, or a batch file of commands.
-k key-type-or-id
Specify the type or specific ID of a key.
The valid key type options are rsa, dsa, ec, or all. The default value is rsa.
Specifying the type of key can avoid mistakes caused by duplicate nicknames.
Giving a key type generates a new key pair; giving the ID of an existing key
reuses that key pair (which is required to renew certificates).
-l
Display detailed information when validating a
certificate with the -V option.
-m serial-number
Assign a unique serial number to a certificate
being created. This operation should be performed by a CA. If no serial number
is provided a default serial number is made from the current time. Serial
numbers are limited to integers
-n nickname
Specify the nickname of a certificate or key
to list, create, add to a database, modify, or validate. Bracket the nickname
string with quotation marks if it contains spaces.
The nickname can also be a PKCS #11 URI. For example, if you have a certificate
named "my-server-cert" on the internal certificate store, it can be
unambiguously specified as
"pkcs11:token=NSS%20Certificate%20DB;object=my-server-cert". For
details about the format, see RFC 7512.
-o output-file
Specify the output file name for new
certificates or binary certificate requests. Bracket the output-file string
with quotation marks if it contains spaces. If this argument is not used the
output destination defaults to standard output.
-P dbPrefix
Specify the prefix used on the certificate and
key database file. This argument is provided to support legacy servers. Most
applications do not use a database prefix.
-p phone
Specify a contact telephone number to include
in new certificates or certificate requests. Bracket this string with
quotation marks if it contains spaces.
-q pqgfile or curve-name
Read an alternate PQG value from the specified
file when generating DSA key pairs. If this argument is not used,
certutil generates its own PQG value. PQG files are created with a
separate DSA utility.
Elliptic curve name is one of the ones from nistp256, nistp384, nistp521,
curve25519.
If a token is available that supports more curves, the foolowing curves are
supported as well: sect163k1, nistk163, sect163r1, sect163r2, nistb163,
sect193r1, sect193r2, sect233k1, nistk233, sect233r1, nistb233, sect239k1,
sect283k1, nistk283, sect283r1, nistb283, sect409k1, nistk409, sect409r1,
nistb409, sect571k1, nistk571, sect571r1, nistb571, secp160k1, secp160r1,
secp160r2, secp192k1, secp192r1, nistp192, secp224k1, secp224r1, nistp224,
secp256k1, secp256r1, secp384r1, secp521r1, prime192v1, prime192v2,
prime192v3, prime239v1, prime239v2, prime239v3, c2pnb163v1, c2pnb163v2,
c2pnb163v3, c2pnb176v1, c2tnb191v1, c2tnb191v2, c2tnb191v3, c2pnb208w1,
c2tnb239v1, c2tnb239v2, c2tnb239v3, c2pnb272w1, c2pnb304w1, c2tnb359w1,
c2pnb368w1, c2tnb431r1, secp112r1, secp112r2, secp128r1, secp128r2, sect113r1,
sect113r2, sect131r1, sect131r2
-r
Display a certificate's binary DER encoding
when listing information about that certificate with the -L option.
-s subject
Identify a particular certificate owner for
new certificates or certificate requests. Bracket this string with quotation
marks if it contains spaces. The subject identification format follows RFC
#1485.
-t trustargs
Specify the trust attributes to modify in an
existing certificate or to apply to a certificate when creating it or adding
it to a database. There are three available trust categories for each
certificate, expressed in the order SSL, email, object signing for each
trust setting. In each category position, use none, any, or all of the
attribute codes:
The attribute codes for the categories are separated by commas, and the entire
set of attributes enclosed by quotation marks. For example:
-t "TC,C,T"
Use the -L option to see a list of the current certificates and trust attributes
in a certificate database.
Note that the output of the -L option may include "u" flag, which
means that there is a private key associated with the certificate. It is a
dynamic flag and you cannot set it with certutil.
-u certusage
•p - Valid peer
•P - Trusted peer (implies
p)
•c - Valid CA
•C - Trusted CA (implies
c)
•T - trusted CA for client
authentication (ssl server only)
Specify a usage context to apply when
validating a certificate with the -V option.
The contexts are the following:
-v valid-months
•C (as an SSL client)
•V (as an SSL server)
•L (as an SSL CA)
•A (as Any CA)
•Y (Verify CA)
•S (as an email signer)
•R (as an email recipient)
•O (as an OCSP status
responder)
•J (as an object signer)
•I (as an IPSEC user)
Set the number of months a new certificate
will be valid. The validity period begins at the current system time unless an
offset is added or subtracted with the -w option. If this argument is
not used, the default validity period is three months.
-w offset-months
Set an offset from the current system time, in
months, for the beginning of a certificate's validity period. Use when
creating the certificate or adding it to a database. Express the offset in
integers, using a minus sign (-) to indicate a negative offset. If this
argument is not used, the validity period begins at the current system time.
The length of the validity period is set with the -v argument.
-X
Force the key and certificate database to open
in read-write mode. This is used with the -U and -L command
options.
-x
Use certutil to generate the signature
for a certificate being created or added to a database, rather than obtaining
a signature from a separate CA.
-y exp
Set an alternate exponent value to use in
generating a new RSA public key for the database, instead of the default value
of 65537. The available alternate values are 3 and 17.
--pss
Restrict the generated certificate (with the
-S option) or certificate request (with the -R option) to be
used with the RSA-PSS signature scheme. This only works when the private key
of the certificate or certificate request is RSA.
--pss-sign
Sign the generated certificate with the
RSA-PSS signature scheme (with the -C or -S option). This only
works when the private key of the signer's certificate is RSA. If the signer's
certificate is restricted to RSA-PSS, it is not necessary to specify this
option.
-z noise-file
Read a seed value from the specified file to
generate a new private and public key pair. This argument makes it possible to
use hardware-generated seed values or manually create a value from the
keyboard. The minimum file size is 20 bytes.
-Z hashAlg
Specify the hash algorithm to use with the -C,
-S or -R command options. Possible keywords:
-0 SSO_password
•MD2
•MD4
•MD5
•SHA1
•SHA224
•SHA256
•SHA384
•SHA512
Set a site security officer password on a
token.
-1 | --keyUsage keyword,keyword
Set an X.509 V3 Certificate Type Extension in
the certificate. There are several available keywords:
-2
•digitalSignature
•nonRepudiation
•keyEncipherment
•dataEncipherment
•keyAgreement
•certSigning
•crlSigning
•critical
Add a basic constraint extension to a
certificate that is being created or added to a database. This extension
supports the certificate chain verification process. certutil prompts
for the certificate constraint extension to select.
X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
-3
Add an authority key ID extension to a
certificate that is being created or added to a database. This extension
supports the identification of a particular certificate, from among multiple
certificates associated with one subject name, as the correct issuer of a
certificate. The Certificate Database Tool will prompt you to select the
authority key ID extension.
X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
-4
Add a CRL distribution point extension to a
certificate that is being created or added to a database. This extension
identifies the URL of a certificate's associated certificate revocation list
(CRL). certutil prompts for the URL.
X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
-5 | --nsCertType keyword,keyword
Add an X.509 V3 certificate type extension to
a certificate that is being created or added to the database. There are
several available keywords:
X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
-6 | --extKeyUsage keyword,keyword
•sslClient
•sslServer
•smime
•objectSigning
•sslCA
•smimeCA
•objectSigningCA
•critical
Add an extended key usage extension to a
certificate that is being created or added to the database. Several keywords
are available:
X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
-7 emailAddrs
•serverAuth
•clientAuth
•codeSigning
•emailProtection
•timeStamp
•ocspResponder
•stepUp
•msTrustListSign
•critical
•x509Any
•ipsecIKE
•ipsecIKEEnd
•ipsecIKEIntermediate
•ipsecEnd
•ipsecTunnel
•ipsecUser
Add a comma-separated list of email addresses
to the subject alternative name extension of a certificate or certificate
request that is being created or added to the database. Subject alternative
name extensions are described in Section 4.2.1.7 of RFC 3280.
-8 dns-names
Add a comma-separated list of DNS names to the
subject alternative name extension of a certificate or certificate request
that is being created or added to the database. Subject alternative name
extensions are described in Section 4.2.1.7 of RFC 3280.
--extAIA
Add the Authority Information Access extension
to the certificate. X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC
5280.
--extSIA
Add the Subject Information Access extension
to the certificate. X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC
5280.
--extCP
Add the Certificate Policies extension to the
certificate. X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
--extPM
Add the Policy Mappings extension to the
certificate. X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
--extPC
Add the Policy Constraints extension to the
certificate. X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
--extIA
Add the Inhibit Any Policy Access extension to
the certificate. X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
--extSKID
Add the Subject Key ID extension to the
certificate. X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
--extNC
Add a Name Constraint extension to the
certificate. X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.
--extSAN type:name[,type:name]...
Create a Subject Alt Name extension with one
or multiple names.
-type: directory, dn, dns, edi, ediparty, email, ip, ipaddr, other, registerid,
rfc822, uri, x400, x400addr
--empty-password
Use empty password when creating new
certificate database with -N.
--keyAttrFlags attrflags
PKCS #11 key Attributes. Comma separated list
of key attribute flags, selected from the following list of choices: {token |
session} {public | private} {sensitive | insensitive} {modifiable |
unmodifiable} {extractable | unextractable}
--keyOpFlagsOn opflags, --keyOpFlagsOff opflags
PKCS #11 key Operation Flags. Comma separated
list of one or more of the following: {token | session} {public | private}
{sensitive | insensitive} {modifiable | unmodifiable} {extractable |
unextractable}
--new-n nickname
A new nickname, used when renaming a
certificate.
--source-dir certdir
Identify the certificate database directory to
upgrade.
--source-prefix certdir
Give the prefix of the certificate and key
databases to upgrade.
--upgrade-id uniqueID
Give the unique ID of the database to
upgrade.
--upgrade-token-name name
Set the name of the token to use while it is
being upgraded.
-@ pwfile
Give the name of a password file to use for
the database being upgraded.
USAGE AND EXAMPLES
Most of the command options in the examples listed here have more arguments available. The arguments included in these examples are the most common ones or are used to illustrate a specific scenario. Use the -H option to show the complete list of arguments for each command option. Creating New Security Databases Certificates, keys, and security modules related to managing certificates are stored in three related databases:•cert8.db or cert9.db
•key3.db or key4.db
•secmod.db or pkcs11.txt
These databases must be created before certificates or keys can be generated.
certutil -N -d directory
$ certutil -R -k key-type-or-id [-q pqgfile|curve-name] -g key-size -s subject [-h tokenname] -d directory [-p phone] [-o output-file] [-a]
•-k to specify either the key
type to generate or, when renewing a certificate, the existing key pair to
use
•-g to set the keysize of the
key to generate
•-s to set the subject name of
the certificate
•-d to give the security
database directory
The new certificate request can be output in ASCII format ( -a) or can be
written to a specified file ( -o).
For example:
$ certutil -R -k rsa -g 1024 -s "CN=John Smith,O=Example Corp,L=Mountain View,ST=California,C=US" -d $HOME/nssdb -p 650-555-0123 -a -o cert.cer Generating key. This may take a few moments...
$ certutil -S -k rsa|dsa|ec -n certname -s subject [-c issuer |-x] -t trustargs -d directory [-m serial-number] [-v valid-months] [-w offset-months] [-p phone] [-1] [-2] [-3] [-4] [-5 keyword] [-6 keyword] [-7 emailAddress] [-8 dns-names] [--extAIA] [--extSIA] [--extCP] [--extPM] [--extPC] [--extIA] [--extSKID]
$ certutil -S -s "CN=Example CA" -n my-ca-cert -x -t "C,C,C" -1 -2 -5 -m 3650
$ certutil -S -s "CN=My Server Cert" -n my-server-cert -c "my-ca-cert" -t ",," -1 -5 -6 -8 -m 730
certutil -C -c issuer -i cert-request-file -o output-file [-m serial-number] [-v valid-months] [-w offset-months] -d directory [-1] [-2] [-3] [-4] [-5 keyword] [-6 keyword] [-7 emailAddress] [-8 dns-names]
$ certutil -C -c "my-ca-cert" -i /home/certs/cert.req -o cert.cer -m 010 -v 12 -w 1 -d $HOME/nssdb -1 nonRepudiation,dataEncipherment -5 sslClient -6 clientAuth -7 [email protected]
$ certutil -L -d /home/my/sharednssdb Certificate Nickname Trust Attributes SSL,S/MIME,JAR/XPI CA Administrator of Instance pki-ca1's Example Domain ID u,u,u TPS Administrator's Example Domain ID u,u,u Google Internet Authority ,, Certificate Authority - Example Domain CT,C,C
$ certutil -L -d $HOME/nssdb -a -n my-ca-cert -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- MIIB1DCCAT2gAwIBAgICDkIwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEFBQAwFTETMBEGA1UEAxMKRXhh bXBsZSBDQTAeFw0xMzAzMTMxOTEwMjlaFw0xMzA2MTMxOTEwMjlaMBUxEzARBgNV BAMTCkV4YW1wbGUgQ0EwgZ8wDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEBBQADgY0AMIGJAoGBAJ4Kzqvz JyBVgFqDXRYSyTBNw1DrxUU/3GvWA/ngjAwHEv0Cul/6sO/gsCvnABHiH6unns6x XRzPORlC2WY3gkk7vmlsLvYpyecNazAi/NAwVnU/66HOsaoVFWE+gBQo99UrN2yk 0BiK/GMFlLm5dXQROgA9ZKKyFdI0LIXtf6SbAgMBAAGjMzAxMBEGCWCGSAGG+EIB AQQEAwIHADAMBgNVHRMEBTADAQH/MA4GA1UdDwEB/wQEAwICBDANBgkqhkiG9w0B AQUFAAOBgQA6chkzkACN281d1jKMrc+RHG2UMaQyxiteaLVZO+Ro1nnRUvseDf09 XKYFwPMJjWCihVku6bw/ihZfuMHhxK22Nue6inNQ6eDu7WmrqL8z3iUrQwxs+WiF ob2rb8XRVVJkzXdXxlk4uo3UtNvw8sAz7sWD71qxKaIHU5q49zijfg== -----END CERTIFICATE-----
$ certutil -L -d $HOME/nssdb -n my-ca-cert Certificate: Data: Version: 3 (0x2) Serial Number: 3650 (0xe42) Signature Algorithm: PKCS #1 SHA-1 With RSA Encryption Issuer: "CN=Example CA" Validity: Not Before: Wed Mar 13 19:10:29 2013 Not After : Thu Jun 13 19:10:29 2013 Subject: "CN=Example CA" Subject Public Key Info: Public Key Algorithm: PKCS #1 RSA Encryption RSA Public Key: Modulus: 9e:0a:ce:ab:f3:27:20:55:80:5a:83:5d:16:12:c9:30: 4d:c3:50:eb:c5:45:3f:dc:6b:d6:03:f9:e0:8c:0c:07: 12:fd:02:ba:5f:fa:b0:ef:e0:b0:2b:e7:00:11:e2:1f: ab:a7:9e:ce:b1:5d:1c:cf:39:19:42:d9:66:37:82:49: 3b:be:69:6c:2e:f6:29:c9:e7:0d:6b:30:22:fc:d0:30: 56:75:3f:eb:a1:ce:b1:aa:15:15:61:3e:80:14:28:f7: d5:2b:37:6c:a4:d0:18:8a:fc:63:05:94:b9:b9:75:74: 11:3a:00:3d:64:a2:b2:15:d2:34:2c:85:ed:7f:a4:9b Exponent: 65537 (0x10001) Signed Extensions: Name: Certificate Type Data: none Name: Certificate Basic Constraints Data: Is a CA with no maximum path length. Name: Certificate Key Usage Critical: True Usages: Certificate Signing Signature Algorithm: PKCS #1 SHA-1 With RSA Encryption Signature: 3a:72:19:33:90:00:8d:db:cd:5d:d6:32:8c:ad:cf:91: 1c:6d:94:31:a4:32:c6:2b:5e:68:b5:59:3b:e4:68:d6: 79:d1:52:fb:1e:0d:fd:3d:5c:a6:05:c0:f3:09:8d:60: a2:85:59:2e:e9:bc:3f:8a:16:5f:b8:c1:e1:c4:ad:b6: 36:e7:ba:8a:73:50:e9:e0:ee:ed:69:ab:a8:bf:33:de: 25:2b:43:0c:6c:f9:68:85:a1:bd:ab:6f:c5:d1:55:52: 64:cd:77:57:c6:59:38:ba:8d:d4:b4:db:f0:f2:c0:33: ee:c5:83:ef:5a:b1:29:a2:07:53:9a:b8:f7:38:a3:7e Fingerprint (MD5): 86:D8:A5:8B:8A:26:BE:9E:17:A8:7B:66:10:6B:27:80 Fingerprint (SHA1): 48:78:09:EF:C5:D4:0C:BD:D2:64:45:59:EB:03:13:15:F7:A9:D6:F7 Certificate Trust Flags: SSL Flags: Valid CA Trusted CA User Email Flags: Valid CA Trusted CA User Object Signing Flags: Valid CA Trusted CA User
$ certutil -K -d $HOME/nssdb certutil: Checking token "NSS Certificate DB" in slot "NSS User Private Key and Certificate Services " < 0> rsa 455a6673bde9375c2887ec8bf8016b3f9f35861d Thawte Freemail Member's Thawte Consulting (Pty) Ltd. ID < 1> rsa 40defeeb522ade11090eacebaaf1196a172127df Example Domain Administrator Cert < 2> rsa 1d0b06f44f6c03842f7d4f4a1dc78b3bcd1b85a5 John Smith user cert
•To return a specific key, use the
-n name argument with the name of the key.
•If there are multiple security devices
loaded, then the -h tokenname argument can search a specific
token or all tokens.
•If there are multiple key types
available, then the -k key-type argument can search a specific
type of key, like RSA, DSA, or ECC.
Listing Security Modules
The devices that can be used to store certificates -- both internal databases
and external devices like smart cards -- are recognized and used by loading
security modules. The -U command option lists all of the security
modules listed in the secmod.db database. The path to the directory (
-d) is required.
$ certutil -U -d /home/my/sharednssdb slot: NSS User Private Key and Certificate Services token: NSS Certificate DB uri: pkcs11:token=NSS%20Certificate%20DB;manufacturer=Mozilla%20Foundation;serial=0000000000000000;model=NSS%203 slot: NSS Internal Cryptographic Services token: NSS Generic Crypto Services uri: pkcs11:token=NSS%20Generic%20Crypto%20Services;manufacturer=Mozilla%20Foundation;serial=0000000000000000;model=NSS%203
certutil -A -n certname -t trustargs -d directory [-a] [-i input-file]
$ certutil -A -n "CN=My SSL Certificate" -t ",," -d /home/my/sharednssdb -i /home/example-certs/cert.cer
$ certutil -E -n "CN=John Smith Email Cert" -t ",P," -d /home/my/sharednssdb -i /home/example-certs/email.cer
certutil -D -d directory -n "nickname"
$ certutil -D -d /home/my/sharednssdb -n "my-ssl-cert"
certutil -V -n certificate-name [-b time] [-e] [-u cert-usage] -d directory
$ certutil -V -n "John Smith's Email Cert" -e -u S,R -d /home/my/sharednssdb
certutil -M -n certificate-name -t trust-args -d directory
$ certutil -M -n "My CA Certificate" -d /home/my/sharednssdb -t "CT,CT,CT"
$ certutil -d /home/my/sharednssdb -O -n "[email protected]" "Builtin Object Token:Thawte Personal Freemail CA" [[email protected],CN=Thawte Personal Freemail CA,OU=Certification Services Division,O=Thawte Consulting,L=Cape Town,ST=Western Cape,C=ZA] "Thawte Personal Freemail Issuing CA - Thawte Consulting" [CN=Thawte Personal Freemail Issuing CA,O=Thawte Consulting (Pty) Ltd.,C=ZA] "(null)" [[email protected],CN=Thawte Freemail Member]
certutil -T -d directory -h token-name -0 security-officer-password
$ certutil -T -d /home/my/sharednssdb -h nethsm -0 secret
certutil --upgrade-merge -d directory [-P dbprefix] --source-dir directory --source-prefix dbprefix --upgrade-id id --upgrade-token-name name [-@ password-file]
$ certutil --upgrade-merge -d /home/my/sharednssdb --source-dir /opt/my-app/alias/ --source-prefix serverapp- --upgrade-id 1 --upgrade-token-name internal
certutil --merge -d directory [-P dbprefix] --source-dir directory --source-prefix dbprefix [-@ password-file]
$ certutil --merge -d /home/my/sharednssdb --source-dir /opt/my-app/alias/ --source-prefix serverapp-
$ certutil -B -i /path/to/batch-file
NSS DATABASE TYPES
NSS originally used BerkeleyDB databases to store security information. The last versions of these legacy databases are:•cert8.db for certificates
•key3.db for keys
•secmod.db for PKCS #11 module
information
BerkeleyDB has performance limitations, though, which prevent it from being
easily used by multiple applications simultaneously. NSS has some flexibility
that allows applications to use their own, independent database engine while
keeping a shared database and working around the access issues. Still, NSS
requires more flexibility to provide a truly shared security database.
In 2009, NSS introduced a new set of databases that are SQLite databases rather
than BerkeleyDB. These new databases provide more accessibility and
performance:
•cert9.db for certificates
•key4.db for keys
•pkcs11.txt, a listing of all of the
PKCS #11 modules, contained in a new subdirectory in the security databases
directory
Because the SQLite databases are designed to be shared, these are the
shared database type. The shared database type is preferred; the legacy
format is included for backward compatibility.
By default, the tools ( certutil, pk12util, modutil) assume
that the given security databases use the SQLite type. Using the legacy
databases must be manually specified by using the dbm: prefix with the
given security directory. For example:
$ certutil -L -d dbm:/home/my/sharednssdb
export NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE="dbm"
SEE ALSO
pk12util (1) modutil (1) certutil has arguments or operations that use features defined in several IETF RFCs.ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
For information about NSS and other tools related to NSS (like JSS), check out the NSS project wiki at http://www.mozilla.org/projects/security/pki/nss/. The NSS site relates directly to NSS code changes and releases. Mailing lists: https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-tech-crypto IRC: Freenode at #dogtag-pkiAUTHORS
The NSS tools were written and maintained by developers with Netscape, Red Hat, Sun, Oracle, Mozilla, and Google. Authors: Elio Maldonado <[email protected]>, Deon Lackey <[email protected]>.LICENSE
Licensed under the Mozilla Public License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.NOTES
- 1.
- Mozilla NSS bug 836477
19 May 2021 | nss-tools |