(mozilla-projects-nss-reference-nss-tools-certutil)=

# NSS tools : certutil

:::{container}
Name

certutil — Manage keys and certificate in both NSS databases and other NSS tokens

Synopsis

certutil [options] \[[arguments]\]

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.

Options and Arguments

Running certutil always requires one and only one command option to

specify the type of certificate operation. Each option may take arguments,

anywhere from none to multiple arguments. The command option -H will list

all the command options available and their relevant arguments.

Command Options

-A

Add 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 from a key database. Specify the

key to delete with the -n argument. Specify the database

from which to delete the key with the -d argument. Use

the -k argument to specify explicitly whether to delete

a DSA, RSA, or ECC key. If you don't use the -k

argument, the option looks for an RSA key matching the

specified nickname.

When you delete keys, be sure to also remove any

certificates associated with those keys from the

certificate database, by using -D. Some smart cards (for

example, the Litronic card) 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. You can

display the public key with the command certutil -K -h

tokenname.

-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 option will initialize one by

default. Some smart cards (for example, the Litronic

card) 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 options and arguments used by the

Certificate Database Tool.

-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.

-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:
>
> · sql: requests the newer database
>
> · dbm: requests the legacy database

If no prefix is specified the default type is retrieved from NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE. If
NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE is not set

then dbm: is the default.

--dump-ext-val OID

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.

> · OID (example): 1.2.3.4
>
> · critical-flag: critical or not-critical
>
> · filename: full path to a file containing an encoded extension

-f password-file

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. Unless

specified otherwise the default token is an internal

slot.

-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 rsa|dsa|ec|all

Specify the type of a key. The valid options are RSA,

DSA, ECC, or all. The default value is rsa. Specifying

the type of key can avoid mistakes caused by duplicate

nicknames.

-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.

-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 SUITE B: nistp256, nistp384, nistp521

If NSS has been compiled with support curves outside of SUITE B: 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:

+ p - Valid peer

+ P - Trusted peer (implies p)

+ c - Valid CA

+ T - Trusted CA to issue client certificates (implies

c)

+ C - Trusted CA to issue server certificates (SSL only)

(implies c)

+ u - Certificate can be used for authentication or

signing

+ w - Send warning (use with other attributes to include

a warning when the certificate is used in that

context)

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

Specify a usage context to apply when validating a

certificate with the -V option.

The contexts are the following:

> · 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)

-v valid-months

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. When this argument is

used, the default three-month period is automatically

added to any value given in the valid-month argument.

For example, using this option to set a value of 3 would

cause 3 to be added to the three-month default, creating

a validity period of six months. You can use negative

values to reduce the default period. For example,

setting a value of -2 would subtract 2 from the default

and create a validity period of one month.

-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.

-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.

-0 SSO_password

Set a site security officer password on a token.

-1 | --keyUsage keyword,keyword

Set a Netscape Certificate Type Extension in the

certificate. There are several available keywords:

+ digital signature

+ nonRepudiation

+ keyEncipherment

+ dataEncipherment

+ keyAgreement

+ certSigning

+ crlSigning

+ critical

-2

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 a Netscape certificate type extension to a

certificate that is being created or added to the

database. There are several available keywords:

+ sslClient

+ sslServer

+ smime

+ objectSigning

+ sslCA

+ smimeCA

+ objectSigningCA

+ critical

X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.

-6 | --extKeyUsage keyword,keyword

Add an extended key usage extension to a certificate

that is being created or added to the database. Several

keywords are available:

+ serverAuth

+ clientAuth

+ codeSigning

+ emailProtection

+ timeStamp

+ ocspResponder

+ stepUp

+ critical

X.509 certificate extensions are described in RFC 5280.

-7 emailAddrs

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.

--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 [sql:]directory

Creating a Certificate Request

A certificate request contains most or all of the information

that is used to generate the final certificate. This request is

submitted separately to a certificate authority and is then

approved by some mechanism (automatically or by human review).

Once the request is approved, then the certificate is

generated.

\$ certutil -R -k key-type-or-id [-q pqgfile|curve-name] -g key-size -s s

ubject [-h tokenname] -d [sql:]directory [-p phone] [-o output-file] \[-a

\]

The -R command options requires four arguments:

\* -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 ec -q nistb409 -g 512 -s "CN=John Smith,O=Example Corp,

L=Mountain View,ST=California,C=US" -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb -p 650-5

55-0123 -a -o cert.cer

Generating key. This may take a few moments...

Certificate request generated by Netscape

Phone: 650-555-0123

Common Name: John Smith

Email: (not ed)

Organization: Example Corp

State: California

Country: US

-----BEGIN NEW CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----

MIIBIDCBywIBADBmMQswCQYDVQQGEwJVUzETMBEGA1UECBMKQ2FsaWZvcm5pYTEW

MBQGA1UEBxMNTW91bnRhaW4gVmlldzEVMBMGA1UEChMMRXhhbXBsZSBDb3JwMRMw

EQYDVQQDEwpKb2huIFNtaXRoMFwwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEBBQADSwAwSAJBAMVUpDOZ

KmHnOx7reP8Cc0Lk+fFWEuYIDX9W5K/BioQOKvEjXyQZhit9aThzBVMoSf1Y1S8J

CzdUbCg1+IbnXaECAwEAAaAAMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBBQUAA0EAryqZvpYrUtQ486Ny

qmtyQNjIi1F8c1Z+TL4uFYlMg8z6LG/J/u1E5t1QqB5e9Q4+BhRbrQjRR1JZx3tB

1hP9Gg==

-----END NEW CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----

Creating a Certificate

A valid certificate must be issued by a trusted CA. This can be

done by specifying a CA certificate (-c) that is stored in the

certificate database. If a CA key pair is not available, you

can create a self-signed certificate using the -x argument with

the -S command option.

\$ certutil -S -k rsa|dsa|ec -n certname -s subject [-c issuer |-x] -t tr

ustargs -d [sql:]directory [-m serial-number] [-v valid-months] \[-w offs

et-months\] [-p phone] [-1] [-2] [-3] [-4] [-5 keyword] [-6 keyword] \[-7

emailAddress\] [-8 dns-names] [--extAIA] [--extSIA] [--extCP] [--extPM] \[

--extPC\] [--extIA] [--extSKID]

The series of numbers and --ext\* options set certificate

extensions that can be added to the certificate when it is

generated by the CA.

For example, this creates a self-signed certificate:

\$ certutil -S -s "CN=Example CA" -n my-ca-cert -x -t "C,C,C" -1 -2 -5 -m

3650

From there, new certificates can reference the self-signed

certificate:

\$ certutil -S -s "CN=My Server Cert" -n my-server-cert -c "my-ca-cert" -

t "u,u,u" -1 -5 -6 -8 -m 730

Generating a Certificate from a Certificate Request

When a certificate request is created, a certificate can be

generated by using the request and then referencing a

certificate authority signing certificate (the issuer specified

in the -c argument). The issuing certificate must be in the

certificate database in the specified directory.

certutil -C -c issuer -i cert-request-file -o output-file \[-m serial-num

ber\] [-v valid-months] [-w offset-months] -d [sql:]directory [-1] [-2] \[

-3\] [-4] [-5 keyword] [-6 keyword] [-7 emailAddress] [-8 dns-names]

For example:

\$ certutil -C -c "my-ca-cert" -i /home/certs/cert.req -o cert.cer -m 010

-v 12 -w 1 -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb -1 nonRepudiation,dataEncipherme

nt -5 sslClient -6 clientAuth -7

<mailto:jsmith@example.com>

Generating Key Pairs

Key pairs are generated automatically with a certificate

request or certificate, but they can also be generated

independently using the -G command option.

certutil -G -d [sql:]directory | -h tokenname -k key-type -g key-size \[-

y exponent-value\] -q pqgfile|curve-name

For example:

\$ certutil -G -h lunasa -k ec -g 256 -q sect193r2

Listing Certificates

The -L command option lists all of the certificates listed in

the certificate database. The path to the directory (-d) is

required.

\$ certutil -L -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb

Certificate Nickname Trust Attri

butes

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

Using additional arguments with -L can return and print the

information for a single, specific certificate. For example,

the -n argument passes the certificate name, while the -a

argument prints the certificate in ASCII format:

\$ certutil -L -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb -a -n "Certificate Authority -

Example Domain"

-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----

MIIDmTCCAoGgAwIBAgIBATANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQUFADA5MRcwFQYDVQQKEw5FeGFt

cGxlIERvbWFpbjEeMBwGA1UEAxMVQ2VydGlmaWNhdGUgQXV0aG9yaXR5MB4XDTEw

MDQyOTIxNTY1OFoXDTEyMDQxODIxNTY1OFowOTEXMBUGA1UEChMORXhhbXBsZSBE

b21haW4xHjAcBgNVBAMTFUNlcnRpZmljYXRlIEF1dGhvcml0eTCCASIwDQYJKoZI

hvcNAQEBBQADggEPADCCAQoCggEBAO/bqUli2KwqXFKmMMG93KN1SANzNTXA/Vlf

Tmrih3hQgjvR1ktIY9aG6cB7DSKWmtHp/+p4PUCMqL4ZrSGt901qxkePyZ2dYmM2

RnelK+SEUIPiUtoZaDhNdiYsE/yuDE8vQWj0vHCVL0w72qFUcSQ/WZT7FCrnUIUI

udeWnoPSUn70gLhcj/lvxl7K9BHyD4Sq5CzktwYtFWLiiwV+ZY/Fl6JgbGaQyQB2

bP4iRMfloGqsxGuB1evWVDF1haGpFDSPgMnEPSLg3/3dXn+HDJbZ29EU8/xKzQEb

3V0AHKbu80zGllLEt2Zx/WDIrgJEN9yMfgKFpcmL+BvIRsmh0VsCAwEAAaOBqzCB

qDAfBgNVHSMEGDAWgBQATgxHQyRUfKIZtdp55bZlFr+tFzAPBgNVHRMBAf8EBTAD

AQH/MA4GA1UdDwEB/wQEAwIBxjAdBgNVHQ4EFgQUAE4MR0MkVHyiGbXaeeW2ZRa/

rRcwRQYIKwYBBQUHAQEEOTA3MDUGCCsGAQUFBzABhilodHRwOi8vbG9jYWxob3N0

LmxvY2FsZG9tYWluOjkxODAvY2Evb2NzcDANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQUFAAOCAQEAi8Gk

L3XO43u7/TDOeEsWPmq+jZsDZ3GZ85Ajt3KROLWeKVZZZa2E2Hnsvf2uXbk5amKe

lRxdSeRH9g85pv4KY7Z8xZ71NrI3+K3uwmnqkc6t0hhYb1mw/gx8OAAoluQx3biX

JBDxjI73Cf7XUopplHBjjiwyGIJUO8BEZJ5L+TF4P38MJz1snLtzZpEAX5bl0U76

bfu/tZFWBbE8YAWYtkCtMcalBPj6jn2WD3M01kGozW4mmbvsj1cRB9HnsGsqyHCu

U0ujlL1H/RWcjn607+CTeKH9jLMUqCIqPJNOa+kq/6F7NhNRRiuzASIbZc30BZ5a

nI7q5n1USM3eWQlVXw==

-----END CERTIFICATE-----

Listing Keys

Keys are the original material used to encrypt certificate

data. The keys generated for certificates are stored

separately, in the key database.

To list all keys in the database, use the -K command option and

the (required) -d argument to give the path to the directory.

\$ certutil -K -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb

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

There are ways to narrow the keys listed in the search results:

\* 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 sql:/home/my/sharednssdb

slot: NSS User Private Key and Certificate Services

token: NSS Certificate DB

slot: NSS Internal Cryptographic Services

token: NSS Generic Crypto Services

Adding Certificates to the Database

Existing certificates or certificate requests can be added

manually to the certificate database, even if they were

generated elsewhere. This uses the -A command option.

certutil -A -n certname -t trustargs -d [sql:]directory [-a] \[-i input-f

ile\]

For example:

\$ certutil -A -n "CN=My SSL Certificate" -t "u,u,u" -d sql:/home/my/shar

ednssdb -i /home/example-certs/cert.cer

A related command option, -E, is used specifically to add email

certificates to the certificate database. The -E command has

the same arguments as the -A command. The trust arguments for

certificates have the format SSL,S/MIME,Code-signing, so the

middle trust settings relate most to email certificates (though

the others can be set). For example:

\$ certutil -E -n "CN=John Smith Email Cert" -t ",Pu," -d sql:/home/my/sh

arednssdb -i /home/example-certs/email.cer

Deleting Certificates to the Database

Certificates can be deleted from a database using the -D

option. The only required options are to give the security

database directory and to identify the certificate nickname.

certutil -D -d [sql:]directory -n "nickname"

For example:

\$ certutil -D -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb -n "my-ssl-cert"

Validating Certificates

A certificate contains an expiration date in itself, and

expired certificates are easily rejected. However, certificates

can also be revoked before they hit their expiration date.

Checking whether a certificate has been revoked requires

validating the certificate. Validation can also be used to

ensure that the certificate is only used for the purposes it

was initially issued for. Validation is carried out by the -V

command option.

certutil -V -n certificate-name [-b time] [-e] [-u cert-usage] -d [sql:]

directory

For example, to validate an email certificate:

\$ certutil -V -n "John Smith's Email Cert" -e -u S,R -d sql:/home/my/sha

rednssdb

Modifying Certificate Trust Settings

The trust settings (which relate to the operations that a

certificate is allowed to be used for) can be changed after a

certificate is created or added to the database. This is

especially useful for CA certificates, but it can be performed

for any type of certificate.

certutil -M -n certificate-name -t trust-args -d [sql:]directory

For example:

\$ certutil -M -n "My CA Certificate" -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb -t "CTu

,CTu,CTu"

Printing the Certificate Chain

Certificates can be issued in chains because every certificate

authority itself has a certificate; when a CA issues a

certificate, it essentially stamps that certificate with its

own fingerprint. The -O prints the full chain of a certificate,

going from the initial CA (the root CA) through ever

intermediary CA to the actual certificate. For example, for an

email certificate with two CAs in the chain:

\$ certutil -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb -O -n "<jsmith@example.com>"

"Builtin Object Token:Thawte Personal Freemail CA" \[E=personal-freemail@

thawte.com,CN=Thawte Personal Freemail CA,OU=Certification Services Divi

sion,O=Thawte Consulting,L=Cape Town,ST=Western Cape,C=ZA\]

"Thawte Personal Freemail Issuing CA - Thawte Consulting" \[CN=Thawte P

ersonal Freemail Issuing CA,O=Thawte Consulting (Pty) Ltd.,C=ZA\]

"(null)" \[

<mailto:E=jsmith@example.com>

,CN=Thawte Freemail Member\]

Resetting a Token

The device which stores certificates -- both external hardware

devices and internal software databases -- can be blanked and

reused. This operation is performed on the device which stores

the data, not directly on the security databases, so the

location must be referenced through the token name (-h) as well

as any directory path. If there is no external token used, the

default value is internal.

certutil -T -d [sql:]directory -h token-name -0 security-officer-passwor

d

Many networks have dedicated personnel who handle changes to

security tokens (the security officer). This person must supply

the password to access the specified token. For example:

\$ certutil -T -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb -h nethsm -0 secret

Upgrading or Merging the Security Databases

Many networks or applications may be using older BerkeleyDB

versions of the certificate database (cert8.db). Databases can

be upgraded to the new SQLite version of the database

(cert9.db) using the --upgrade-merge command option or existing

databases can be merged with the new cert9.db databases using

the ---merge command.

The --upgrade-merge command must give information about the

original database and then use the standard arguments (like -d)

to give the information about the new databases. The command

also requires information that the tool uses for the process to

upgrade and write over the original database.

certutil --upgrade-merge -d [sql:]directory [-P dbprefix] --source-dir d

irectory --source-prefix dbprefix --upgrade-id id --upgrade-token-name n

ame [-@ password-file]

For example:

\$ certutil --upgrade-merge -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb --source-dir /opt

/my-app/alias/ --source-prefix serverapp- --upgrade-id 1 --upgrade-token

-name internal

The --merge command only requires information about the

location of the original database; since it doesn't change the

format of the database, it can write over information without

performing interim step.

certutil --merge -d [sql:]directory [-P dbprefix] --source-dir directory

--source-prefix dbprefix [-@ password-file]

For example:

\$ certutil --merge -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb --source-dir /opt/my-app/

alias/ --source-prefix serverapp-

Running certutil Commands from a Batch File

A series of commands can be run sequentially from a text file

with the -B command option. The only argument for this

specifies the input file.

\$ 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 BerkleyDB. These new databases provide

more accessibility and performance:

\* cert9.db for certificates

\* key4.db for keys

\* pkcs11.txt, which is 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 follow the more common legacy

type. Using the SQLite databases must be manually specified by

using the sql: prefix with the given security directory. For

example:

\$ certutil -L -d sql:/home/my/sharednssdb

To set the shared database type as the default type for the

tools, set the NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE environment variable to sql:

export NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE="sql"

This line can be set added to the ~/.bashrc file to make the

change permanent.

Most applications do not use the shared database by default,

but they can be configured to use them. For example, this

how-to article covers how to configure Firefox and Thunderbird

to use the new shared NSS databases:

\*

<https://wiki.mozilla.org/NSS_Shared_DB_Howto>

For an engineering draft on the changes in the shared NSS

databases, see the NSS project wiki:

\*

<https://wiki.mozilla.org/NSS_Shared_DB>

See Also

pk12util (1)

modutil (1)

certutil has arguments or operations that use features defined

in several IETF RFCs.

\*

[http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5280](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc5280)

\*

[http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1113](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc1113)

\*

[http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1485](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc1485)

The NSS wiki has information on the new database design and how

to configure applications to use it.

\*

<https://wiki.mozilla.org/NSS_Shared_DB_Howto>

\*

<https://wiki.mozilla.org/NSS_Shared_DB>

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/](https://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-pki

Authors

The NSS tools were written and maintained by developers with

Netscape, Red Hat, Sun, Oracle, Mozilla, and Google.

Authors: Elio Maldonado \<

<mailto:emaldona@redhat.com>

>, Deon Lackey

\<

<mailto:dlackey@redhat.com>

>.

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

<https://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/>

.

NOTES

1. Mozilla NSS bug 836477

<https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=836477>
:::
