SSL Certificates fall into two broad categories: 1) Self-Signed Certificate which is an identity certificate that is signed by the same entity whose identity it certifies-on signed with its own private key, and 2) Certificates that are signed by a CA (Certificate Authority) such as Let’s Encrypt, Comodo and many other companies.
Self-Signed Certificates are commonly used in test environments for LAN services or applications. They can be generated for free using OpenSSL or any related tool. On the other hand, for sensitive, public-facing production services, applications or websites, it is highly recommended to use a certificate issued and verified by a trusted CA.
The first step towards acquiring an SSL certificate issued and verified by a CA is generating a CSR (short for Certificate Signing Request).
Create a CSR (Certificate Signing Request) General CSR Creation Guidelines Before you can order an SSL certificate, it is recommended that you generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) from your server or device. First up are certificate signing requests (CSRs). These little files are a critical part of applying for an SSL Certificate, but what are they exactly and how can you generate one? A certificate signing request (CSR) is one of the first steps towards getting your own SSL Certificate.
In this article, we will demonstrate how to create a CSR (Certificate Signing Request) on a Linux system.
To create a CSR, you need the OpenSSL command line utility installed on your system, otherwise, run the following command to install it.
Then issue the following command to generate a CSR and the key that will protect your certificate.
where:
Answer correctly, the questions you will be asked. Note that your answers should match information in legal documents regarding the registration of your company. This information is critically checked by the CA before issuing your certificate.
After creating your CSR, view the contents of the file using a cat utility, select it and copy it.
Copy CSR Key
Then go back to your CA’s website, log in, go to the page will contain the SSL certificate you purchased, and activate it. Then in a window such as the one below, paste your CSR in the correct input field.
In this example, we created a CSR for a multiple domain certificate purchased from Namecheap.
Then follow the rest of the instructions to initiate activation of your SSL certificate. For more information about OpenSSL command, see its man page:
That’s all for now! Always remember that the first step to getting your own SSL certificate from a CA is to generate a CSR. Use the feedback form below to ask any questions or share your comments with us.
Before you can install a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate, you must first generate a certificate signing request (CSR). You can do this by using one of the following methods:
The following sections describe how to use OpenSSL to generate a CSR for a single host name. If you want to generate a CSR for multiple host names, we recommend using the Cloud Control Panel or the MyRackspace Portal.
Check whether OpenSSL is installed by using the following command:
CentOS® and Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®
The following output provides an example of what the command returns:
Debian® and the Ubuntu® operating system
The following output provides an example of what the command returns:
If the preceding packages are not returned, install OpenSSL by running the following command:
CentOS and Red Hat
Debian and the Ubuntu operating system
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Run the following commands to create a directory in which to store your RSA key, substituting a directory name of your choice:
Run the following command to generate a private key:
Run the following command to create a CSR with the RSA private key (output is in Privacy-Enhanced Mail (PEM) format):
When prompted, enter the necessary information for creating a CSR by using the conventions shown in the following table.
Note: You cannot use the following characters in the Organization Name or Organizational Unit fields: < > ~ ! @ # $ % ^ * / ( ) ? . , &
Field | Explanation | Example |
---|---|---|
Common Name | The fully qualified domain name to which the certificate applies. The domain names example.com and www.example.com are distinct from each other, so be sure to submit your request for the right domain. If you are purchasing a wildcard certificate, use *.example.com. | example.com |
Organization Name | The exact legal name of your organization. The Certificate Authority (CA) might seek to confirm that your organization is real and legally registered, so don’t abbreviate words that aren’t abbreviated in the organization’s legal name. | Example Inc. |
Organizational Unit | The branch of your organization that is making the request. | Marketing |
City/locality | The city where your organization is legally located. Do not abbreviate the city name. | San Antonio |
State/province | The state or province where your organization is legally located. Do not abbreviate the state or province name. | Texas |
Country/region | The two-letter International Standards Organization (ISO) abbreviation for your country. | US |
Warning: Leave the challenge password blank (press Enter).
Run the following command to verify your CSR:
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After you have verified your CSR, you can submit it to a CA to purchase an SSL certificate.
Use the following steps to generate a CSR by using Windows IIS Manager:
Note: The following steps are for IIS 8 or IIS 8.5 on Windows Server 2012.
In the Request Certificate wizard, on the Distinguished Name Properties page, enter the following information and then click Next.
Field | Explanation | Example |
---|---|---|
Common Name | The fully qualified domain name to which the certificate applies. The domain names example.com and www.example.com are distinct from each other, so be sure to submit your request for the right domain. If you are purchasing a wildcard certificate, use *.example.com. | example.com |
Organization Name | The exact legal name of your organization. The CA might seek to confirm that your organization is real and legally registered, so don’t abbreviate words that aren’t abbreviated in the organization’s legal name. | Example Inc. |
Organizational Unit | The branch of your organization that is making the request. | Marketing |
City/locality | The city where your organization is legally located. Do not abbreviate the city name. | San Antonio |
State/province | The state or province where your organization is legally located. Do not abbreviate the state or province name. | Texas |
Country/region | The two-letter ISO abbreviation for your country. | US |
On the Cryptographic Server Provider Properties page, enter the following information and then click Next.
After you have generated the CSR, you can submit it to a CA to purchase an SSL certificate.
Rackspace provides the CSR Generator for generating a CSR. The CSR Generator shows you the CSRs that you currently have and lets you create new CSRs with a simple form. After you have entered your details, the generator combines them with your private key so that you can submit the combined encoded information to a CA.
When you are done with the generator, you can return to the Cloud Control Panel by clicking any of the links in the top navigation or by going to login.rackspace.com and selecting Rackspace Cloud from the drop-down product menu in the top navigation bar.
Access the CSR Generator directly or through the Control Panel by using the following steps:
The generator lists your existing CSRs, if you have any, organized by domain name.
Click Create CSR.
Enter the following information, which will be associated with the CSR:
Field | Explanation | Example |
---|---|---|
Domain Name | The fully qualified domain name to which the certificate applies. The domain names example.com and www.example.com are distinct from each other, so be sure to submit your request for the right domain. If you want to secure both domains, you can use the Alt Names field. If you are purchasing a wildcard certificate, use *.example.com. | example.com |
Alt Names | (Optional) Additional domains that you want to add to the request. Each CA treats these differently, and the CA might charge for additional names. You can submit a comma-separated list. | www.example.com, secure.example.com |
Email Address | (Optional) A contact email address for the certificate. | [email protected] |
Organization Name | The exact legal name of your organization. The CA might seek to confirm that your organization is real and legally registered, so don’t abbreviate words that aren’t abbreviated in the organization’s legal name. | Example Inc. |
Organizational Unit | (Optional) The branch of your organization that is making the request. | Marketing |
City | The city where your organization is legally located. Do not abbreviate the city name. | San Antonio |
State or Province | The state or province where your organization is legally located. Do not abbreviate the state or province name. | Texas |
Country | Choose your country from the drop-down menu. The two-letter ISO abbreviation for your country is included in the CSR. | United States |
Private Key Bit Length | Key sizes smaller than 2048 are considered insecure and might not be accepted by a CA. | 1024,2048,4096 |
Hashing Algorithm | Both algorithms are currently trusted in mainstream browsers and offer industry recommended security. SHA-512 requires additional CPU processing. | SHA-256, SHA-512 |
Note: You cannot use the following characters in the Organization Name or Organizational Unit fields: < > ~ ! @ # $ % ^ * / ( ) ? . , &
After you have entered all the required information, click Create CSR.
It can take between 5 and 60 seconds for the CSR to be generated. You might need to refresh the page that displays your CSRs before the new CSR is listed.
When CSR has been generated, you can click its UUID (unique identifier) in the CSR list to view its details screen.
This screen displays the information that you provided, the text of the CSR, and its associated private key.
The text in the Certificate Request field is the CSR. It contains encoded details of the CSR and your public key.
To request your SSL certificate, copy the Certificate Request text and submit it to your CA. Include all the text, including the BEGIN and END lines at the beginning and end of the text block.
Copy the private key to the server that will host the certificate. See your application documentation to determine where to install the private key and certificate on your server.
If you are a Managed or Dedicated customer, you can request a CSR through the MyRackspace Portal by using the following steps:
Enter the following information in the Ticket Details section:
Field | Explanation | Example |
---|---|---|
Device(s) | The server or servers for which you want to generate a CSR. Use the drop-down menu to select your servers. | |
Common Name | The fully qualified domain name to which the certificate applies. The domain names example.com and www.example.com are distinct from each other, so be sure to submit your request for the right domain. If you want to secure both domains, you can use the Alt Names field. If you are purchasing a wildcard certificate, use *.example.com. | example.com |
Alt. Names | (Optional) Additional domains that you want to add to the request. Each CA treats these differently, and the CA might charge for additional names. You can submit a comma-separated list. | www.example.com, secure.example.com |
Email Address | (Optional) A contact email address for the certificate. | [email protected] |
Organization | The exact legal name of your organization. The CA might seek to confirm that your organization is real and legally registered, so don’t abbreviate words that aren’t abbreviated in the organization’s legal name. | Example Inc. |
Organizational Unit | (Optional) The branch of your organization that is making the request. | Marketing |
Locality (City) | The city where your organization is legally located. Do not abbreviate the city name. | San Antonio |
State or Province Name | The state or province where your organization is legally located. Do not abbreviate the state or province name. | Texas |
Country | Choose your country from the drop-down menu. The two-letter ISO abbreviation for your country is included in the CSR. | United States |
Note: The bit length is automatically set to 2048.
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