This class represents a storage facility for cryptographic keys and certificates.

• Java Keystore Generate Secret Key Ring
• Java Keystore Generate Secret Key Holder
• Java Keystore Generate Secret Key Code

A KeyStore manages different types of entries. Each type of entry implements the KeyStore.Entry interface. Three basic KeyStore.Entry implementations are provided:

Java, PKCS12, keystore, tutorial.PKCS12 is an active file format for storing cryptography objects as a single file. It can be used to store secret key, private key and certificate.It is a standardized format published by RSA LaboratoPixelstech, this page is to provide vistors information of the most updated technology information around the world. The most 'natural' way to save a SecretKey into a file in Java is to use a KeyStore: that's exactly what it's for (although you can save certificates too, of course). The example in the documentation shows how to save a private key and a secret key. It will also encrypt it with a protection parameter (password here). This class provides the functionality of a secret (symmetric) key generator. Key generators are constructed using one of the getInstance class methods of this class. KeyGenerator objects are reusable, i.e., after a key has been generated, the same KeyGenerator object can be re-used to generate further keys.

• KeyStore.PrivateKeyEntry

  This type of entry holds a cryptographic PrivateKey, which is optionally stored in a protected format to prevent unauthorized access. It is also accompanied by a certificate chain for the corresponding public key.

  Private keys and certificate chains are used by a given entity for self-authentication. Applications for this authentication include software distribution organizations which sign JAR files as part of releasing and/or licensing software.

• KeyStore.SecretKeyEntry

  This type of entry holds a cryptographic SecretKey, which is optionally stored in a protected format to prevent unauthorized access.

• KeyStore.TrustedCertificateEntry

  This type of entry contains a single public key Certificate belonging to another party. It is called a trusted certificate because the keystore owner trusts that the public key in the certificate indeed belongs to the identity identified by the subject (owner) of the certificate.

  This type of entry can be used to authenticate other parties.

Each entry in a keystore is identified by an 'alias' string. In the case of private keys and their associated certificate chains, these strings distinguish among the different ways in which the entity may authenticate itself. For example, the entity may authenticate itself using different certificate authorities, or using different public key algorithms.

Whether aliases are case sensitive is implementation dependent. In order to avoid problems, it is recommended not to use aliases in a KeyStore that only differ in case.

• KeyStore Explorer is an open source GUI replacement for the Java command-line utilities keytool and jarsigner. KeyStore Explorer presents their functionality, and more, via.
• Since this lesson assumes that you don't yet have such keys, you are going to create a keystore named examplestore and create an entry with a newly generated public/private key pair (with the public key in a certificate). Type the following command in your command window to create a keystore named examplestore and to generate keys.
• In this tutorial, we demonstrate how to extract a private key from the Java KeyStore (JKS) in your projects using OpenSSL and Keytool. Over a million developers have joined DZone.
• The Java keytool utility creates both your private key and your certificate signing request, and saves them to two files: yourcommonname.jks, and yourcommonname.csr. You can then copy the contents of the CSR file and paste it into the CSR text box in our order form. What kind of certificate should I buy?

Whether keystores are persistent, and the mechanisms used by the keystore if it is persistent, are not specified here. This allows use of a variety of techniques for protecting sensitive (e.g., private or secret) keys. Smart cards or other integrated cryptographic engines (SafeKeyper) are one option, and simpler mechanisms such as files may also be used (in a variety of formats).

Typical ways to request a KeyStore object include specifying an existing keystore file, relying on the default type and providing a specific keystore type.

• To specify an existing keystore file: The system will probe the specified file to determine its keystore type and return a keystore implementation with its entries already loaded. When this approach is used there is no need to call the keystore's load method.
• To rely on the default type: The system will return a keystore implementation for the default type.
• To provide a specific keystore type: The system will return the most preferred implementation of the specified keystore type available in the environment.

Before a keystore can be accessed, it must be loaded (unless it was already loaded during instantiation). To create an empty keystore using the above load method, pass null as the InputStream argument.

Once the keystore has been loaded, it is possible to read existing entries from the keystore, or to write new entries into the keystore: Note that although the same password may be used to load the keystore, to protect the private key entry, to protect the secret key entry, and to store the keystore (as is shown in the sample code above), different passwords or other protection parameters may also be used.

Every implementation of the Java platform is required to support the following standard KeyStore type:

• PKCS12

This type is described in the KeyStore section of the Java Security Standard Algorithm Names Specification. Consult the release documentation for your implementation to see if any other types are supported.

Related

Introduction

Java Keytool is a key and certificate management tool that is used to manipulate Java Keystores, and is included with Java. A Java Keystore is a container for authorization certificates or public key certificates, and is often used by Java-based applications for encryption, authentication, and serving over HTTPS. Its entries are protected by a keystore password. A keystore entry is identified by an alias, and it consists of keys and certificates that form a trust chain.

This cheat sheet-style guide provides a quick reference to keytool commands that are commonly useful when working with Java Keystores. This includes creating and modifying Java Keystores so they can be used with your Java applications.

How to Use This Guide:

• If you are not familiar with certificate signing requests (CSRs), read the CSR section of our OpenSSL cheat sheet
• This guide is in a simple, cheat sheet format–self-contained command line snippets
• Jump to any section that is relevant to the task you are trying to complete (Hint: use the Contents menu on the bottom-left or your browser’s Find function)
• Most of the commands are one-liners that have been expanded to multiple lines (using the symbol) for clarity

Creating and Importing Keystore Entries

This section covers Java Keytool commands that are related to generating key pairs and certificates, and importing certificates.

Generate Keys in New/Existing Keystore

Use this method if you want to use HTTP (HTTP over TLS) to secure your Java application. This will create a new key pair in a new or existing Java Keystore, which can be used to create a CSR, and obtain an SSL certificate from a Certificate Authority.

This command generates a 2048-bit RSA key pair, under the specified alias (domain), in the specified keystore file (keystore.jks):

If the specified keystore does not already exist, it will be created after the requested information is supplied. This will prompt for the keystore password (new or existing), followed by a Distinguished Name prompt (for the private key), then the desired private key password.

Generate CSR For Existing Private Key

Use this method if you want to generate an CSR that you can send to a CA to request the issuance of a CA-signed SSL certificate. It requires that the keystore and alias already exist; you can use the previous command to ensure this.

This command creates a CSR (domain.csr) signed by the private key identified by the alias (domain) in the (keystore.jks) keystore:

After entering the keystore’s password, the CSR will be generated.

Import Signed/Root/Intermediate Certificate

Use this method if you want to import a signed certificate, e.g. a certificate signed by a CA, into your keystore; it must match the private key that exists in the specified alias. You may also use this same command to import root or intermediate certificates that your CA may require to complete a chain of trust. Simply specify a unique alias, such as root instead of domain, and the certificate that you want to import.

This command imports the certificate (domain.crt) into the keystore (keystore.jks), under the specified alias (domain). If you are importing a signed certificate, it must correspond to the private key in the specified alias:

You will be prompted for the keystore password, then for a confirmation of the import action.

Note: You may also use the command to import a CA’s certificates into your Java truststore, which is typically located in $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/security/cacerts assuming $JAVA_HOME is where your JRE or JDK is installed.

Generate Self-Signed Certificate in New/Existing Keystore

Java Keystore Generate Secret Key Ring

Use this command if you want to generate a self-signed certificate for your Java applications. This is actually the same command that is used to create a new key pair, but with the validity lifetime specified in days.

This command generates a 2048-bit RSA key pair, valid for 365 days, under the specified alias (domain), in the specified keystore file (keystore.jks): Hack the box key generator.

If the specified keystore does not already exist, it will be created after the requested information is supplied. This will prompt for the keystore password (new or existing), followed by a Distinguished Name prompt (for the private key), then the desired private key password.

Viewing Keystore Entries

This section covers listing the contents of a Java Keystore, such as viewing certificate information or exporting certificates.

List Keystore Certificate Fingerprints

This command lists the SHA fingerprints of all of the certificates in the keystore (keystore.jks), under their respective aliases:

You will be prompted for the keystore’s password. You may also restrict the output to a specific alias by using the -alias domain option, where “domain” is the alias name.

List Verbose Keystore Contents

This command lists verbose information about the entries a keystore (keystore.jks) contains, including certificate chain length, fingerprint of certificates in the chain, distinguished names, serial number, and creation/expiration date, under their respective aliases:

You will be prompted for the keystore’s password. You may also restrict the output to a specific alias by using the -alias domain option, where “domain” is the alias name.

Note: You may also use this command to view which certificates are in your Java truststore, which is typically located in $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/security/cacerts assuming $JAVA_HOME is where your JRE or JDK is installed.

Use Keytool to View Certificate Information

This command prints verbose information about a certificate file (certificate.crt), including its fingerprints, distinguished name of owner and issuer, and the time period of its validity:

You will be prompted for the keystore password.

Export Certificate

This command exports a binary DER-encoded certificate (domain.der), that is associated with the alias (domain), in the keystore (keystore.jks):

You will be prompted for the keystore password. If you want to convert the DER-encoded certificate to PEM-encoding, follow our OpenSSL cheat sheet.

Java Keystore Generate Secret Key Holder

Modifying Keystore

This section covers the modification of Java Keystore entries, such as deleting or renaming aliases.

Change Keystore Password

This command is used to change the password of a keystore (keystore.jks):

You will be prompted for the current password, then the new password. You may also specify the new password in the command by using the -new newpass option, where “newpass” is the password.

Delete Alias

This command is used to delete an alias (domain) in a keystore (keystore.jks):

You will be prompted for the keystore password.

Rename Alias

This command will rename the alias (domain) to the destination alias (newdomain) in the keystore (keystore.jks):

You will be prompted for the keystore password.

Conclusion

That should cover how most people use Java Keytool to manipulate their Java Keystores. It has many other uses that were not covered here, so feel free to ask or suggest other uses in the comments.

Java Keystore Generate Secret Key Code

This tutorial is based on the version of keystore that ships with Java 1.7.0 update 65. For help installing Java on Ubuntu, follow this guide.