B4X

Export an Encrypted PKCS #8 Private Key as PEM

Demonstrates the Chilkat PrivateKey.GetPkcs8EncryptedPem method, which exports the key as password-protected PKCS #8 PEM (-----BEGIN ENCRYPTED PRIVATE KEY-----). The only argument is the password; the cipher is selected by the Pkcs8EncryptAlg property.

Note: The file paths are relative to the application's current working directory. Absolute paths may also be used. Supply the paths appropriate to your own environment.

Background: This is the safe way to export a key for storage or transfer — the private material is encrypted under a passphrase, so a leaked file is not immediately usable. It is the format to reach for whenever a key leaves your process. Control the encryption cipher with Pkcs8EncryptAlg, and source the password securely rather than hard-coding it.

Chilkat B4X Downloads

Download Chilkat for B4X

B4X

Dim success As Boolean = False

'  Load a private key to export.
Dim privKey As ChilkatPrivateKey
privKey.Initialize("privKey")
success = privKey.LoadPemFile("qa_data/private.pem")
If success = False Then
    Log(privKey.LastErrorText)
    Return
End If


'  The key password is not hard-coded in a real application; obtain it from an interactive
'  prompt, environment variable, or a secrets vault.
Dim password As String = "myKeyPassword"

'  Export as password-protected PKCS #8 PEM ("-----BEGIN ENCRYPTED PRIVATE KEY-----").  The
'  encryption cipher is selected by the Pkcs8EncryptAlg property.
Dim pem As String = privKey.GetPkcs8EncryptedPem(password)
If privKey.LastMethodSuccess = False Then
    Log(privKey.LastErrorText)
    Return
End If

Log(pem)