Delphi ActiveX

Set a TLS Client Certificate for IMAP

Demonstrates the Chilkat Imap.SetSslClientCert method, which supplies a client certificate for TLS client-certificate authentication. The only argument is a Cert object that must provide access to its private key. Call it before connecting. This example loads the certificate from a PFX file.

Note: The certificate path is relative to the application's current working directory. Supply the path to your own certificate file.

Background: Most IMAP servers authenticate with a username and password only. A few high-security deployments additionally require mutual TLS, where the client presents its own certificate during the handshake. Because that happens as part of connecting, the certificate must be set before Connect — setting it afterward has no effect on the already-established connection.

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var
success: Integer;
imap: TChilkatImap;
pfxPassword: WideString;
cert: TChilkatCert;

begin
success := 0;

//  Demonstrates the Imap.SetSslClientCert method, which supplies a client certificate for TLS
//  client-certificate authentication.  The only argument is a Cert object.  It must be called
//  before connecting.

imap := TChilkatImap.Create(Self);

imap.Ssl := 1;
imap.Port := 993;

//  The PFX password is not hard-coded in source.  Insert code here to obtain it from an
//  interactive prompt, environment variable, or a secrets vault.

//  Load the client certificate (and its private key) from a PFX file.
cert := TChilkatCert.Create(Self);
success := cert.LoadPfxFile('qa_data/client.pfx',pfxPassword);
if (success = 0) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(cert.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;

//  Provide the client certificate BEFORE connecting.
success := imap.SetSslClientCert(cert.ControlInterface);
if (success = 0) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(imap.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;

success := imap.Connect('imap.example.com');
if (success = 0) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(imap.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;
success := imap.Login('user@example.com','myPassword');
if (success = 0) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(imap.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;

success := imap.Disconnect();
if (success = 0) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(imap.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;