Export an Encrypted PKCS #8 Private Key as PEM

See more Private Key Examples

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 Go Downloads

Download Chilkat for Go

    success := false

    //  Load a private key to export.
    privKey := chilkat.NewPrivateKey()
    success = privKey.LoadPemFile("qa_data/private.pem")
    if success == false {
        fmt.Println(privKey.LastErrorText())
        privKey.DisposePrivateKey()
        return
    }

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

    //  Export as password-protected PKCS #8 PEM ("-----BEGIN ENCRYPTED PRIVATE KEY-----").  The
    //  encryption cipher is selected by the Pkcs8EncryptAlg property.
    pem := privKey.GetPkcs8EncryptedPem(password)
    if privKey.LastMethodSuccess() == false {
        fmt.Println(privKey.LastErrorText())
        privKey.DisposePrivateKey()
        return
    }

    fmt.Println(*pem)

    privKey.DisposePrivateKey()