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Perl

Export a Private Key as Traditional PEM

See more Private Key Examples

Demonstrates the Chilkat PrivateKey.GetPkcs1Pem method, which exports the key as unencrypted PEM, preferring the traditional algorithm-specific representation when one exists (for example -----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----). It takes no arguments.

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: Before PKCS #8 unified key storage, each algorithm had its own PEM format — RSA PRIVATE KEY, EC PRIVATE KEY, and so on. Some older tools still expect that traditional form, and this method produces it. When you have the choice, PKCS #8 (GetPkcs8Pem) is the more interoperable modern option; use this for compatibility with software that requires the legacy layout.

Chilkat Perl Downloads

Perl
use chilkat();

$success = 0;

#  Load a private key to export.
$privKey = chilkat::CkPrivateKey->new();
$success = $privKey->LoadPemFile("qa_data/private.pem");
if ($success == 0) {
    print $privKey->lastErrorText() . "\r\n";
    exit;
}

#  Export as unencrypted PEM, preferring the traditional algorithm-specific representation when
#  one exists (for example "-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----").
$pem = $privKey->getPkcs1Pem();
if ($privKey->get_LastMethodSuccess() == 0) {
    print $privKey->lastErrorText() . "\r\n";
    exit;
}

print $pem . "\r\n";