PowerShell

Save a Private Key as an Encrypted PKCS #8 PEM File

Demonstrates the Chilkat PrivateKey.SavePkcs8EncryptedPemFile method, which saves the key as password-protected PKCS #8 PEM (the ENCRYPTED PRIVATE KEY label). The first argument is the password and the second is the destination path.

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: The text (PEM) form of an encrypted saved key — portable across systems and safe to store because the private material is protected by a passphrase. It is the encrypted counterpart to SavePkcs8PemFile and a good default for keys kept in configuration or version-controlled deployment repositories. Source the password securely.

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Add-Type -Path "C:\chilkat\ChilkatDotNet47-x64\ChilkatDotNet47.dll"

$success = $false

#  Load a private key to export.
$privKey = New-Object Chilkat.PrivateKey
$success = $privKey.LoadPemFile("qa_data/private.pem")
if ($success -eq $false) {
    $($privKey.LastErrorText)
    exit
}

#  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"

#  Save as password-protected PKCS #8 PEM (the "ENCRYPTED PRIVATE KEY" label).  The 1st argument
#  is the password and the 2nd is the destination path.
$success = $privKey.SavePkcs8EncryptedPemFile($password,"qa_output/private_pkcs8_enc.pem")
if ($success -eq $false) {
    $($privKey.LastErrorText)
    exit
}

$("Saved (encrypted).")