Tcl

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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Tcl


load ./chilkat.dll

set success 0

#  Load a private key to export.
set privKey [new_CkPrivateKey]

set success [CkPrivateKey_LoadPemFile $privKey "qa_data/private.pem"]
if {$success == 0} then {
    puts [CkPrivateKey_lastErrorText $privKey]
    delete_CkPrivateKey $privKey
    exit
}

#  The key password is not hard-coded in a real application; obtain it from an interactive
#  prompt, environment variable, or a secrets vault.
set 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.
set success [CkPrivateKey_SavePkcs8EncryptedPemFile $privKey $password "qa_output/private_pkcs8_enc.pem"]
if {$success == 0} then {
    puts [CkPrivateKey_lastErrorText $privKey]
    delete_CkPrivateKey $privKey
    exit
}

puts "Saved (encrypted)."

delete_CkPrivateKey $privKey