Visual Basic 6.0

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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Visual Basic 6.0

Dim success As Long
success = 0

'  Load a private key to export.
Dim privKey As New PrivateKey
success = privKey.LoadPemFile("qa_data/private.pem")
If (success = 0) Then
    Debug.Print privKey.LastErrorText
    Exit Sub
End If

'  The key password is not hard-coded in a real application; obtain it from an interactive
'  prompt, environment variable, or a secrets vault.
Dim password As String
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 = 0) Then
    Debug.Print privKey.LastErrorText
    Exit Sub
End If

Debug.Print "Saved (encrypted)."