VB.NET

Load a Private Key from BinData (Any Format)

Demonstrates the Chilkat PrivateKey.LoadAnyFormat method, which loads a private key by inspecting the bytes in a BinData. The first argument is the BinData and the second is the password (used if the detected key is encrypted).

Note: The file path is relative to the application's current working directory. Absolute paths may also be used. Supply the path to your own key file.

Background: When you have key bytes in memory but do not know their exact format — downloaded, decrypted, or pulled from a database — this figures it out for you, recognizing PKCS #1/#8 DER, encrypted PKCS #8, PEM, JWK, Chilkat XML, Microsoft formats, and more. It removes the guesswork of choosing a specific loader, at the small cost of the detection step. Supply the password so it can decrypt an encrypted key without a second call.

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Dim success As Boolean = False

'  Demonstrates the PrivateKey.LoadAnyFormat method, which loads a private key by inspecting the
'  bytes in a BinData.  The 1st argument is the BinData and the 2nd is the password (used if the
'  detected key is encrypted).

Dim bd As New Chilkat.BinData
success = bd.LoadFile("qa_data/some_private_key")
If (success = False) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(bd.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If


Dim privKey As New Chilkat.PrivateKey

'  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 = "myKeyPassword"

'  Chilkat auto-detects the representation: PKCS #1/#8 DER, encrypted PKCS #8, PEM, JWK,
'  Chilkat XML, Microsoft formats, and more.
success = privKey.LoadAnyFormat(bd,password)
If (success = False) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(privKey.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If


Debug.WriteLine("Loaded a " & privKey.KeyType & " private key.")