.csr files
.csr file
Certificate Signing Request
The request you send a certificate authority to get an SSL certificate issued.
What opens a .csr file
- Windows
- Notepad (built in), OpenSSL, Certificate Manager
- macOS
- TextEdit (built in), OpenSSL, Keychain Access (built in)
- Linux
- openssl req -text -in file.csr, Text Editor (built in)
What a .csr file is
A CSR contains your public key and the domain and organisation details you want certified, signed with the matching private key to prove you hold it. You generate it on the server, paste it into the certificate authority, and receive a certificate back — the CSR itself has no further use afterwards. It is base64 text in the same PEM wrapper as certificates, so a text editor or openssl req -text will show what it claims.
Converting it
A .csr file is commonly converted to .pem, .der or .crt. It is a plain text format, so any text editor can open and edit it directly.
Details
- Extension
- .csr
- Full name
- Certificate Signing Request
- Category
- Data
- MIME type
- application/pkcs10
- Created by
- RSA / IETF (PKCS #10)
- Format
- Plain text
Common questions
- How do I open a .csr file?
- On Windows use Notepad (built in); on macOS use TextEdit (built in); on Linux use openssl req -text -in file.csr. The request you send a certificate authority to get an SSL certificate issued.
- What is a .csr file?
- Certificate Signing Request. A CSR contains your public key and the domain and organisation details you want certified, signed with the matching private key to prove you hold it. You generate it on the server, paste it into the certificate authority, and receive a certificate back — the CSR itself has no further use afterwards.
- Can I convert a .csr file?
- Yes. It is usually converted to .pem, .der or .crt, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.
Related pages
- .csv — Comma-Separated Values A spreadsheet as plain text, one row per line — the universal data exchange form
- .json — JavaScript Object Notation The standard text format for structured data on the web and in config files.
- .xml — Extensible Markup Language A tag-based text format for structured data, still everywhere in enterprise syst
- .yaml — YAML Data File An indentation-based configuration format, readable but unforgiving about whites
- .log — Log File A plain-text record of what a program did, newest events usually at the bottom.
- .torrent — BitTorrent Metainfo File A few kilobytes of metadata describing what to download and from whom — not the
- .dat — Generic Data File A meaningless extension — .dat says only that some program stored data here.
- .vcf — vCard Contact File One or more contacts as plain text — the standard way to move an address book.
- .sql — SQL Script A text file of database commands — often a full database dump.
- .ics — iCalendar Event A calendar invitation or event feed in a plain-text standard format.
- .sqlite — SQLite Database A complete relational database in a single file — the most deployed database in
- .db — Generic Database File An extension many programs use for their data — it does not identify one format.
Sources
- Media Types Registry — IANA
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place