PEM encoded RSA private key

PEM encoded RSA private key is a format that stores a private key, for use with cryptographic systems such as SSL.

A public key can be derived from the private key, and the public key may be associated with one or more X.509 certificate files.

See also PEM.

Identification
A key file is plain text, with base64-encoded payload data. It contains a line that reads " ".

Examples
To view the contents of a key, using OpenSSL: openssl rsa -noout -text -in example.key (This mostly just prints out opaque numbers, but note that the modulus can be used to determine whether the key corresponds to a particular certificate.)

To generate a new private key: openssl genrsa 2048 > example.key

To add a password to an existing private key: openssl rsa -des3 -in unprotected.key > protected.key

To remove a password from an existing private key: openssl rsa -in protected.key > unprotected.key

Software

 * OpenSSL