PKI Certificate Tutorials - Herong's Tutorial Examples

∟PKCS7 Certificate Chain File

This chapter provides a quick introduction of the PKCS7 certificate chain file. Topics include introduction of PKCS7 file format; creating PKCS7 file with a single certificate or a certificate chain, and converting PKCS12 file to PEM bundle using OpenSSL.

What Is PKCS7 File Format

"openssl crl2pkcs7 -nocrl" - PKCS7 Certificate File

"openssl crl2pkcs7 -nocrl" - PKCS7 Certificate Chain

ASN.1 Data Structure of PKCS7 File

Takeaways:

• PKCS7 file can be used to store multiple signed and/or encrypted data items, including certificates and CRL (Certificate Revocation List) in a single file.
• PKCS7 file is commonly used to store a certificate chain.
• "openssl crl2pkcs7 -nocrl" command can be used to build a PKCS7 file with a single certificate, a certificate chain, or a list of any certificates.
• "openssl pkcs7 -outForm PEM" command can be used to convert a PKCS7 file into a PEM certificate bundle.
• Commonly used file extensions for PKCS7 files are *.p7b, *.p7c, and *.p7r.

Table of Contents

 About This Book

 Introduction of PKI (Public Key Infrastructure)

 Introduction of PKI Certificate

 PKI Certificate File Formats

 OpenSSL - Cryptography Toolkit

 "openssl ca" - CA (Certificate Authority) Tool

 Java "keytool" Commands and KeyStore Files

 PKI Certificate Store

 PKCS12 Certificate Bundle File

►PKCS7 Certificate Chain File

 Linux Trust Store for CA Certificates

 ca-certificates - Linux CA Certificate Package

 update-ca-trust Command on Red Hat Computers

 PKI Certificate Related Terminology

 References

 Full Version in PDF/EPUB

PKCS7 Certificate Chain File - Updated in 2026, by Herong Yang