Pem Lua Reference Documentation
chilkat.Pem
Current Version: 11.7.0
Markdown version of this page for AI tools (v 11.7.0) · all AI docs
Chilkat.Pem
Load PEM-encoded certificates, keys, CSRs, and PKCS#7 certificate data
from files, strings, or memory.
Add certificates, private keys, public keys, CSRs, and certificate chains
into a single PEM container.
Extract selected certificates, keys, CSRs, or chains for use with
Choose PKCS#1 or PKCS#8 private-key output depending on the format
required by the target system.
Export private-key material with password-based encryption when PEM data
must be stored or transferred securely.
Convert PEM certificates and keys into PFX/P12 or Java KeyStore objects
when another platform or API requires those container formats.
For an extended overview, see
Pem Class Overview.
Load, inspect, assemble, export, and convert PEM certificate and key material.
Chilkat.Pem is the Chilkat class for handling PEM-formatted
certificate and key material. It can load PEM and PKCS#7 data, add
certificates, private keys, public keys, CSRs, and certificate chains,
retrieve individual items, remove content, control PKCS#1 vs. PKCS#8 private
key output, export PEM with optional encryption and extended attributes, and
convert PEM material to PFX or Java KeyStore objects.
Load PEM and PKCS#7
Collect certs and keys
Retrieve individual items
Cert, PrivateKey, PublicKey, or
related Chilkat classes.
Private-key format control
Encrypted PEM output
Convert to PFX or JKS
Pem when certificate and key material is packaged as one or
more PEM blocks. Load the PEM, inspect or retrieve the needed items, add or
remove entries as needed, then export the result as PEM, PFX/P12, or Java
KeyStore data. Use Chilkat.Cert, PrivateKey, and
PublicKey when working directly with individual objects.
Object Creation
local chilkat = require("chilkat")
local pem = chilkat.Pem.new()Creates the object (chilkat.Pem() does the same). Lua's garbage collector frees it when it is no longer referenced; pem:dispose() frees it at once, and in Lua 5.4 and later local pem <close> = chilkat.Pem.new() frees it when the block ends. Calling a method of a disposed object raises an error.
Errors
A method that fails returns nil followed by the error text, as io.open does: local body, err = pem:method(...), where err is the object's last_error_text. Wrap the call in assert() to raise an error with that text instead. Methods that answer a question return true or false, numbers are returned as they are (check last_method_success where the description says a value means failure), and property reads and writes never fail for Chilkat reasons.
Misuse raises a Lua error: a wrong argument type or a missing argument (bad argument #1 to ...), an unknown property name, a write to a read-only property, an out-of-range integer, or an object of the wrong class.
Names are Chilkat's in snake_case: QuickGetStr is quick_get_str, LastErrorText is last_error_text. Properties are fields (pem.verbose_logging = true) and methods use the colon (pem:method(...)). Strings are UTF-8; binary data is a Lua string of bytes. Indexes are 0-based, as in every Chilkat API. Unlocking: call chilkat.unlock_bundle("...") once at startup.
Properties
AppendMode
local boolVal = pem.append_mode
pem.append_mode = boolVal
When set to true, each of the Load* methods appends to the current contents of this PEM object. When set to false, a Load* method replaces the contents of this PEM object. The default is false.
DebugLogFilePath
local strVal = pem.debug_log_file_path
pem.debug_log_file_path = strVal
If set to a file path, this property logs the LastErrorText of each Chilkat method or property call to the specified file. This logging helps identify the context and history of Chilkat calls leading up to any crash or hang, aiding in debugging.
Enabling the VerboseLogging property provides more detailed information. This property is mainly used for debugging rare instances where a Chilkat method call causes a hang or crash, which should generally not happen.
Possible causes of hangs include:
- A timeout property set to 0, indicating an infinite timeout.
- A hang occurring within an event callback in the application code.
- An internal bug in the Chilkat code causing the hang.
HeartbeatMs
local intVal = pem.heartbeat_ms
pem.heartbeat_ms = intVal
The interval in milliseconds between each AbortCheck event callback, which enables an application to abort certain method calls before they complete. By default, HeartbeatMs is set to 0, meaning no AbortCheck event callbacks will trigger.
LastErrorHtml
local strVal = pem.last_error_html
Provides HTML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.
topLastErrorText
local strVal = pem.last_error_text
Provides plain text information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.
LastErrorXml
local strVal = pem.last_error_xml
Provides XML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.
topLastMethodSuccess
local boolVal = pem.last_method_success
pem.last_method_success = boolVal
Indicates the success or failure of the most recent method call: true means success, false means failure. This property remains unchanged by property setters or getters. This method is present to address challenges in checking for null or Nothing returns in certain programming languages. Note: This property does not apply to methods that return integer values or to boolean-returning methods where the boolean does not indicate success or failure.
NumCerts
local intVal = pem.num_certs
The number of certificates in the loaded PEM. To get the 1st certificate, call GetCert(0).
NumCrls
local intVal = pem.num_crls
The number of certificate revocation lists (CRLs) in the loaded PEM.
NumCsrs
local intVal = pem.num_csrs
The number of certificate signing requests (CSRs) in the loaded PEM.
topNumPrivateKeys
local intVal = pem.num_private_keys
The number of private keys in the loaded PEM. To get the 1st private key, call GetPrivateKey(0).
NumPublicKeys
local intVal = pem.num_public_keys
The number of public keys in the loaded PEM. To get the 1st public key, call GetPublicKey(0).
topPrivateKeyFormat
local strVal = pem.private_key_format
pem.private_key_format = strVal
Controls the format to be used for unencrypted private keys when writing a PEM. Possible values are pkcs1 and pkcs8. (OpenSSL typically uses the pkcs8 format.) When writing encrypted private keys to PEM, the format is always PKCS8, and the PEM header is BEGIN ENCRYPTED PRIVATE KEY. The default is pkcs8.
The PKCS1 format uses the PEM header: BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY.
The PKCS8 format uses the PEM header: BEGIN PRIVATE KEY.
PublicKeyFormat
local strVal = pem.public_key_format
pem.public_key_format = strVal
Controls the format to be used for public keys when writing a PEM. Possible values are pkcs1 and pkcs8. (OpenSSL typically uses the pkcs8 format.) The default is pkcs8.
The PKCS1 format uses the PEM header: BEGIN RSA PUBLIC KEY.
The PKCS8 format uses the PEM header: BEGIN PUBLIC KEY.
VerboseLogging
local boolVal = pem.verbose_logging
pem.verbose_logging = boolVal
If set to true, then the contents of LastErrorText (or LastErrorXml, or LastErrorHtml) may contain more verbose information. The default value is false. Verbose logging should only be used for debugging. The potentially large quantity of logged information may adversely affect peformance.
Version
local strVal = pem.version
Methods
AddCert
-- include_chain is a boolean
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = pem:add_cert(cert, include_chain)
Adds a certificate, and potentially the certs in its chain of authentication to the PEM. If include_chain is true, then certificates in the cert's chain of authentication up to and including the root are automatically added.
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
AddItem
-- encoding is a string
-- item_data is a string
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = pem:add_item(item_type, encoding, item_data)
Adds a certificate, private key, public key, or csr to the PEM. The possible values for item_type are certificate (or cert), privateKey, publicKey, or csr. The encoding can be Base64, modBase64, Base32, QP (for quoted-printable), URL (for url-encoding), Hex, url_oauth, url_rfc1738, url_rfc2396, and url_rfc3986. The item_data contains the ASN.1 data in string format according to the encoding specified in encoding.
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
AddP7b
Loads the PEM from the contents of an PKCS7 container (.p7b) contained in bd.
A .p7b (or .p7c) file contains a PKCS#7 container, which may include:
- One or more X.509 certificates (a certificate chain)
- Optionally, CRLs (Certificate Revocation Lists)
- No private key
Common Use: Used to bundle intermediate and root certificates for things like SSL certificate chains.
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
AddPrivateKey
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = pem:add_private_key(private_key)
Adds a private key to the PEM object.
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
AddPrivateKey2
-- cert_chain is a chilkat.CertChain
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = pem:add_private_key2(priv_key, cert_chain)
Adds a private key and it's associated certificate chain to the PEM object.
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
AddPublicKey
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = pem:add_public_key(pubkey)
Adds a public key to the PEM object.
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
CertAt
-- cert is a chilkat.Cert
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = pem:cert_at(index, cert)
Returns in cert the Nth certificate from the PEM. The first certificate is at index 0.
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
Clear
local ok, err = pem:clear()
Removes all content from this PEM object.
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
GetEncodedItem
-- item_sub_type is a string
-- encoding is a string
-- index is an integer
-- str is a string, or nil and err on failure
local str, err = pem:get_encoded_item(item_type, item_sub_type, encoding, index)
Returns the encoded contents of the Nth item of a particular type (0-based index). The possible values for item_type are certificate (or cert), privateKey, publicKey, or csr. Input string args are case-insensitive. If the item_type is privateKey, the item_sub_type may be der or pkcs8. If the item_type is publicKey, the item_sub_type may be der or pkcs1. The item_sub_type is ignored for other values of item_type. The valid encoding modes are Base64, modBase64, Base32, Base58, QP (for quoted-printable), URL (for url-encoding), Hex, url_oauth, url_rfc1738, url_rfc2396, and url_rfc3986.
Returns the string, or nil, err on failure (or when nothing is found). The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
LoadP7bFile
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = pem:load_p7b_file(path)
Loads the contents of a PKCS7 container (.p7b file).
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
LoadPem
-- password is a string
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = pem:load_pem(pem_content, password)
Loads the PEM from a PEM string. If encrypted, then the password is required for decryption. Otherwise, an empty string (or any string) may be passed for the password.
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
LoadPemFile
-- password is a string
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = pem:load_pem_file(path, password)
Loads the PEM from a PEM file. If encrypted, then the password is required for decryption. Otherwise, an empty string (or any string) may be passed for the password.
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
PrivateKeyAt
-- priv_key is a chilkat.PrivateKey
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = pem:private_key_at(index, priv_key)
Returns in priv_key the Nth private key from the PEM. The first private key is at index 0.
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
PublicKeyAt
-- pub_key is a chilkat.PublicKey
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = pem:public_key_at(index, pub_key)
Returns in pub_key the Nth public key from the PEM. The first public key is at index 0.
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
RemoveCert
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = pem:remove_cert(index)
Removes the Nth certificate from the PEM. The first certificate is at index 0.
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
RemovePrivateKey
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = pem:remove_private_key(index)
Removes the Nth private key from the PEM. The first private key is at index 0.
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
ToJksObj
-- password is a string
-- jks_obj is a chilkat.JavaKeyStore
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = pem:to_jks_obj(alias_name, password, jks_obj)
This function converts this PEM to a Java KeyStore (JKS) object and stores it in jks_obj. If alias_name is provided, it will be used as the alias for the first object in the PEM (either a private key or certificate), while subsequent objects will receive autogenerated aliases. The resulting JKS will be encrypted with password, unless the PEM contains only certificates, in which case password is not used.
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
ToPem
local str, err = pem:to_pem()
Write the PFX to a PEM formatted string. The resultant PEM will contain the private key, as well as the certs in the chain of authentication (or whatever certs are available in the PFX). For example:
-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY----- ... ... the private key associated with the main certificate. ... -----END RSA PRIVATE KEY----- -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- ... ... the main certificate ... -----END CERTIFICATE----- -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- ... ... an intermediate CA certificate (if present) ... -----END CERTIFICATE----- -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- ... ... the root CA certificate ... -----END CERTIFICATE-----
Returns the string, or nil, err on failure (or when nothing is found). The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
ToPemEx
-- no_keys is a boolean
-- no_certs is a boolean
-- no_ca_certs is a boolean
-- encrypt_alg is a string
-- password is a string
-- str is a string, or nil and err on failure
local str, err = pem:to_pem_ex(extended_attrs, no_keys, no_certs, no_ca_certs, encrypt_alg, password)
Write the PFX to a PEM formatted string. If extended_attrs is true, then extended properties (Bag Attributes and Key Attributes) are output. If no_keys is true, then no private keys are output. If no_certs is true, then no certificates are output. If no_ca_certs is true, then no CA certs or intermediate CA certs are output. If encrypt_alg is not empty, it indicates the encryption algorithm to be used for encrypting the private keys (otherwise the private keys are output unencrypted). The possible choices for the encrypt_alg are des3, aes128, aes192, and aes256. (All encryption algorithm choices use CBC mode.) If the private keys are to be encrypted, then password is the password to be used. Otherwise, password may be left empty.
For example:
Bag Attributes
Microsoft Local Key set: <No Values>
localKeyID: 01 00 00 00
friendlyName: le-2b09a3d2-9037-4a05-95cc-4d44518e8607
Microsoft CSP Name: Microsoft RSA SChannel Cryptographic Provider
Key Attributes
X509v3 Key Usage: 10
-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
...
... the private key associated with the main certificate.
...
-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
Bag Attributes
localKeyID: 01 00 00 00
1.3.6.1.4.1.311.17.3.92: 00 08 00 00
1.3.6.1.4.1.311.17.3.20: C2 53 54 F3 ...
1.3.6.1.4.1.311.17.3.71: 49 00 43 00 ...
1.3.6.1.4.1.311.17.3.75: 31 00 42 00 ...
subject=/OU=Domain Control Validated/OU=PositiveSSL/CN=something.com
issuer=/C=GB/ST=Greater Manchester/L=Salford/O=COMODO CA Limited/CN=COMODO RSA Domain Validation Secure Server CA
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
...
... the main certificate
...
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
...
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
...
... an intermediate CA certificate (if present)
...
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
...
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
...
... the root CA certificate
...
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
Returns the string, or nil, err on failure (or when nothing is found). The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.
ToPfxObj
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = pem:to_pfx_obj(pfx_obj)
Converts this PEM object, which must contain at least one private key, to PKCS12 and returns the PFX in pfx_obj. Typically, a PKCS12 file includes one private key, its associated certificate, and the certificate chain.
Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.