Pem Chilkat2 PHP Reference Documentation

Pem

Current Version: 11.7.0

Markdown version of this page for AI tools (v 11.7.0) · all AI docs

Requires Chilkat Bundle License

Chilkat.Pem

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

Load PEM-encoded certificates, keys, CSRs, and PKCS#7 certificate data from files, strings, or memory.

Collect certs and keys

Add certificates, private keys, public keys, CSRs, and certificate chains into a single PEM container.

Retrieve individual items

Extract selected certificates, keys, CSRs, or chains for use with Cert, PrivateKey, PublicKey, or related Chilkat classes.

Private-key format control

Choose PKCS#1 or PKCS#8 private-key output depending on the format required by the target system.

Encrypted PEM output

Export private-key material with password-based encryption when PEM data must be stored or transferred securely.

Convert to PFX or JKS

Convert PEM certificates and keys into PFX/P12 or Java KeyStore objects when another platform or API requires those container formats.

Common pattern: Use 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.

For an extended overview, see Pem Class Overview.

Object Creation

use Chilkat2\Pem;

try {
    $pem = new Pem();
    // ... use $pem ...
} catch (\Chilkat2\Exception $e) {
    echo $e->getClass(), '::', $e->getMethod(), " failed\n";
    echo $e->getMessage(), "\n";              // the LastErrorText of the failed call
}
public function __construct(array $properties = [])

Creates the object. The optional array sets properties in order, as if assigned one by one (new Pem(['VerboseLogging' => true, 'RaiseError' => false])); an unknown or read-only name throws Error. The class is defined by the chilkat2 extension (extension=chilkat2 in php.ini): there is no PHP file to include.

There is no close(): PHP frees the object when its last reference goes (unset($pem), $pem = null, or the end of the function or request). Objects returned by methods are independent and freed the same way. The class may be extended (class MyPem extends \Chilkat2\Pem); objects cannot be cloned or serialized.

public bool $RaiseError;

When true (the default), a method that fails throws Chilkat2\Exception. When false, it returns false (or null) instead, and the reason is in LastErrorText. Objects returned by a method inherit the value of the object that returned them.

Errors

Chilkat2\Exception extends RuntimeException: getMessage() is the failed call's full LastErrorText, getClass() its class ('Chilkat2\Pem') and getMethod() the method name. The object remains usable. Methods that look something up and find nothing return null without throwing (each such method says so), methods that answer a question (HasMember, IsUnlocked, ...) return a plain bool, and property reads and writes do not throw for Chilkat reasons.

Misuse always throws, whatever RaiseError is: a wrong argument type is a TypeError (exact types under declare(strict_types=1)), a missing or extra argument an ArgumentCountError, a string containing a NUL byte or an out-of-range integer a ValueError, and an unknown property (properties are case-sensitive) or a write to a read-only one an Error. Named arguments work with the parameter names shown.

Strings are passed and returned as UTF-8; binary data is a PHP string of bytes. Unlocking: call (new \Chilkat2\GlobalSettings())->UnlockBundle('...') once at startup.

Properties

AppendMode
public bool $AppendMode;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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.

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DebugLogFilePath
public string $DebugLogFilePath;

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.

More Information and Examples
Example showing how to use DebugLogFilePath.
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HeartbeatMs
public int $HeartbeatMs;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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.

More Information and Examples
Event Callback Examples
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LastErrorHtml
public readonly string $LastErrorHtml;

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.

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LastErrorText
public readonly string $LastErrorText;

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.

More Information and Examples
Concept of LastErrorTextLastErrorText Standard Information
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LastErrorXml
public readonly string $LastErrorXml;

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.

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LastMethodSuccess
public bool $LastMethodSuccess;

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.

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NumCerts
public readonly int $NumCerts;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

The number of certificates in the loaded PEM. To get the 1st certificate, call GetCert(0).

More Information and Examples
Iterate Keys and Certs in PEM
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NumCrls
public readonly int $NumCrls;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.77

The number of certificate revocation lists (CRLs) in the loaded PEM.

More Information and Examples
Convert CRL PEM to XML
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NumCsrs
public readonly int $NumCsrs;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.50

The number of certificate signing requests (CSRs) in the loaded PEM.

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NumPrivateKeys
public readonly int $NumPrivateKeys;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

The number of private keys in the loaded PEM. To get the 1st private key, call GetPrivateKey(0).

More Information and Examples
Iterate Keys and Certs in PEM
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NumPublicKeys
public readonly int $NumPublicKeys;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

The number of public keys in the loaded PEM. To get the 1st public key, call GetPublicKey(0).

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PrivateKeyFormat
public string $PrivateKeyFormat;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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.

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PublicKeyFormat
public string $PublicKeyFormat;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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.

More Information and Examples
Write PKCS1 or PKCS8 Public Key PEM
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VerboseLogging
public bool $VerboseLogging;

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.

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Version
public readonly string $Version;

Version of the component/library, such as "10.1.0"

More Information and Examples
How to get the Chilkat version at runtime.
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Methods

AddCert
public function AddCert(Cert $cert, bool $includeChain): bool
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Adds a certificate, and potentially the certs in its chain of authentication to the PEM. If $includeChain is true, then certificates in the $cert's chain of authentication up to and including the root are automatically added.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

More Information and Examples
Add Private Key and Certificate to a PEM
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AddItem
public function AddItem(string $itemType, string $encoding, string $itemData): bool
Introduced in version 9.5.0.59

Adds a certificate, private key, public key, or csr to the PEM. The possible values for $itemType 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 $itemData contains the ASN.1 data in string format according to the encoding specified in $encoding.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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AddP7b
public function AddP7b(BinData $bd): bool
Introduced in version 11.0.0

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. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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AddPrivateKey
public function AddPrivateKey(PrivateKey $privateKey): bool
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Adds a private key to the PEM object.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

More Information and Examples
Add Private Key and Certificate to a PEM
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AddPrivateKey2
public function AddPrivateKey2(PrivateKey $privKey, CertChain $certChain): bool
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Adds a private key and it's associated certificate chain to the PEM object.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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AddPublicKey
public function AddPublicKey(PublicKey $pubkey): bool
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Adds a public key to the PEM object.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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CertAt
public function CertAt(int $index, Cert $cert): bool
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Returns in $cert the Nth certificate from the PEM. The first certificate is at index 0.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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Clear
public function Clear(): bool
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Removes all content from this PEM object.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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GetEncodedItem
public function GetEncodedItem(string $itemType, string $itemSubType, string $encoding, int $index): ?string
Introduced in version 9.5.0.50

Returns the encoded contents of the Nth item of a particular type (0-based $index). The possible values for $itemType are certificate (or cert), privateKey, publicKey, or csr. Input string args are case-insensitive. If the $itemType is privateKey, the $itemSubType may be der or pkcs8. If the $itemType is publicKey, the $itemSubType may be der or pkcs1. The $itemSubType is ignored for other values of $itemType. 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.

On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns null). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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LoadP7bFile
public function LoadP7bFile(string $path): bool
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Loads the contents of a PKCS7 container (.p7b file).

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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LoadPem
public function LoadPem(string $pemContent, string $password): bool
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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LoadPemFile
public function LoadPemFile(string $path, string $password): bool
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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PrivateKeyAt
public function PrivateKeyAt(int $index, PrivateKey $privKey): bool
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Returns in $privKey the Nth private key from the PEM. The first private key is at index 0.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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PublicKeyAt
public function PublicKeyAt(int $index, PublicKey $pubKey): bool
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Returns in $pubKey the Nth public key from the PEM. The first public key is at index 0.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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RemoveCert
public function RemoveCert(int $index): bool
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Removes the Nth certificate from the PEM. The first certificate is at index 0.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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RemovePrivateKey
public function RemovePrivateKey(int $index): bool
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Removes the Nth private key from the PEM. The first private key is at index 0.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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ToJksObj
public function ToJksObj(string $aliasName, string $password, JavaKeyStore $jksObj): bool
Introduced in version 11.0.0

This function converts this PEM to a Java KeyStore (JKS) object and stores it in $jksObj. If $aliasName 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. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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ToPem
public function ToPem(): ?string
Introduced in version 9.5.0.47

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-----

On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns null). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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ToPemEx
public function ToPemEx(bool $extendedAttrs, bool $noKeys, bool $noCerts, bool $noCaCerts, string $encryptAlg, string $password): ?string
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Write the PFX to a PEM formatted string. If $extendedAttrs is true, then extended properties (Bag Attributes and Key Attributes) are output. If $noKeys is true, then no private keys are output. If $noCerts is true, then no certificates are output. If $noCaCerts is true, then no CA certs or intermediate CA certs are output. If $encryptAlg 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 $encryptAlg 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-----

On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns null). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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ToPfxObj
public function ToPfxObj(Pfx $pfxObj): bool
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Converts this PEM object, which must contain at least one private key, to PKCS12 and returns the PFX in $pfxObj. Typically, a PKCS12 file includes one private key, its associated certificate, and the certificate chain.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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