CertChain Perl Reference Documentation

CkCertChain

Current Version: 11.5.0

Chilkat.CertChain

Inspect, verify, export, and work with X.509 certificate chains.

Chilkat.CertChain is a compact helper class for representing and working with X.509 certificate chains. It lets applications inspect the ordered certificates in a chain, retrieve individual certificates, determine whether the chain reaches a root, check for expired certificates, verify chain signatures, test whether the root is trusted, load certificate chains from JWK x5c data, and export the chain as X509PKIPathv1.

Chain inspection

Examine the certificates in chain order and retrieve individual certificates with CertAt.

Root and trust checks

Determine whether the chain reaches a root certificate and whether that root is trusted.

Signature verification

Verify that each certificate in the chain is signed by the next certificate in the chain.

Expiration checks

Detect whether one or more certificates in the chain are expired.

JWK x5c support

Load certificate chains from JWK x5c arrays used by JWT, JWS, and other security-token workflows.

Chain export

Export the certificate chain in X509PKIPathv1 format when that representation is required.

Common pattern: Use CertChain to reason about the chain as a whole. For certificate-level details such as subject, issuer, SAN values, key usage, validity dates, fingerprints, serial numbers, and extensions, retrieve each certificate with CertAt and inspect it using Chilkat.Cert.

For an extended overview, see CertChain Class Overview.

Object Creation

$obj = chilkat::CkCertChain->new();

Properties

DebugLogFilePath
# $strVal is a string
# $ckStr is a CkString
$certChain->get_DebugLogFilePath($ckStr);
$strVal = $certChain->debugLogFilePath();
$certChain->put_DebugLogFilePath($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.

More Information and Examples
Example showing how to use DebugLogFilePath.
top
LastErrorHtml
# $strVal is a string
# $ckStr is a CkString
$certChain->get_LastErrorHtml($ckStr);
$strVal = $certChain->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.

top
LastErrorText
# $strVal is a string
# $ckStr is a CkString
$certChain->get_LastErrorText($ckStr);
$strVal = $certChain->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
top
LastErrorXml
# $strVal is a string
# $ckStr is a CkString
$certChain->get_LastErrorXml($ckStr);
$strVal = $certChain->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.

top
LastMethodSuccess
# $boolVal is a boolean
$boolVal = $certChain->get_LastMethodSuccess();
$certChain->put_LastMethodSuccess($boolVal);

Indicates the success or failure of the most recent method call: 1 means success, 0 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.

top
NumCerts
# $intVal is an integer
$intVal = $certChain->get_NumCerts();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

The number of certificates currently contained in the chain.

Index Meaning
0 The target or end-entity certificate—the certificate farthest from the root end of the chain
1 ... NumCerts - 2 Intermediate CA certificates, when present
NumCerts - 1 The highest certificate available in the chain
Do not assume the final certificate is trusted: If ReachesRoot is 0, the final certificate may only be the highest intermediate that was available. Even when the chain ends in a self-signed root, trust must be established separately.

top
NumExpiredCerts
# $intVal is an integer
$intVal = $certChain->get_NumExpiredCerts();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

The number of certificates in the chain whose validity period has expired.

Expiration is only one validation check: A value of 0 does not mean the chain is valid or trusted. It does not by itself establish that certificates are already valid, correctly signed, unrevoked, issued by an accepted trust anchor, or suitable for the intended identity and key usage.

Retrieve individual certificates with CertAt when the application needs to inspect exact validity dates or identify which certificates are expired.

top
ReachesRoot
# $boolVal is a boolean
$boolVal = $certChain->get_ReachesRoot();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.44

1 if the chain extends to a terminal root certificate rather than stopping at an intermediate certificate. When this property is 1, the certificate at index NumCerts - 1 is the root-end certificate of the chain.

Root presence is not root trust: An included root is commonly self-signed, but its presence does not make it a trusted anchor. Use IsRootTrusted with the application's approved TrustedRoots collection to test trust-anchor membership.

A value of 0 means the chain is incomplete at the root end; the final certificate may be an intermediate CA for which no issuer certificate was available.

top
UncommonOptions
# $strVal is a string
# $ckStr is a CkString
$certChain->get_UncommonOptions($ckStr);
$strVal = $certChain->uncommonOptions();
$certChain->put_UncommonOptions($strVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.98

Specifies uncommon behavior as a comma-separated list of keywords. The default is the empty string, which enables the standard behavior.

Keyword Effect
PkiPathV1.ExcludeRoot Omits the root certificate from the value returned by X509PKIPathv1. This option affects that method only.
Interoperability note: Some protocols transport the trust anchor with the path, while others expect the recipient to obtain or trust it independently. Use this option according to the format required by the receiving system.

top
Utf8
# $boolVal is a boolean
$boolVal = $certChain->get_Utf8();
$certChain->put_Utf8($boolVal);

When set to 1, all string arguments and return values are interpreted as UTF-8 strings. When set to 0, they are interpreted as ANSI strings.

In Chilkat v11.0.0 and later, the default value is 1. Before v11.0.0, it was 0.

More Information and Examples
Strings in Perl: Encoding, UTF-8, and Source File Format Considerations
top
VerboseLogging
# $boolVal is a boolean
$boolVal = $certChain->get_VerboseLogging();
$certChain->put_VerboseLogging($boolVal);

If set to 1, then the contents of LastErrorText (or LastErrorXml, or LastErrorHtml) may contain more verbose information. The default value is 0. Verbose logging should only be used for debugging. The potentially large quantity of logged information may adversely affect peformance.

top
Version
# $strVal is a string
# $ckStr is a CkString
$certChain->get_Version($ckStr);
$strVal = $certChain->version();

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

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

Methods

CertAt
# $index is an integer
# $cert is a CkCert
$status = $certChain->CertAt($index, $cert);
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Populates cert with the certificate at the specified zero-based index. Valid indices range from 0 through NumCerts - 1.

Index Position in the chain
0 Target or end-entity certificate
1 ... NumCerts - 2 Intermediate CA certificates, when present
NumCerts - 1 Highest certificate available in the chain; a root certificate only when ReachesRoot is 1

Returns 1 on success. Returns 0 if the index is invalid or the certificate cannot be returned; in that case, do not use the contents of cert as a successful result.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

top
IsRootTrusted
# $trustedRoots is a CkTrustedRoots
$retBool = $certChain->IsRootTrusted($trustedRoots);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

Tests whether the certificate at the root end of this chain is present in the TrustedRoots collection passed in trustedRoots. Returns 1 when a matching trusted-root certificate is found; otherwise returns 0.

Trust is a local policy decision: A self-signed certificate is not trusted merely because it appears at the end of a chain. This method checks membership in the supplied trust collection; it does not, by itself, establish that the entire chain is valid for a particular application or identity.

A complete certificate-validation decision may also require checking signature linkage, certificate validity periods, revocation status, basic constraints, key usage, policies, name constraints, and application-specific identity requirements.

top
LoadX5C
# $jwk is a CkJsonObject
$status = $certChain->LoadX5C($jwk);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.66

Loads the certificate chain from the x5c member of the JWK contained in jwk. Returns 1 if the chain is loaded successfully; otherwise returns 0.

As defined by RFC 7517, x5c is a JSON array of DER-encoded X.509 certificates represented using standard Base64—not Base64URL. The first certificate contains the key associated with the JWK. Each following certificate should certify the certificate immediately before it, so the array order is target certificate first and rootward certificates afterward.

Security note: Loading an x5c array does not make its certificates trusted. Treat the chain as untrusted input until the required signature, validity, trust-anchor, revocation, and application-policy checks have been completed.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

top
VerifyCertSignatures
$retBool = $certChain->VerifyCertSignatures();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

Verifies the cryptographic signature linkage of the certificates in this chain. Starting with the target certificate at index 0, each certificate's signature is checked using the public key of the next issuer certificate in the chain. Returns 1 when the certificate signatures are valid through the root end of the chain; otherwise returns 0.

Signature verification is not full path validation: A 1 result confirms the issuer-signature relationships represented by the chain. It does not by itself prove that the root is trusted, that certificates are within their validity periods, that none are revoked, that CA constraints and policies are acceptable, or that the target certificate is valid for a particular hostname or usage.
top
X509PKIPathv1
# $outStr is a CkString (output)
$status = $certChain->X509PKIPathv1($outStr);
$retStr = $certChain->x509PKIPathv1();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.88

Returns the Base64 representation of a DER-encoded ASN.1 PkiPath containing the certificates in this chain. This representation is commonly identified as the X509PKIPathv1 token type in WS-Security and may also be encountered in XML-signature workflows.

A PkiPath is a SEQUENCE OF Certificate ordered from the root or most-trusted end toward the target certificate. This is the reverse of the indexing used by CertAt, where index 0 is the target certificate.

Representation Certificate order
CertChain indexing Target/leaf → intermediates → root
X509PKIPathv1 Root → intermediates → target/leaf

By default, the root certificate is included when it is present in the chain. Set UncommonOptions to PkiPathV1.ExcludeRoot when the receiving protocol expects the trust anchor to be supplied separately.

Return-value note: This is a string-returning method. Check LastMethodSuccess before using the returned text, and inspect LastErrorText if the operation fails.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

top

Deprecated

GetCert
# returns a CkCert
# $index is an integer
$ret_cert = $certChain->GetCert($index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40
This method is deprecated and replaced by CertAt

Returns the certificate at the specified zero-based index. Index 0 is the target or end-entity certificate, and increasing indices move toward the issuer and root end of the chain.

Deprecated: Use CertAt instead. CertAt populates a caller-supplied Cert object and returns an explicit success status.

If index is outside the range 0 through NumCerts - 1, the method fails and object-returning language bindings return a null or equivalent value. Where applicable, check LastMethodSuccess and LastErrorText.

Returns null on failure

More Information and Examples
Get Certificate Chain CertsBuild Certificate Chain from Base64 Certificates
top