How Do I Create a .CRT File in Linux?

Files with the .CRT extensions are normally SSL/TLS certificates. The .CRT extension is one of the most commonly used SSL/TLS certificate formats in Linux and other Unix-like systems.

This tutorial will answer your question regarding creating a .CRT certificate file in Linux using the OpenSSL tool.

Prerequisites

• A Linux system
• A user with sudo privileges

Install OpenSSL

OpenSSL is an open-source that you can use to create self-signed SSL/TLS certificates with the .crt extension. You may already have the OpenSSL tool available on your Linux machine. Run the command below to confirm.

$ OpenSSL version

Figure 1: Check OpenSSL version

If OpenSSL is not already installed, then run the next command.

On Ubuntu/Debian based distributions:

$ sudo apt install OpenSSL

On CentOS/Red Hat-based distributions:

$ sudo dnf install OpenSSL

The syntax for using the OpenSSL tool is:

OpenSSL command options arguments

Get a Private Key and a Certificate Signing Request File

Next, run the first command below to generate your private key. And the second command will output a certificate signing request (CSR) file.

$ openssl genrsa -out private.key
$ openssl req -new -key private.key -out request.csr

Here’s a description of each command and option.

• genrsa Generate an RSA private key
• -out Output file
• -req Certificate signing request
• -new New request
• -key Path to a private key file

Figure 2: Private key and CSR file

You require your private key to sign the SSL/TLS certificate. The CSR file will hold information about the entity for creating the SSL/TLS certificate. You would be prompted to enter your information accordingly.

Note: While generating the CSR file, you may leave some fields blank by hitting enter on the keyboard. It is okay to leave the fields under ‘extra’ attributes blank.

Create a .CRT File

After the private key and CSR files are generated, it is time to create your .crt file.

$ openssl x509 -req -days 365 -in request.csr -signkey private.key -out certificate.crt

Figure 3: Generate .crt file with OpenSSL

Below is a description of each command and option.

• x509 Certificate data management standard
• -req Certificate signing request
• -days Number of days the certificate should be valid for
• -in Path to CSR file
• –signkey Path to private key file for signing the certificate
• -out Output file for the signed certificate

Your .CRT file will be saved in the current working directory, except you specified a different path.

Conclusion

Following this guide, you should now create a .CRT file by using the OpenSSL tool. Technically, this is a self-signed certificate and should be for internal use or testing and development purposes. Major web browsers do not have confidence in self-signed certificates.

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