PKCS 12

The correct title of this article is PKCS #12. The omission of the # is due to technical restrictions.
PKCS #12
Filename extension
.p12, .pfx
Internet media type
application/x-pkcs12
Uniform Type Identifier (UTI)com.rsa.pkcs-12[1]
Developed byRSA Security
Initial release1996 (1996)
Latest release
PKCS #12 v1.1
27 October 2012; 12 years ago (2012-10-27)
Type of formatArchive file format
Container forX.509 public key certificates, X.509 private keys, X.509 CRLs, generic data
Extended fromMicrosoft PFX file format

In cryptography, PKCS #12 defines an archive file format for storing many cryptography objects as a single file. It is commonly used to bundle a private key with its X.509 certificate or to bundle all the members of a chain of trust.

A PKCS #12 file may be encrypted and signed. The internal storage containers, called "SafeBags", may also be encrypted and signed. A few SafeBags are predefined to store certificates, private keys and CRLs. Another SafeBag is provided to store any other data at individual implementer's choice.[2][3]

PKCS #12 is one of the family of standards called Public-Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS) published by RSA Laboratories.

The filename extension for PKCS #12 files is .p12 or .pfx.[4]

These files can be created, parsed and read out with the OpenSSL pkcs12 command.[5]

  1. ^ "pkcs12". Apple Developer Documentation: Uniform Type Identifiers. Apple Inc. Archived from the original on 2023-05-28.
  2. ^ "PKCS #12: Personal Information Exchange Syntax Standard". RSA Laboratories. Archived from the original on 2017-04-17. This standard specifies a portable format for storing or transporting a user's private keys, certificates, miscellaneous secrets, etc.
  3. ^ "PKCS 12 v1.0: Personal Information Exchange Syntax" (PDF). RSA Laboratories. 1999-06-24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  4. ^ Michel I. Gallant (March 2004). "PKCS #12 File Types: Portable Protected Keys in .NET". Microsoft Corporation. Archived from the original on 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2013-03-14. All Windows operating systems define the extensions .pfx and .p12 as Personal Information Exchange, or PKCS #12, file types.
  5. ^ "openssl-cmds: pkcs12". OpenSSL Project. 2019. Archived from the original on 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2020-01-16. The pkcs12 command allows PKCS#12 files (sometimes referred to as PFX files) to be created and parsed.