Decode Certificates

Decode Certificates

This section describes some methods to decode and view the content of certificates.

OpenSSL

A PEM file (e.g. cert.pem) can be decoded by the following command:

openssl x509 -text -in cert.pem

A DER file (e.g. cert.cer) can be decoded by the following command:

openssl x509 -text –inform DER -in cert.cer

Firefox

In Firefox, you can view the certificate in use for a website by clicking the Security Information button on the address bar, and then clicking More Information followed by View Certificate.

Internet Explorer

In Internet Explorer, you can view the certificate in use for a website by clicking the lock icon to the right of the address bar. A Website Identification dialog appears. Click the View Certificates link at the bottom.