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Secure Socket Layer
User's Guide
Version 3.10.8

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Chapters

• The SSL Protocol
  • Top of chapter
  • SSL Connections
  • Certificates
  • Encryption Algorithms
  • SSL Handshake
  • Authentication
• Using the SSL application
  • Top of chapter
  • The ssl Module
  • A Client-Server Example
• PKIX Certificates
  • Top of chapter
  • Introduction to Certificates
  • PKIX Certificates
• Creating Certificates
  • Top of chapter
  • The openssl Command
  • An Example
• Using SSL for Erlang Distribution
  • Top of chapter
  • Introduction
  • Building boot scripts including the SSL application
  • Specifying distribution module for net_kernel
  • Specifying security options and other SSL options
  • Setting up environment to always use SSL
• Licenses
  • Top of chapter
  • OpenSSL License
  • SSLeay License

3 PKIX Certificates

3.1  Introduction to Certificates

Certificates were originally defined by ITU (CCITT) and the latest definitions are described in X.509, but those definitions are (as always) not working.

Working certificate definitions for the Internet Community are found in the the PKIX RFCs rfc3279 and rfc3280. The parsing of certificates in the Erlang/OTP SSL application is based on those RFCS.

Certificates are defined in terms of ASN.1 (X.680). For an introduction to ASN.1 see ASN.1 Information Site.

3.2  PKIX Certificates

Certificate handling is now handled by the public_key application.

DER encoded certificates returned by ssl:peercert/1 can for example be decoded by the public_key:pkix_decode_cert/2 function.