What is SSL private key used for?
Your private key is the single most important component of your SSL certificate. It’s what gives you the power to authenticate your website to internet users, helps to enable encryption and prevents others from impersonating you.
What is private key SSL certificate?
The private key is a separate file that’s used in the encryption/decryption of data sent between your server and the connecting clients. A private key is created by you — the certificate owner — when you request your certificate with a Certificate Signing Request (CSR).
Where is the private key for SSL certificate stored?
The design of global public key infrastructure, relying on which modern secure negotiation through SSL/TLS is possible, implies that there is always a pair of unique keys – Public key is embedded in the SSL certificate and private key is stored on the server and kept secret.
Why do you need a private key for a certificate?
Certificates on their own are only public pieces of information. What links a public key certificate to the name it contains is the fact that whoever has legitimate control over that name (e.g. your name or your server’s name) also has the private key for it.
Why do we need a certificate for SSL?
Certificates are used to prove the identity of the remote party by challenging the remote party to perform an operation that can only be done with the corresponding private key: signing something (which can be verified with the public key) or deciphering something that was encrypted with the public key.
What happens if I Lose my SSL private key?
Do not send your private key to anyone, as that can compromise the security of your certificate. If you lose your private key, you will be unable to install your SSL certificate and will need to generate a new key pair (CSR + Private Key) and re-issue the certificate. You can find instructions on how to re-issue your certificate here.