How to Import an Existing X.509 Certificate and Private Key into a Java Keystore?

Importing Existing X.509 Certificate and Private Key in Java Keystore

Java keystores provide secure storage for cryptographic keys and certificates. To use an existing X.509 certificate and private key in an SSL context, it is necessary to import them into the keystore.

Exporting to PKCS12 Intermediate File

Since Java keystore import only supports PKCS12 files, the first step involves converting the certificate and key pair to a PKCS12 file using OpenSSL:

openssl pkcs12 -export -in server.crt -inkey server.key \
               -out server.p12 -name [some-alias] \
               -CAfile ca.crt -caname root

Importing PKCS12 File into Java Keystore

With the PKCS12 file created, it can be imported into the Java keystore using the keytool command:

keytool -importkeystore \
        -deststorepass [changeit] -destkeypass [changeit] -destkeystore server.keystore \
        -srckeystore server.p12 -srcstoretype PKCS12 -srcstorepass some-password \
        -alias [some-alias]

Additional Considerations

• Use a password for the PKCS12 file to avoid a null pointer exception.
• Consider adding the -chain option to preserve the full certificate chain in the PKCS12 file.
• The optional step zero describes the generation of a self-signed certificate and private key pair if needed.

Troubleshooting: Keystore Password Error

If using OpenSSL 3.0 with a recent Java version and encountering the error "keystore password was incorrect," refer to the linked Stack Overflow answer for a possible solution.

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