.DER File Extension

DER Digital Certificate

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What is a DER file?

A DER file is a digital certificate saved in the Distinguished Encoding Rules (DER) format. It contains a binary representation of the certificate. DER files are commonly used to store X.509 certificates in public cryptography.

More Information

Web servers use digital certificates to establish that a website is authentic and legitimate. When a user visits a certified website in their web browser, the web server passes the site's digital certificate to the browser. After the browser verifies the certificate, it shows the associated website. (If a browser cannot verify a certificate, it may instead show a page that says "This website's certificate is expired.")

Some digital certificates are saved in the DER format. Web admins, responsible for maintaining websites and web servers, are most likely to encounter and use DER files. Web admins can create DER files using OpenSSL, a secure network communication toolkit.

NOTE: Though most DER files are used as website digital certificates, DER files can also be used for other identification purposes.

How to open a DER file

You can use OpenSSL (multiplatform) to view the contents of a DER file. To do so, use the following command:

openssl x509 -inform der -in YourFileName.der -text -noout

How to convert a DER file

You can use OpenSSL (multiplatform) to convert DER certificates to other certificate formats, including:

  • .PFX - PKCS #12 Certificate
  • .PEM - Privacy Enhanced Mail Certificate
Open over 400 file formats with File Viewer Plus.Free Download

Programs that open or reference DER files

Mac
Included with OS
Included with OS

Verified by FileInfo.com

The FileInfo.com team has independently researched the DER Digital Certificate file format and Mac, Windows, and Linux apps listed on this page. Our goal is 100% accuracy and we only publish information about file types that we have verified.

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