Package com.chilkatsoft.chilkat2

Class CertStore

java.lang.Object
com.chilkatsoft.chilkat2.ChilkatObject
com.chilkatsoft.chilkat2.CertStore
All Implemented Interfaces:
AutoCloseable
public class CertStore extends ChilkatObject
<section class="certstore-summary">

Open, search, manage, and use certificate collections from many sources.

Chilkat.CertStore is the Chilkat class for working with collections of X.509 certificates. It can open and manage certificates from system stores, Apple Keychain, Windows registry or file stores, memory stores, PEM files, PFX/P12 files, and smart card or USB token devices. It supports loading, searching, iterating, adding, removing, and closing certificate stores, with platform-specific behavior for Windows and Apple Keychain.

Open certificate stores

Access certificates from Windows certificate stores, Apple Keychain, files, memory stores, PEM bundles, PFX/P12 files, and hardware tokens.

Search and retrieve certs

Find certificates by subject, issuer, serial number, thumbprint, email, private-key availability, or other identifying information.

Iterate collections

Enumerate certificates in a store and retrieve each certificate as a Chilkat.Cert object for inspection or use.

Add and remove certificates

Add certificates to writable stores, remove certificates where supported, and manage store contents from application code.

Private-key backed certs

Work with certificates that have associated private keys from PFX/P12, operating-system stores, smart cards, USB tokens, or other providers.

Use across Chilkat

Pass retrieved certificates to other Chilkat classes for TLS client authentication, S/MIME, signing, encryption, decryption, and verification.

Common pattern: Open the appropriate certificate store, search or iterate to find the needed certificate, retrieve it as a Chilkat.Cert, and then pass that certificate to the Chilkat class that needs it. Use certificate stores when the application should select from existing system, file-based, keychain, or hardware-backed certificates.

For an extended overview, see CertStore Class Overview.

</section>

Instances hold a native Chilkat object: close them with ChilkatObject.close() (try-with-resources) when done; an unclosed instance is freed when it becomes unreachable.

See Also:
Online reference

  • Constructor Details

    • CertStore

      public CertStore()
      Creates a new CertStore object.

  • Method Details

    • getAvoidWindowsPkAccess

      public boolean getAvoidWindowsPkAccess()
      Applies only when running on a Microsoft Windows operating system. If true, then any method that returns a certificate will not try to also access the associated private key, assuming one exists. This is useful if the certificate was installed with high-security such that a private key access would trigger the Windows OS to display a security warning dialog. The default value of this property is false.
      Returns:
      the value of the AvoidWindowsPkAccess property

    • setAvoidWindowsPkAccess

      public void setAvoidWindowsPkAccess​(boolean value)
      Sets the AvoidWindowsPkAccess property; see getAvoidWindowsPkAccess().
      Parameters:
      value - the new value

    • getNumCertificates

      public int getNumCertificates()
      The number of certificates held in the certificate store.
      Returns:
      the value of the NumCertificates property (read-only)

    • getSmartCardPin

      public String getSmartCardPin()
      Can be set to the PIN value for a certificate / private key stored on a smart card.
      Returns:
      the value of the SmartCardPin property

    • setSmartCardPin

      public void setSmartCardPin​(String value)
      Sets the SmartCardPin property; see getSmartCardPin().
      Parameters:
      value - the new value (not null)

    • getUncommonOptions

      public String getUncommonOptions()
      This is a catch-all property to be used for uncommon needs. This property defaults to the empty string, and should typically remain empty.
      Returns:
      the value of the UncommonOptions property

    • setUncommonOptions

      public void setUncommonOptions​(String value)
      Sets the UncommonOptions property; see getUncommonOptions().
      Parameters:
      value - the new value (not null)

    • addCertificate

      public void addCertificate​(Cert cert)
      On Windows, this updates or adds cert to the open Windows certificate store. Note: This imports the certificate without the private key. The Chilkat.Pfx.ImportToWindows method must be called to import a certificate with a private key.

      Beginning with Chilkat v10.0.0, on macOS and iOS, this adds the certificate, including any private keys and intermediate CA certificates, to the Apple Keychain.

      Parameters:
      cert - the cert argument (not null)
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • closeCertStore

      public void closeCertStore()
      This method closes any open certificate stores, removes all certificates from the object, and sets the NumCertificates property back to 0.
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • createFileStore

      public void createFileStore​(String filename)
      This method, available only on Microsoft Windows, creates a new file-based certificate store. You can save certificates to this store by using the AddCertificate function.

      Internally, the Microsoft function CertOpenStore is called with the provider type CERT_STORE_PROV_FILE and the flag CERT_STORE_CREATE_NEW_FLAG, to create a new, empty certificate store that is backed by a file.

      Parameters:
      filename - the filename argument (not null)
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • createMemoryStore

      public void createMemoryStore()
      This method, available only on Microsoft Windows, creates an in-memory certificate store. Certificates may be added by calling AddCertificate.

      Internally, the Microsoft function CertOpenStore is called with the provider type CERT_STORE_PROV_MEMORY to create a new in-memory certificate store. This store acts as a temporary container for managing certificates during runtime. The store exists only in memory and is not backed by a file or persistent storage. Certificates can be added, retrieved, or removed, but the store is lost when the application ends unless explicitly saved elsewhere.

      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • createRegistryStore

      public void createRegistryStore​(String regRoot, String regPath)
      This method, available only on Microsoft Windows, creates a new registry-based certificate store. You can save certificates to this store by using the AddCertificate function.

      Internally, the Microsoft function CertOpenStore is called with the provider type CERT_STORE_PROV_REG and a registry key to create a new, empty certificate store in the Windows registry.

      regRoot can be the string CurrentUser or LocalMachine. regPath is a registry key path such as Software/MyApplication/Certificates.

      Parameters:
      regRoot - the regRoot argument (not null)
      regPath - the regPath argument (not null)
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • findCert

      public void findCert​(JsonObject json, Cert cert)
      Searches for a certificate using criteria from json and stores the result in cert. If multiple criteria are provided, it searches each one sequentially and returns the first match.

      Preference is given to non-expired certificates, so if both expired and non-expired certificates match, the non-expired one is selected.

      See the examples below for details.

      Parameters:
      json - the json argument (not null)
      cert - the cert argument (not null)
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • getCert

      public void getCert​(int index, Cert cert)
      Loads the Nth certificate into cert. The first certificate is at index 0.
      Parameters:
      index - the index argument
      cert - the cert argument (not null)
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • loadPemFile

      public void loadPemFile​(String pemPath)
      Loads the certificates contained within a PEM formatted file.
      Parameters:
      pemPath - the pemPath argument (not null)
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • loadPemStr

      public void loadPemStr​(String pemString)
      Loads the certificates contained within an in-memory PEM formatted string.
      Parameters:
      pemString - the pemString argument (not null)
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • loadPfxBd

      public void loadPfxBd​(BinData bd, String password)
      Loads the PFX/P12 bytes contained in bd. password is the password to the PFX.
      Parameters:
      bd - the bd argument (not null)
      password - the password argument (not null)
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • loadPfxFile

      public void loadPfxFile​(String pfxFilename, String password)
      Loads a PFX file. Once loaded, the certificates within the PFX may be searched via the Find* methods. It is also possible to iterate from 0 to NumCertficates-1, calling GetCertificate for each index, to retrieve each certificate within the PFX.

      Note: This method does not import certificates into the Windows certificate stores. The purpose of this method is to load a .pfx/.p12 into this object so that other API methods can be called to explore or search the contents of the PFX. The Chilkat Pfx class also provides similar functionality.

      Parameters:
      pfxFilename - the pfxFilename argument (not null)
      password - the password argument (not null)
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • openCurrentUserStore

      public void openCurrentUserStore​(boolean bReadOnly)
      On Windows, this method opens the Current-User\Personal certificate store in the registry. Set bReadOnly to true to open the store in read-only mode, which allows you to fetch certificates without adding or removing them. This prevents permission denied errors that require read-write access.

      Starting in version 10.0.0, this method opens the Apple Keychain on MacOS and iOS systems. The bReadOnly is ignored.

      After opening the store, you can search for certificates using the Find* methods. Alternatively, you can iterate through the certificates by indexing from 0 to NumCertificates-1, using GetCertificate to access each one.

      Parameters:
      bReadOnly - the bReadOnly argument
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • openFileStore

      public void openFileStore​(String filename, boolean bReadOnly)
      (This method only available on Microsoft Windows operating systems.)
      Opens a file-based certificate store.

      Once loaded, the certificates within the store may be searched via the Find* methods. An application may also iterate from 0 to NumCertficates-1 and call GetCertificate to access each certificate by index.

      Parameters:
      filename - the filename argument (not null)
      bReadOnly - the bReadOnly argument
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • openLocalSystemStore

      public void openLocalSystemStore​(boolean bReadOnly)
      (This method is only available on Microsoft Windows operating systems.)
      Opens the registry-based Local-Computer\Personal certificate store. Set bReadOnly = true if only fetching certificates and not updating the certificate store (i.e. certificates will not be added or removed). Setting bReadOnly = true causes the certificate store to be opened read-only, and will prevent permission denied errors caused by the need for read-write permission.

      Once loaded, the certificates within the store may be searched via the Find* methods. An application may also iterate from 0 to NumCertficates-1 and call GetCertificate to access each certificate by index.

      Parameters:
      bReadOnly - the bReadOnly argument
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • openRegistryStore

      public void openRegistryStore​(String regRoot, String regPath, boolean bReadOnly)
      (This method only available on Microsoft Windows operating systems.)
      Opens an arbitrary registry-based certificate store. regRoot must be CurrentUser or LocalMachine. regPath is a registry path such as Software/MyApplication/Certificates.

      Setting bReadOnly = true causes the certificate store to be opened read-only, and will prevent permission denied errors caused by the need for read-write permission.

      Once loaded, the certificates within the store may be searched via the Find* methods. An application may also iterate from 0 to NumCertficates-1 and call GetCertificate to access each certificate by index.

      Parameters:
      regRoot - the regRoot argument (not null)
      regPath - the regPath argument (not null)
      bReadOnly - the bReadOnly argument
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • openSmartcard

      public void openSmartcard​(String csp)
      This function identifies connected HSM devices such as smart cards and USB tokens, and loads the certificates from each device. It has been significantly enhanced in Chilkat v10.1.2 and is compatible with Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Linux. (Android is not yet supported.)

      Note: The csp is no longer used and is ignored. Applications should pass an empty string.

      Note: If multiple HSM devices are connected, avoid setting the SmartCardPin property unless all devices share the same PIN. Otherwise, Chilkat will attempt to use that PIN for each device, which could cause issues.

      Parameters:
      csp - the csp argument (not null)
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • openWindowsStore

      public void openWindowsStore​(String storeLocation, String storeName, boolean bReadOnly)
      (This method only available on Microsoft Windows operating systems.)
      Opens a Microsoft Windows certificate store. storeLocation must be CurrentUser or LocalMachine. storeName is the name of the certificate store to open. It may be any of the following:
      • AddressBook: Certificate store for other users.
      • AuthRoot: Certificate store for third-party certification authorities (CAs).
      • CertificationAuthority: Certificate store for intermediate certification authorities (CAs).
      • Disallowed: Certificate store for revoked certificates.
      • My: Certificate store for personal certificates.
      • Root: Certificate store for trusted root certification authorities (CAs).
      • TrustedPeople: Certificate store for directly trusted people and resources.
      • TrustedPublisher: Certificate store for directly trusted publishers.

      Setting bReadOnly = true causes the certificate store to be opened read-only, and will prevent permission denied errors caused by the need for read-write permission.

      Once loaded, the certificates within the store may be searched via the Find* methods. An application may also iterate from 0 to NumCertficates-1 and call GetCertificate to access each certificate by index.

      Parameters:
      storeLocation - the storeLocation argument (not null)
      storeName - the storeName argument (not null)
      bReadOnly - the bReadOnly argument
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • removeCertificate

      public void removeCertificate​(Cert cert)
      (This method only available on Microsoft Windows operating systems.)
      Removes the passed certificate from the store. The certificate object passed as the argument can no longer be used once removed.
      Parameters:
      cert - the cert argument (not null)
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why