Common Keytool Commands

Java Keytool Commands for Creating and Importing

These commands allow you to generate a new Java Keytool keystore file, create a CSR, and import certificates. Any root or intermediate certificates will need to be imported before importing the primary certificate for your domain.

• Generate a Java keystore and key pair keytool -genkey -alias mydomain -keyalg RSA -keystore keystore.jks -keysize 2048
  
• Generate a certificate signing request (CSR) for an existing Java keystore keytool -certreq -alias mydomain -keystore keystore.jks -file mydomain.csr
  
• Import a root or intermediate CA certificate to an existing Java keystore keytool -import -trustcacerts -alias root -file Thawte.crt -keystore keystore.jks
  
• Import a signed primary certificate to an existing Java keystore keytool -import -trustcacerts -alias mydomain -file mydomain.crt -keystore keystore.jks
  
• Generate a keystore and self-signed certificate (see How to Create a Self Signed Certificate using Java Keytool for more info) keytool -genkey -keyalg RSA -alias selfsigned -keystore keystore.jks -storepass password -validity 360 -keysize 2048
  

Java Keytool Commands for Checking

If you need to check the information within a certificate, or Java keystore, use these commands.

• Check a stand-alone certificate keytool -printcert -v -file mydomain.crt
  
• Check which certificates are in a Java keystore keytool -list -v -keystore keystore.jks
  
• Check a particular keystore entry using an alias keytool -list -v -keystore keystore.jks -alias mydomain
  

Other Java Keytool Commands

• Delete a certificate from a Java Keytool keystore keytool -delete -alias mydomain -keystore keystore.jks
  
• Change a Java keystore password keytool -storepasswd -new new_storepass -keystore keystore.jks
  
• Export a certificate from a keystore keytool -export -alias mydomain -file mydomain.crt -keystore keystore.jks
  
• List Trusted CA Certs keytool -list -v -keystore $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/security/cacerts
  
• Import New CA into Trusted Certs keytool -import -trustcacerts -file /path/to/ca/ca.pem -alias CA_ALIAS -keystore $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/security/cacerts