PEM File Documentation

Overview

Feature Value
Format Name Privacy Enhanced Mail (PEM) Certificate
File Extension .pem
MIME Type application/x-pem-file
Encoding Type Base64
Content Type Certificates, Private Keys, Public Keys, etc.
Starts with -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
Ends with -----END CERTIFICATE-----
Usable for SSL/TLS encryption, Email encryption, Code signing
Key Type Support RSA, DSA, ECC
Common Use Case HTTPS websites, Secure email communications
Encapsulated Format X.509 Certificate
Text Format ASCII
Encryption Support Yes (when containing private keys)
Standardization RFC 1421 to RFC 1424
Compatible Software OpenSSL, Microsoft Windows, Linux/Unix systems
Key Sizes Dependent on algorithm (e.g., 2048, 4096 for RSA)
Common File Names cert.pem, key.pem
Issuing Authority Certificate Authorities (CA)
Chain of Trust Yes
Self-Signed Option Yes
Revocation Methods CRL (Certificate Revocation List), OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol)