OPENSSL-DSA(1SSL)

📦
version 4.0.3 · 13 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

✨ NAME ✨

openssl-dsa — DSA key processing 💅

okay so bestie, this is the part where we say what this thing even IS: it's the openssl dsa command, and it's all about processing DSA keys. that's the whole vibe. 🔑

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

openssl dsa [-help] [-inform DER|PEM] [-outform DER|PEM] [-in filename]
[-passin arg] [-out filename] [-passout arg] [-aes128] [-aes192]
[-aes256] [-aria128] [-aria192] [-aria256] [-camellia128] [-camellia192]
[-camellia256] [-des] [-des3] [-idea] [-text] [-noout] [-modulus]
[-pubin] [-pubout] [-pvk-strong] [-pvk-weak] [-pvk-none] [-provider
name] [-provider-path path] [-provparam [name:]key=value] [-propquery
propq]

like, that's a LOT of flags but don't panic, we're gonna walk through every single one 💖

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So this command processes DSA keys. It can convert them between various forms, and it can print out their components too. very versatile, very iconic. ✨

⚠️ noted, bestie: This command uses the traditional SSLeay compatible format for private key encryption. Newer applications should use the more secure PKCS#8 format using the pkcs8 👑

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

  • -help — prints out a usage message. classic little helper, we love her 🫶
  • -inform DER|PEM — the key input format. unspecified by default. go check out openssl-format-options(1) for the details, iykyk 💜
  • -outform DER|PEM — the key output format. default is PEM. again, openssl-format-options(1) has the tea ☕

So here's what these things actually look like on the inside: private keys are a sequence of ASN.1 INTEGERS — the version (zero), p, q, g, and the public and private key components. and public keys are a SubjectPublicKeyInfo structure with the DSA type. 📦

Also the PEM format accepts PKCS#8 data too. generous queen. 💅

  • -in filename — you say what input filename to read a key from. if you don't say, it reads standard input. and if the key is encrypted, it'll prompt for a pass phrase 👀
  • -out filename — the output filename to write a key to, or standard output if it's not specified. if any encryption options are set, a pass phrase gets prompted for. and please, the output filename should not be the same as the input filename. like, don't do that to yourself 😭
  • -passin arg, -passout arg — the password source for the input and output file. for more on the format of arg, see openssl-passphrase-options(1) 🔐
  • -aes128, -aes192, -aes256, -aria128, -aria192, -aria256, -camellia128, -camellia192, -camellia256, -des, -des3, -idea — these options encrypt the private key with the specified cipher before outputting it. a pass phrase is prompted for. if none of these options is specified, the key is written in plain text. which means — okay this is the fun part — this command can be used to remove the pass phrase from a key by not giving any encryption option, or to add or change the pass phrase by setting them. glow-up or detox, your call 💖 these options can only be used with PEM format output files.
  • -text — prints out the public, private key components and parameters. full reveal, no secrets 🌈
  • -noout — this option prevents output of the encoded version of the key. sometimes less is more ✨
  • -modulus — this option prints out the value of the public key component of the key 🔢
  • -pubin — by default, a private key is read from the input. with this option, a public key is read instead. and if the input contains no public key but a private key, its public part is used. flexible fr fr 🦋
  • -pubout — by default, a private key is output. with this option, a public key will be output instead. this option is automatically set if the input is a public key. she does it herself, main character energy 👑
  • -pvk-strong — enable 'Strong' PVK encoding level (default). 💪
  • -pvk-weak — enable 'Weak' PVK encoding level. 🙈
  • -pvk-none — don't enforce PVK encoding. free spirit 🧚
  • -provider name, -provider-path path, -provparam [name:]key=value, -propquery propq — see "Provider Options" in openssl(1), provider(7), and property(7). 📚

Also, heads up: the openssl-pkey(1) command is capable of performing all the operations this command can, as well as supporting other public key types. so like, she's the multitasker of the group 💅

🍓 EXAMPLES 🍓

The documentation for the openssl-pkey(1) command contains examples equivalent to the ones listed here. 💜

To remove the pass phrase on a DSA private key:

openssl dsa -in key.pem -out keyout.pem

To encrypt a private key using triple DES:

openssl dsa -in key.pem -des3 -out keyout.pem

To convert a private key from PEM to DER format:

openssl dsa -in key.pem -outform DER -out keyout.der

To print out the components of a private key to standard output:

openssl dsa -in key.pem -text -noout

To just output the public part of a private key:

openssl dsa -in key.pem -pubout -out pubkey.pem

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

openssl(1), openssl-pkey(1), openssl-dsaparam(1), openssl-gendsa(1), openssl-rsa(1), openssl-genrsa(1)

💀 HISTORY 💀

The -engine option was removed in OpenSSL 4.0. gone, but not forgotten 😔

Copyright 2000-2023 The OpenSSL Project Authors. All Rights Reserved.

Licensed under the Apache License 2.0 (the "License"). You may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You can obtain a copy in the file LICENSE in the source distribution or at <https://www.openssl.org/source/license.html>.

and that's the whole page bestie!! this one's from OpenSSL version 4.0.3, dated 2026-09-29 🎀 go forth and process those DSA keys, you absolute icon 💖✨🦋

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