Parse, convert, fingerprint and use SSH keys (both public and private) in pure
node -- no ssh-keygen
or other external dependencies.
Supports RSA, DSA, ECDSA (nistp-*) and ED25519 key types, in PEM (PKCS#1, PKCS#8) and OpenSSH formats.
This library has been extracted from
node-http-signature
(work by Mark Cavage and
Dave Eddy) and
node-ssh-fingerprint
(work by Dave Eddy), with additions (including ECDSA support) by
Alex Wilson.
npm install sshpk
var sshpk = require('sshpk');
var fs = require('fs');
/* Read in an OpenSSH-format public key */
var keyPub = fs.readFileSync('id_rsa.pub');
var key = sshpk.parseKey(keyPub, 'ssh');
/* Get metadata about the key */
console.log('type => %s', key.type);
console.log('size => %d bits', key.size);
console.log('comment => %s', key.comment);
/* Compute key fingerprints, in new OpenSSH (>6.7) format, and old MD5 */
console.log('fingerprint => %s', key.fingerprint().toString());
console.log('old-style fingerprint => %s', key.fingerprint('md5').toString());
Example output:
type => rsa
size => 2048 bits
comment => foo@foo.com
fingerprint => SHA256:PYC9kPVC6J873CSIbfp0LwYeczP/W4ffObNCuDJ1u5w
old-style fingerprint => a0:c8:ad:6c:32:9a:32:fa:59:cc:a9:8c:0a:0d:6e:bd
More examples: converting between formats:
/* Read in a PEM public key */
var keyPem = fs.readFileSync('id_rsa.pem');
var key = sshpk.parseKey(keyPem, 'pem');
/* Convert to PEM PKCS#8 public key format */
var pemBuf = key.toBuffer('pkcs8');
/* Convert to SSH public key format (and return as a string) */
var sshKey = key.toString('ssh');
Signing and verifying:
/* Read in an OpenSSH/PEM *private* key */
var keyPriv = fs.readFileSync('id_ecdsa');
var key = sshpk.parsePrivateKey(keyPriv, 'pem');
var data = 'some data';
/* Sign some data with the key */
var s = key.createSign('sha1');
s.update(data);
var signature = s.sign();
/* Now load the public key (could also use just key.toPublic()) */
var keyPub = fs.readFileSync('id_ecdsa.pub');
key = sshpk.parseKey(keyPub, 'ssh');
/* Make a crypto.Verifier with this key */
var v = key.createVerify('sha1');
v.update(data);
var valid = v.verify(signature);
/* => true! */
Matching fingerprints with keys:
var fp = sshpk.parseFingerprint('SHA256:PYC9kPVC6J873CSIbfp0LwYeczP/W4ffObNCuDJ1u5w');
var keys = [sshpk.parseKey(...), sshpk.parseKey(...), ...];
keys.forEach(function (key) {
if (fp.matches(key))
console.log('found it!');
});
parseKey(data[, format = 'auto'[, options]])
Parses a key from a given data format and returns a new Key
object.
Parameters
data
-- Either a Buffer or String, containing the keyformat
-- String name of format to use, valid options are:
auto
: choose automatically from all belowpem
: supports both PKCS#1 and PKCS#8ssh
: standard OpenSSH format,pkcs1
, pkcs8
: variants of pem
rfc4253
: raw OpenSSH wire formatopenssh
: new post-OpenSSH 6.5 internal format, produced by
ssh-keygen -o
options
-- Optional Object, extra options, with keys:
filename
-- Optional String, name for the key being parsed
(eg. the filename that was opened). Used to generate
Error messagespassphrase
-- Optional String, encryption passphrase used to decrypt an
encrypted PEM fileKey.isKey(obj)
Returns true
if the given object is a valid Key
object created by a version
of sshpk
compatible with this one.
Parameters
obj
-- Object to identifyKey#type
String, the type of key. Valid options are rsa
, dsa
, ecdsa
.
Key#size
Integer, "size" of the key in bits. For RSA/DSA this is the size of the modulus; for ECDSA this is the bit size of the curve in use.
Key#comment
Optional string, a key comment used by some formats (eg the ssh
format).
Key#curve
Only present if this.type === 'ecdsa'
, string containing the name of the
named curve used with this key. Possible values include nistp256
, nistp384
and nistp521
.
Key#toBuffer([format = 'ssh'])
Convert the key into a given data format and return the serialized key as a Buffer.
Parameters
format
-- String name of format to use, for valid options see parseKey()
Key#toString([format = 'ssh])
Same as this.toBuffer(format).toString()
.
Key#fingerprint([algorithm = 'sha256'])
Creates a new Fingerprint
object representing this Key's fingerprint.
Parameters
algorithm
-- String name of hash algorithm to use, valid options are md5
,
sha1
, sha256
, sha384
, sha512
Key#createVerify([hashAlgorithm])
Creates a crypto.Verifier
specialized to use this Key (and the correct public
key algorithm to match it). The returned Verifier has the same API as a regular
one, except that the verify()
function takes only the target signature as an
argument.
Parameters
hashAlgorithm
-- optional String name of hash algorithm to use, any
supported by OpenSSL are valid, usually including
sha1
, sha256
.v.verify(signature[, format])
Parameters
signature
-- either a Signature object, or a Buffer or Stringformat
-- optional String, name of format to interpret given String with.
Not valid if signature
is a Signature or Buffer.Key#createDiffieHellman()
Key#createDH()
Creates a Diffie-Hellman key exchange object initialized with this key and all
necessary parameters. This has the same API as a crypto.DiffieHellman
instance, except that functions take Key
and PrivateKey
objects as
arguments, and return them where indicated for.
This is only valid for keys belonging to a cryptosystem that supports DHE
or a close analogue (i.e. dsa
, ecdsa
and curve25519
keys). An attempt
to call this function on other keys will yield an Error
.
parsePrivateKey(data[, format = 'auto'[, options]])
Parses a private key from a given data format and returns a new
PrivateKey
object.
Parameters
data
-- Either a Buffer or String, containing the keyformat
-- String name of format to use, valid options are:
auto
: choose automatically from all belowpem
: supports both PKCS#1 and PKCS#8ssh
, openssh
: new post-OpenSSH 6.5 internal format, produced by
ssh-keygen -o
pkcs1
, pkcs8
: variants of pem
rfc4253
: raw OpenSSH wire formatoptions
-- Optional Object, extra options, with keys:
filename
-- Optional String, name for the key being parsed
(eg. the filename that was opened). Used to generate
Error messagespassphrase
-- Optional String, encryption passphrase used to decrypt an
encrypted PEM filePrivateKey.isPrivateKey(obj)
Returns true
if the given object is a valid PrivateKey
object created by a
version of sshpk
compatible with this one.
Parameters
obj
-- Object to identifyPrivateKey#type
String, the type of key. Valid options are rsa
, dsa
, ecdsa
.
PrivateKey#size
Integer, "size" of the key in bits. For RSA/DSA this is the size of the modulus; for ECDSA this is the bit size of the curve in use.
PrivateKey#curve
Only present if this.type === 'ecdsa'
, string containing the name of the
named curve used with this key. Possible values include nistp256
, nistp384
and nistp521
.
PrivateKey#toBuffer([format = 'pkcs1'])
Convert the key into a given data format and return the serialized key as a Buffer.
Parameters
format
-- String name of format to use, valid options are listed under
parsePrivateKey
. Note that ED25519 keys default to openssh
format instead (as they have no pkcs1
representation).PrivateKey#toString([format = 'pkcs1'])
Same as this.toBuffer(format).toString()
.
PrivateKey#toPublic()
Extract just the public part of this private key, and return it as a Key
object.
PrivateKey#fingerprint([algorithm = 'sha256'])
Same as this.toPublic().fingerprint()
.
PrivateKey#createVerify([hashAlgorithm])
Same as this.toPublic().createVerify()
.
PrivateKey#createSign([hashAlgorithm])
Creates a crypto.Sign
specialized to use this PrivateKey (and the correct
key algorithm to match it). The returned Signer has the same API as a regular
one, except that the sign()
function takes no arguments, and returns a
Signature
object.
Parameters
hashAlgorithm
-- optional String name of hash algorithm to use, any
supported by OpenSSL are valid, usually including
sha1
, sha256
.v.sign()
Parameters
PrivateKey#derive(newType)
Derives a related key of type newType
from this key. Currently this is
only supported to change between ed25519
and curve25519
keys which are
stored with the same private key (but usually distinct public keys in order
to avoid degenerate keys that lead to a weak Diffie-Hellman exchange).
Parameters
newType
-- String, type of key to derive, either ed25519
or curve25519
parseFingerprint(fingerprint[, algorithms])
Pre-parses a fingerprint, creating a Fingerprint
object that can be used to
quickly locate a key by using the Fingerprint#matches
function.
Parameters
fingerprint
-- String, the fingerprint value, in any supported formatalgorithms
-- Optional list of strings, names of hash algorithms to limit
support to. If fingerprint
uses a hash algorithm not on
this list, throws InvalidAlgorithmError
.Fingerprint.isFingerprint(obj)
Returns true
if the given object is a valid Fingerprint
object created by a
version of sshpk
compatible with this one.
Parameters
obj
-- Object to identifyFingerprint#toString([format])
Returns a fingerprint as a string, in the given format.
Parameters
format
-- Optional String, format to use, valid options are hex
and
base64
. If this Fingerprint
uses the md5
algorithm, the
default format is hex
. Otherwise, the default is base64
.Fingerprint#matches(key)
Verifies whether or not this Fingerprint
matches a given Key
. This function
uses double-hashing to avoid leaking timing information. Returns a boolean.
Parameters
key
-- a Key
object, the key to match this fingerprint againstparseSignature(signature, algorithm, format)
Parses a signature in a given format, creating a Signature
object. Useful
for converting between the SSH and ASN.1 (PKCS/OpenSSL) signature formats, and
also returned as output from PrivateKey#createSign().sign()
.
A Signature object can also be passed to a verifier produced by
Key#createVerify()
and it will automatically be converted internally into the
correct format for verification.
Parameters
signature
-- a Buffer (binary) or String (base64), data of the actual
signature in the given formatalgorithm
-- a String, name of the algorithm to be used, possible values
are rsa
, dsa
, ecdsa
format
-- a String, either asn1
or ssh
Signature.isSignature(obj)
Returns true
if the given object is a valid Signature
object created by a
version of sshpk
compatible with this one.
Parameters
obj
-- Object to identifySignature#toBuffer([format = 'asn1'])
Converts a Signature to the given format and returns it as a Buffer.
Parameters
format
-- a String, either asn1
or ssh
Signature#toString([format = 'asn1'])
Same as this.toBuffer(format).toString('base64')
.
sshpk
includes basic support for parsing certificates in X.509 (PEM) format
and the OpenSSH certificate format. This feature is intended to be used mainly
to access basic metadata about certificates, extract public keys from them, and
also to generate simple self-signed certificates from an existing key.
Notably, there is no implementation of CA chain-of-trust verification, and no support for key usage restrictions (or other kinds of restrictions). Please do the security world a favour, and DO NOT use this code for certificate verification in the traditional X.509 CA chain style.
parseCertificate(data, format)
Parameters
data
-- a Buffer or Stringformat
-- a String, format to use, one of 'openssh'
, 'pem'
(X.509 in a
PEM wrapper), or 'x509'
(raw DER encoded)createSelfSignedCertificate(subject, privateKey[, options])
Parameters
subject
-- an Identity, the subject of the certificateprivateKey
-- a PrivateKey, the key of the subject: will be used both to be
placed in the certificate and also to sign it (since this is
a self-signed certificate)options
-- optional Object, with keys:
lifetime
-- optional Number, lifetime of the certificate from now in
secondsvalidFrom
, validUntil
-- optional Dates, beginning and end of
certificate validity period. If given
lifetime
will be ignoredserial
-- optional Buffer, the serial number of the certificatecreateCertificate(subject, key, issuer, issuerKey[, options])
Parameters
subject
-- an Identity, the subject of the certificatekey
-- a Key, the public key of the subjectissuer
-- an Identity, the issuer of the certificate who will sign itissuerKey
-- a PrivateKey, the issuer's private key for signingoptions
-- optional Object, with keys:
lifetime
-- optional Number, lifetime of the certificate from now in
secondsvalidFrom
, validUntil
-- optional Dates, beginning and end of
certificate validity period. If given
lifetime
will be ignoredserial
-- optional Buffer, the serial number of the certificateCertificate#subjects
Array of Identity
instances describing the subject of this certificate.
Certificate#issuer
The Identity
of the Certificate's issuer (signer).
Certificate#subjectKey
The public key of the subject of the certificate, as a Key
instance.
Certificate#issuerKey
The public key of the signing issuer of this certificate, as a Key
instance.
May be undefined
if the issuer's key is unknown (e.g. on an X509 certificate).
Certificate#serial
The serial number of the certificate. As this is normally a 64-bit or wider integer, it is returned as a Buffer.
Certificate#isExpired([when])
Tests whether the Certificate is currently expired (i.e. the validFrom
and
validUntil
dates specify a range of time that does not include the current
time).
Parameters
when
-- optional Date, if specified, tests whether the Certificate was or
will be expired at the specified time instead of nowReturns a Boolean.
Certificate#isSignedByKey(key)
Tests whether the Certificate was validly signed by the given (public) Key.
Parameters
key
-- a Key instanceReturns a Boolean.
Certificate#isSignedBy(certificate)
Tests whether this Certificate was validly signed by the subject of the given certificate. Also tests that the issuer Identity of this Certificate and the subject Identity of the other Certificate are equivalent.
Parameters
certificate
-- another Certificate instanceReturns a Boolean.
Certificate#fingerprint([hashAlgo])
Returns the X509-style fingerprint of the entire certificate (as a Fingerprint instance). This matches what a web-browser or similar would display as the certificate fingerprint and should not be confused with the fingerprint of the subject's public key.
Parameters
hashAlgo
-- an optional String, any hash function nameCertificate#toBuffer([format])
Serializes the Certificate to a Buffer and returns it.
Parameters
format
-- an optional String, output format, one of 'openssh'
, 'pem'
or
'x509'
. Defaults to 'x509'
.Returns a Buffer.
Certificate#toString([format])
format
-- an optional String, output format, one of 'openssh'
, 'pem'
or
'x509'
. Defaults to 'pem'
.Returns a String.
identityForHost(hostname)
Constructs a host-type Identity for a given hostname.
Parameters
hostname
-- the fully qualified DNS name of the hostReturns an Identity instance.
identityForUser(uid)
Constructs a user-type Identity for a given UID.
Parameters
uid
-- a String, user identifier (login name)Returns an Identity instance.
identityForEmail(email)
Constructs an email-type Identity for a given email address.
Parameters
email
-- a String, email addressReturns an Identity instance.
identityFromDN(dn)
Parses an LDAP-style DN string (e.g. 'CN=foo, C=US'
) and turns it into an
Identity instance.
Parameters
dn
-- a StringReturns an Identity instance.
Identity#toString()
Returns the identity as an LDAP-style DN string.
e.g. 'CN=foo, O=bar corp, C=us'
Identity#type
The type of identity. One of 'host'
, 'user'
, 'email'
or 'unknown'
Identity#hostname
Identity#uid
Identity#email
Set when type
is 'host'
, 'user'
, or 'email'
, respectively. Strings.
Identity#cn
The value of the first CN=
in the DN, if any.
InvalidAlgorithmError
The specified algorithm is not valid, either because it is not supported, or because it was not included on a list of allowed algorithms.
Thrown by Fingerprint.parse
, Key#fingerprint
.
Properties
algorithm
-- the algorithm that could not be validatedFingerprintFormatError
The fingerprint string given could not be parsed as a supported fingerprint format, or the specified fingerprint format is invalid.
Thrown by Fingerprint.parse
, Fingerprint#toString
.
Properties
fingerprint
-- if caused by a fingerprint, the string value givenformat
-- if caused by an invalid format specification, the string value givenKeyParseError
The key data given could not be parsed as a valid key.
Properties
keyName
-- filename
that was given to parseKey
format
-- the format
that was trying to parse the key (see parseKey
)innerErr
-- the inner Error thrown by the format parserKeyEncryptedError
The key is encrypted with a symmetric key (ie, it is password protected). The
parsing operation would succeed if it was given the passphrase
option.
Properties
keyName
-- filename
that was given to parseKey
format
-- the format
that was trying to parse the key (currently can only
be "pem"
)CertificateParseError
The certificate data given could not be parsed as a valid certificate.
Properties
certName
-- filename
that was given to parseCertificate
format
-- the format
that was trying to parse the key
(see parseCertificate
)innerErr
-- the inner Error thrown by the format parsersshpk-agent
is a library
for speaking the ssh-agent
protocol from node.js, which uses sshpk