SSL certificate conversion to Base64 format

Encode signing certificates in the Base64 format for countries that require it.

Before you can use a signing certificate with Sovos, you must convert it to the Base64 format. Depending on your organization's setup, you may have either a single certificate.pfx file or multiple certificate files that you must first combine into a PKCS #12 file before you can convert it to Base64.

Note:

Not all countries require signing certificates. For more details, see the country setup guide for the country you are implementing.

Convert an SSL certificate to Base64 format on Windows

If your organization has a single certificate file, obtain certificate.pfx.

Note:
In that case, you can convert the file directly to the Base64 encoding format.
If your organization has multiple certificates, obtain and copy these files to the same folder:
- server.key (private key)
- server.crt (certificate file)
- ca-chain.crt (Intermediate Certificate Authority file)
Note:
In that case, you must combine these SSL certificate files into PKCS #12 before converting them to the Base64 encoding format.
Install Win64 OpenSSL on your local machine.

If you have three certificate files:
1. Open the Win64 OpenSSL Command Prompt and go to the folder where you placed the files.
2. Use this command to combine them into one PKCS #12 file.
```
openssl pkcs12 -export -out server.p12 -inkey server.key -in server.crt -certfile ca-chain.crt
```
3. Optional: Type an export password or press Enter to skip.
To convert the .p12 file or the .pfx file to Base64, open the Win64 OpenSSL Command Prompt and enter this command.
```
openssl base64 -in server.p12 -out server.txt -A
```
Open the Base64-encoded output file and copy the contents of the server.txt file.

Convert an SSL certificate to Base64 format on Linux

If your organization has a single certificate file, obtain certificate.pfx.

Note:
In that case, you can convert the file directly to the Base64 encoding format.
If your organization has multiple certificates, obtain and copy these files to the same folder:
- server.key (private key)
- server.crt (certificate file)
- ca-chain.crt (Intermediate Certificate Authority file)
Note:
In that case, you must combine these SSL certificate files into PKCS #12 before converting them to the Base64 encoding format.
Install OpenSSL on your local machine.

If you have three certificate files:
1. Open the terminal and go to the folder where you placed the files.
2. Use this command to combine them into one PKCS #12 file.
```
openssl pkcs12 -export -out server.p12 -inkey server.key -in server.crt -certfile ca-chain.crt
```
3. Optional: Type an export password or press Enter to skip.
To convert the .p12 file or the .pfx file to Base64, open the terminal and enter this command.
```
base64 server.p12 | tr -d \\n
```
Copy the Base64-encoded output.

Sovos Docs

SSL certificate conversion to Base64 format

Convert an SSL certificate to Base64 format on Windows

Convert an SSL certificate to Base64 format on Linux

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