--- layout: "docs" page_title: "Secret Backend: PKI" sidebar_current: "docs-secrets-pki" description: |- The PKI secret backend for Vault generates TLS certificates. --- # PKI Secret Backend Name: `pki` The PKI secret backend for Vault generates X.509 certificates dynamically based on configured roles. This means services can get certificates needed for both client and server authentication without going through the usual manual process of generating a private key and CSR, submitting to a CA, and waiting for a verification and signing process to complete. Vault's built-in authentication and authorization mechanisms provide the verification functionality. By keeping TTLs relatively short, revocations are less likely to be needed, keeping CRLs short and helping the backend scale to large workloads. This in turn allows each instance of a running application to have a unique certificate, eliminating sharing and the accompanying pain of revocation and rollover. In addition, by allowing revocation to mostly be forgone, this backend allows for ephemeral certificates; certificates can be fetched and stored in memory upon application startup and discarded upon shutdown, without ever being written to disk. This page will show a quick start for this backend. For detailed documentation on every path, use `vault path-help` after mounting the backend. ## Considerations To successfully deploy this backend, there are a number of important considerations to be aware of, as well as some preparatory steps that should be undertaken. You should read all of these *before* using this backend or generating the CA to use with this backend. ### Be Careful with Root CAs Vault storage is secure, but not as secure as a piece of paper in a bank vault. It is, after all, networked software. If your root CA is hosted outside of Vault, don't put it in Vault as well; instead, issue a shorter-lived intermediate CA certificate and put this into Vault. This aligns with industry best practices. Since 0.4, the backend supports generating self-signed root CAs and creating and signing CSRs for intermediate CAs. In each instance, for security reasons, the private key can *only* be exported at generation time, and the ability to do so is part of the command path (so it can be put into ACL policies). If you plan on using intermediate CAs with Vault, it is suggested that you let Vault create CSRs and do not export the private key, then sign those with your root CA (which may be a second mount of the `pki` backend). ### One CA Certificate, One Backend In order to vastly simplify both the configuration and codebase of the PKI backend, only one CA certificate is allowed per backend. If you want to issue certificates from multiple CAs, mount the PKI backend at multiple mount points with separate CA certificates in each. This also provides a convenient method of switching to a new CA certificate while keeping CRLs valid from the old CA certificate; simply mount a new backend and issue from there. A common pattern is to have one mount act as your root CA, and which is only used for signing intermediate CA CSRs mounted at other locations. ### Keep certificate lifetimes short, for CRL's sake This backend aligns with Vault's philosophy of short-lived secrets. As such it is not expected that CRLs will grow large; the only place a private key is ever returned is to the requesting client (this backend does *not* store generated private keys, except for CA certificates). In most cases, if the key is lost, the certificate can simply be ignored, as it will expire shortly. If a certificate must truly be revoked, the normal Vault revocation function can be used; alternately a root token can be used to revoke the certificate using the certificate's serial number. Any revocation action will cause the CRL to be regenerated. When the CRL is regenerated, any expired certificates are removed from the CRL (and any revoked, expired certificate are removed from backend storage). This backend does not support multiple CRL endpoints with sliding date windows; often such mechanisms will have the transition point a few days apart, but this gets into the expected realm of the actual certificate validity periods issued from this backend. A good rule of thumb for this backend would be to simply not issue certificates with a validity period greater than your maximum comfortable CRL lifetime. Alternately, you can control CRL caching behavior on the client to ensure that checks happen more often. Often multiple endpoints are used in case a single CRL endpoint is down so that clients don't have to figure out what to do with a lack of response. Run Vault in HA mode, and the CRL endpoint should be available even if a particular node is down. ### You must configure issuing/CRL/OCSP information *in advance* This backend serves CRLs from a predictable location, but it is not possible for the backend to know where it is running. Therefore, you must configure desired URLs for the issuing certificate, CRL distribution points, and OCSP servers manually using the `config/urls` endpoint. It is supported to have more than one of each of these by passing in the multiple URLs as a comma-separated string parameter. ### Safe Minimums Since its inception, this backend has enforced SHA256 for signature hashes rather than SHA1. As of 0.5.1, a minimum of 2048 bits for RSA keys is also enforced. Software that can handle SHA256 signatures should also be able to handle 2048-bit keys, and 1024-bit keys are considered unsafe and are disallowed in the Internet PKI. ### Token Lifetimes and Revocation When a token expires, it revokes all leases associated with it. This means that long-lived CA certs need correspondingly long-lived tokens, something that is easy to forget. Starting with 0.6, root and intermediate CA certs no longer have associated leases, to prevent unintended revocation when not using a token with a long enough lifetime. To revoke these certificates, use the `pki/revoke` endpoint. ## Quick Start #### Mount the backend The first step to using the PKI backend is to mount it. Unlike the `generic` backend, the `pki` backend is not mounted by default. ```text $ vault mount pki Successfully mounted 'pki' at 'pki'! ``` #### Configure a CA certificate Next, Vault must be configured with a CA certificate and associated private key. We'll take advantage of the backend's self-signed root generation support, but Vault also supports generating an intermediate CA (with a CSR for signing) or setting a PEM-encoded certificate and private key bundle directly into the backend. Generally you'll want a root certificate to only be used to sign CA intermediate certificates, but for this example we'll proceed as if you will issue certificates directly from the root. As it's a root, we'll want to set a long maximum life time for the certificate; since it honors the maximum mount TTL, first we adjust that: ```text $ vault mount-tune -max-lease-ttl=87600h pki Successfully tuned mount 'pki'! ``` That sets the maximum TTL for secrets issued from the mount to 10 years. (Note that roles can further restrict the maximum TTL.) Now, we generate our root certificate: ```text $ vault write pki/root/generate/internal common_name=myvault.com ttl=87600h Key Value certificate -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- MIIDvTCCAqWgAwIBAgIUAsza+fvOw+Xh9ifYQ0gNN0ruuWcwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEL BQAwFjEUMBIGA1UEAxMLbXl2YXVsdC5jb20wHhcNMTUxMTE5MTYwNDU5WhcNMjUx MTE2MTYwNDU5WjAWMRQwEgYDVQQDEwtteXZhdWx0LmNvbTCCASIwDQYJKoZIhvcN AQEBBQADggEPADCCAQoCggEBAMUhH4OLf/sa6GuJONGC/CWLY7nDbfH8jAaCKgqV eJ81KrmcgP8WPhoFsYHFQEQXQZcrJagwYfm19jYn3CaqrYPbciv9bcWi+ECxZV3x Hs/YdCFk7KgDGCci37w+cy6fSB943FKJqqVbvPv0odmq6LvgGGgneznvuvkIrOWG qVDrDdvbEZ01XAyzUQJaaiJXExN+6xm1HcBoypCP8ZjjnXHcFQvw2QBItLRU7iUd ESFgbrkrSPW3HA6KF0ov2qFMoHTiQ6aM4KaHPmXcFPicugYR9owZfZ4lwWJCqT7j EkhokaMgHnvyRScuiRZhQm8ppHZoYsqrc3glfEuxGHkS+0cCAwEAAaOCAQEwgf4w DgYDVR0PAQH/BAQDAgGuMBMGA1UdJQQMMAoGCCsGAQUFBwMJMA8GA1UdEwEB/wQF MAMBAf8wHQYDVR0OBBYEFLvAbt0eUUOoo7hjKiQM2bRqDKrZMB8GA1UdIwQYMBaA FLvAbt0eUUOoo7hjKiQM2bRqDKrZMDsGCCsGAQUFBwEBBC8wLTArBggrBgEFBQcw AoYfaHR0cDovLzEyNy4wLjAuMTo4MjAwL3YxL3BraS9jYTAWBgNVHREEDzANggtt eXZhdWx0LmNvbTAxBgNVHR8EKjAoMCagJKAihiBodHRwOi8vMTI3LjAuMC4xOjgy MDAvdjEvcGtpL2NybDANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQsFAAOCAQEAVSgIRl6XJs95D7iXGzeQ Ab8OIei779k0pD7xxS/+knY3TM6733zL/LXs4BEL3wfcQWoDrMtCW0Ook455sAOE PSnTaZYQSH/F74VawWhSee4ZyiWq+sTUI4IzqYG3IS36mCyb0t6RxEb3aoQ87WHs BHIB6uWbj6WoGHYM8ESxY89aY9jnX3xSs1HuluVW1uPrpIoa/eudpyV40Y1+9RNM 6fCX5LHGM7vKYxqvudYe+7G1MdKVBQg17h6XuieiUswVt2/HvDlNr+9DHrUla9Ve Ig43v+grirlG7DrAr6Aiu/MVWKJP6CvNwG/XzrGaqd6KqSsE+8oIGR9tCTuPxI6v SQ== -----END CERTIFICATE----- expiration 1.763309099e+09 issuing_ca -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- MIIDvTCCAqWgAwIBAgIUAsza+fvOw+Xh9ifYQ0gNN0ruuWcwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEL BQAwFjEUMBIGA1UEAxMLbXl2YXVsdC5jb20wHhcNMTUxMTE5MTYwNDU5WhcNMjUx MTE2MTYwNDU5WjAWMRQwEgYDVQQDEwtteXZhdWx0LmNvbTCCASIwDQYJKoZIhvcN AQEBBQADggEPADCCAQoCggEBAMUhH4OLf/sa6GuJONGC/CWLY7nDbfH8jAaCKgqV eJ81KrmcgP8WPhoFsYHFQEQXQZcrJagwYfm19jYn3CaqrYPbciv9bcWi+ECxZV3x Hs/YdCFk7KgDGCci37w+cy6fSB943FKJqqVbvPv0odmq6LvgGGgneznvuvkIrOWG qVDrDdvbEZ01XAyzUQJaaiJXExN+6xm1HcBoypCP8ZjjnXHcFQvw2QBItLRU7iUd ESFgbrkrSPW3HA6KF0ov2qFMoHTiQ6aM4KaHPmXcFPicugYR9owZfZ4lwWJCqT7j EkhokaMgHnvyRScuiRZhQm8ppHZoYsqrc3glfEuxGHkS+0cCAwEAAaOCAQEwgf4w DgYDVR0PAQH/BAQDAgGuMBMGA1UdJQQMMAoGCCsGAQUFBwMJMA8GA1UdEwEB/wQF MAMBAf8wHQYDVR0OBBYEFLvAbt0eUUOoo7hjKiQM2bRqDKrZMB8GA1UdIwQYMBaA FLvAbt0eUUOoo7hjKiQM2bRqDKrZMDsGCCsGAQUFBwEBBC8wLTArBggrBgEFBQcw AoYfaHR0cDovLzEyNy4wLjAuMTo4MjAwL3YxL3BraS9jYTAWBgNVHREEDzANggtt eXZhdWx0LmNvbTAxBgNVHR8EKjAoMCagJKAihiBodHRwOi8vMTI3LjAuMC4xOjgy MDAvdjEvcGtpL2NybDANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQsFAAOCAQEAVSgIRl6XJs95D7iXGzeQ Ab8OIei779k0pD7xxS/+knY3TM6733zL/LXs4BEL3wfcQWoDrMtCW0Ook455sAOE PSnTaZYQSH/F74VawWhSee4ZyiWq+sTUI4IzqYG3IS36mCyb0t6RxEb3aoQ87WHs BHIB6uWbj6WoGHYM8ESxY89aY9jnX3xSs1HuluVW1uPrpIoa/eudpyV40Y1+9RNM 6fCX5LHGM7vKYxqvudYe+7G1MdKVBQg17h6XuieiUswVt2/HvDlNr+9DHrUla9Ve Ig43v+grirlG7DrAr6Aiu/MVWKJP6CvNwG/XzrGaqd6KqSsE+8oIGR9tCTuPxI6v SQ== -----END CERTIFICATE----- serial_number 02:cc:da:f9:fb:ce:c3:e5:e1:f6:27:d8:43:48:0d:37:4a:ee:b9:67 ``` The returned certificate is purely informational; it and its private key are safely stored in the backend mount. #### Set URL configuration Generated certificates can have the CRL location and the location of the issuing certificate encoded. These values must be set manually, but can be changed at any time. ```text $ vault write pki/config/urls issuing_certificates="http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/pki/ca" crl_distribution_points="http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/pki/crl" Success! Data written to: pki/ca/urls ``` #### Configure a role The next step is to configure a role. A role is a logical name that maps to a policy used to generate those credentials. For example, let's create an "example-dot-com" role: ```text $ vault write pki/roles/example-dot-com \ allowed_domains="example.com" \ allow_subdomains="true" max_ttl="72h" Success! Data written to: pki/roles/example-dot-com ``` #### Generate credentials By writing to the `roles/example-dot-com` path we are defining the `example-dot-com` role. To generate a new set of credentials, we simply write to the `issue` endpoint with that role name: Vault is now configured to create and manage certificates! ```text $ vault write pki/issue/example-dot-com \ common_name=blah.example.com Key Value lease_id pki/issue/example-dot-com/32db49a9-61dd-f9ca-f4a6-aaefafe53739 lease_duration 259199 lease_renewable false certificate -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- MIIDVDCCAjygAwIBAgIUFMne7ro1DyvpZV+URHMPtz3vv9MwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEL BQAwGzEZMBcGA1UEAxMQaW50ZXJtZWRpYXRlLmNvbTAeFw0xNTExMjAxODEzMDNa Fw0xNTExMjMxODEzMDNaMBsxGTAXBgNVBAMTEGJsYWguZXhhbXBsZS5jb20wggEi MA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4IBDwAwggEKAoIBAQDEfl5iimLtEkyZiKYs+PfoaAbe VhtZxTYWFA+B7IIlr8iPTEZDuf72OOf0Nu/8TNrV6Zkoq0EuHvBtNi1ut3usYt6V i9lrcofD/Qjn0EH6aOZnE5J7c+gmsODhlxflLfz8uEytonKxofwOw26J9+subuSI migMbpbTP/BL2n29K4NJoKdhh8VMxNCFPQxgu5ACEdJ9GsiPO5wBb7ifdIq0HcSU 0ONe6uZqDXeKiqfrTg6eap4EaALogkJhuk8BcAJv9aSbJswOSXTGROa4XChtCXEu D3yVOoZOOm7JSm60y7ntf/dxZF5xcZXjRe6GkXJAIADOL9E5dOlgTFlojYjpAgMB AAGjgY8wgYwwDgYDVR0PAQH/BAQDAgOoMB0GA1UdJQQWMBQGCCsGAQUFBwMBBggr BgEFBQcDAjAdBgNVHQ4EFgQUXSgxVNG7knU9Od1iKh3eCjE/P9UwHwYDVR0jBBgw FoAU83Ovrk0BzVapM+C/fA25dv/Ju34wGwYDVR0RBBQwEoIQYmxhaC5leGFtcGxl LmNvbTANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQsFAAOCAQEAJwwnK+GH+X2CK18qzv3fuPzbsR4pWKTB aaSweW83+QUiRgsR6sgdNqYH0bE1BO/nysDC8hj2IH77KtOfJJgcqG8w709022rh DtZVB33lU17oZC4LUIhq/Ym0JEwYryKck8ClxJpWYKy/kcNwt/WcoAY+aX07c+a4 0ACCpzTX8vUAxFxcp6ZCwebbSTbv56KHDxMRUSiWiwcDaLlqECsqfETN6eCN/M6A GlPoswzIHjXSrAhI8KADOQf4oHI2cOj7ecJX9EqTq5snxFKblS8B12q1javiQGJS 7eni6Irw6x/enuPxp2VdPJOxPkMSf/+BcADDQ4mOrFtYg7u7+AvWBw== -----END CERTIFICATE----- issuing_ca -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- MIIDUzCCAjugAwIBAgIUaJJpBnXW+GkzJ6k6fQ9mqVKkEmQwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEL BQAwEzERMA8GA1UEAxMIcm9vdC5jb20wHhcNMTUxMTIwMTgxMDU2WhcNMzUxMTE1 MTcxMDU2WjAbMRkwFwYDVQQDExBpbnRlcm1lZGlhdGUuY29tMIIBIjANBgkqhkiG 9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEAzTR8agj+uOYCvOSDsNYYb186aDo9QLPHAr96 tDPjQFyp5Yjr60I6+say7zRPPGLgd3BealJ9EFeO7qlXeqi5z3H0wLzrMYqcGlok 2vSzdbs03+0/QXOys2R1Bzb+FOd4VoUSTiZ+a8wf07tmusNJCDE5/kI32+etQa8l 5a9ZQlwpgIWZSQmQjCA5B/0T6WQVwnELHOAGv+mJk7bAY/LVQkjUHzvimySsUmSb sB20BPKhammJUDEcObwuJxA+f7NbkXzEypnR0pGULM32TR5Bmzij/iX33XDt3JKi I9e0gJIT7bk91heWXLpEv2/+7g/lcXm/Hl9KvtX5WUtVPNENUQIDAQABo4GWMIGT MA4GA1UdDwEB/wQEAwIBrjATBgNVHSUEDDAKBggrBgEFBQcDCTAPBgNVHRMBAf8E BTADAQH/MB0GA1UdDgQWBBTzc6+uTQHNVqkz4L98Dbl2/8m7fjAfBgNVHSMEGDAW gBSmqzdLJm2brQl3mpyIDRTohpQrMDAbBgNVHREEFDASghBpbnRlcm1lZGlhdGUu Y29tMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBCwUAA4IBAQAubC0cuwbitp2Fq5FgH8Mu/Fzhf5qWftxE a7VagVExs2uxP5yD57bWck6vZrks03SVk4GFR9yyIVbOIUAVEm1Rw1/PK77l9/2c fYhy0OQVZweO+olOgEfC8gYLaBT5Vo3D1CjV/Vb2VGCct3dmMsXuD04HOy1mTz2p 3yPx1wPoUYNaEu+7gzvUxh+8AM3JmCcrsaa1R9AsayAXtLuCJm9Fy6bU4I3wbxBp zTOT7fmkjpjCV4acfgcPF2F90TfcesHl9oUgNsu4tChABiPENA4h2A4yVku9onaQ JrNqv2SnJaYH4OTgtguC0cLB7hvr/Sc73pU55OSs2KZWhLZRWAJv -----END CERTIFICATE----- private_key -----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY----- MIIEpQIBAAKCAQEAxH5eYopi7RJMmYimLPj36GgG3lYbWcU2FhQPgeyCJa/Ij0xG Q7n+9jjn9Dbv/Eza1emZKKtBLh7wbTYtbrd7rGLelYvZa3KHw/0I59BB+mjmZxOS e3PoJrDg4ZcX5S38/LhMraJysaH8DsNuiffrLm7kiJooDG6W0z/wS9p9vSuDSaCn YYfFTMTQhT0MYLuQAhHSfRrIjzucAW+4n3SKtB3ElNDjXurmag13ioqn604Onmqe BGgC6IJCYbpPAXACb/WkmybMDkl0xkTmuFwobQlxLg98lTqGTjpuyUputMu57X/3 cWRecXGV40XuhpFyQCAAzi/ROXTpYExZaI2I6QIDAQABAoIBAQC11Rc060kmh6OZ BOp6fZ60U+ffQiGnTieCAOhk29+IToYzjWsMa4d0hS6pQVmNyfVMtRJFn0z/CCSH e/ZJGcR5vzipfTQjCWZ3yKXAF2mm+AIW6vbIBXeUrmQ8fpzfOVJ+73IN0GGA3hyp 8NJPHLxnSLl1a+qZrpEmRmnxV+y563Uporr7KriwUTDO+F/4YoJ92deDgW6FTR1/ vB6QIeSoTa1bXrkz+jvNyFh/Z+c3DKAyndzjCRfMTOygwbxJQdrZv1yNfkNSym6/ lGjZ6GnG/3hkh9nDldHLNJeJ4FbKyN5dbGnXrj2BI156KDE0jnO88TciX0khlRkp efj9LcOBAoGBANB2HvtNp0eKDfGtey8Qxl6HP48mwg3pYLEATZtRowBFkyThfOoJ Kf8ANNZHCPI/EilEYT6Xin3gdZNpC19gh3K86bCG8Uvq5TRtahO2oM4CenNOJAhe utGfv5TfBBRodSRk2939masuavPLEqORKsBt3GSTv6Z1+Pfa+SjLm5F5AoGBAPFN kvwXBvNkJOx594C9RVYmznD8z+IxVgqSIInpvu47SXJOWoS/hEwxfTCzCldl2ejK eZ+mhJFud+wMbryF7AsW58+JfXr3lNJj7RquNx5cN+DSDV+1fESm9Me6e8XTxEqH +ZoVPe/TRG6zJ+k7S99IDR1rE6D/oEjNpB/NxsbxAoGBAJ0Sc9O9Ni8UWd9hbTEQ fbfaRszxUkSzNZUI+nDuuVhKFE40zS93CjrHCAjw60/EsEWB7ZgBDWw9hbo160jJ biXJLHhDpWsjqeKwEr6Z3F59xZA+L65S2od6zBs7U1KhRqrOiFCjdndieVoLCJdQ mZr27JqoLT8bIyZ2y0iu6iBZAoGADyTQMbP8QrApRRIOf2zhehurXxnurgJspPMw yZb63Zao8FyMf8JJOkLs2W6TGpMQzvROF7/ql/n32r+Y/4nkG3oPiE3Xqyz4kQ+m ZMNEQEqHUzu7jSMlrmVP/WztsaetrQPFnW7x2ShIJi5mNdP72gJ6mDsNG1CPraIC R+CxNfECgYEAkqjs3j8Div/XnjPs3TuYtef7B/vgamzQujVkRR6+WkTvnZ1Hp9ge vWrnOH3LbV8kfzzq0nbLK0iF7q4gl0czMJioVusaWrga2xkIfiI4yuHrIGatdTos nPDHwoPZeRqBv/9OXSfQkYu+FiJnLEoztMb6f1Z1cPjvbuou2FB1p18= -----END RSA PRIVATE KEY----- private_key_type rsa serial_number 14:c9:de:ee:ba:35:0f:2b:e9:65:5f:94:44:73:0f:b7:3d:ef:bf:d3 ``` Vault has now generated a new set of credentials using the `example-dot-com` role configuration. Here we see the dynamically generated private key and certificate. The issuing CA certificate is returned as well. Using ACLs, it is possible to restrict using the pki backend such that trusted operators can manage the role definitions, and both users and applications are restricted in the credentials they are allowed to read. If you get stuck at any time, simply run `vault path-help pki` or with a subpath for interactive help output. ## API ### /pki/ca(/pem) #### GET
Description
Retrieves the CA certificate *in raw DER-encoded form*. This is a bare endpoint that does not return a standard Vault data structure. If `/pem` is added to the endpoint, the CA certificate is returned in PEM format.

This is an unauthenticated endpoint.
Method
GET
URL
`/pki/ca(/pem)`
Parameters
None
Returns
``` ```
### /pki/cert/ #### GET
Description
Retrieves one of a selection of certificates. Valid values: `ca` for the CA certificate, `crl` for the current CRL, or a serial number in either hyphen-separated or colon-separated octal format. This endpoint returns the certificate in PEM formatting in the `certificate` key of the JSON object.

This is an unauthenticated endpoint.
Method
GET
URL
`/pki/cert/`
Parameters
None
Returns
```javascript { "data": { "certificate": "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----\nMIIGmDCCBYCgAwIBAgIHBzEB3fTzhTANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQsFADCBjDELMAkGA1UE\n..." } } ... ```
### /pki/certs/ #### LIST
Description
Returns a list of the current certificates by serial number only.
Method
GET
URL
`/pki/certs/?list=true`
Parameters
None
Returns
```javascript { "lease_id":"", "renewable":false, "lease_duration":0, "data":{ "keys":[ "17:67:16:b0:b9:45:58:c0:3a:29:e3:cb:d6:98:33:7a:a6:3b:66:c1", "26:0f:76:93:73:cb:3f:a0:7a:ff:97:85:42:48:3a:aa:e5:96:03:21" ] }, "wrap_info":null, "warnings":null, "auth":null } ... ```
### /pki/config/ca #### POST
Description
Allows submitting the CA information for the backend via a PEM file containing the CA certificate and its private key, concatenated. Not needed if you are generating a self-signed root certificate, and not used if you have a signed intermediate CA certificate with a generated key (use the `/pki/intermediate/set-signed` endpoint for that). _If you have already set a certificate and key, they will be overridden._

The information can be provided from a file via a `curl` command similar to the following:
```text $ curl \ -H "X-Vault-Token:06b9d..." \ -X POST \ --data "@cabundle.json" \ http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/pki/config/ca ``` Note that if you provide the data through the HTTP API it must be JSON-formatted, with newlines replaced with `\n`, like so: ```javascript { "pem_bundle": "-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----\n...\n-----END CERTIFICATE-----" } ```
Method
POST
URL
`/pki/config/ca`
Parameters
Returns
A `204` response code.
### /pki/config/crl #### GET
Description
Allows getting the duration for which the generated CRL should be marked valid.
Method
GET
URL
`/pki/config/crl`
Parameters
None
Returns
```javascript { "lease_id": "", "renewable": false, "lease_duration": 0, "data": { "expiry": "72h" }, "auth": null } ```
#### POST
Description
Allows setting the duration for which the generated CRL should be marked valid.
Method
POST
URL
`/pki/config/crl`
Parameters
Returns
A `204` response code.
### /pki/config/urls #### GET
Description
Fetch the URLs to be encoded in generated certificates.
Method
GET
URL
`/pki/config/urls`
Parameters
None
Returns
```javascript { "lease_id": "", "renewable": false, "lease_duration": 0, "data": { "issuing_certificates": [, ], "crl_distribution_points": [, ], "ocsp_servers": [, ], }, "auth": null } ```
#### POST
Description
Allows setting the issuing certificate endpoints, CRL distribution points, and OCSP server endpoints that will be encoded into issued certificates. You can update any of the values at any time without affecting the other existing values. To remove the values, simply use a blank string as the parameter.
Method
POST
URL
`/pki/config/urls`
Parameters
Returns
A `204` response code.
### /pki/crl(/pem) #### GET
Description
Retrieves the current CRL *in raw DER-encoded form*. This endpoint is suitable for usage in the CRL Distribution Points extension in a CA certificate. This is a bare endpoint that does not return a standard Vault data structure. If `/pem` is added to the endpoint, the CRL is returned in PEM format.

This is an unauthenticated endpoint.
Method
GET
URL
`/pki/crl(/pem)`
Parameters
None
Returns
``` ```
### /pki/crl/rotate #### GET
Description
This endpoint forces a rotation of the CRL. This can be used by administrators to cut the size of the CRL if it contains a number of certificates that have now expired, but has not been rotated due to no further certificates being revoked.
Method
GET
URL
`/pki/crl/rotate`
Parameters
None
Returns
```javascript { "data": { "success": true } } ```
### /pki/intermediate/generate #### POST
Description
Generates a new private key and a CSR for signing. If using Vault as a root, and for many other CAs, the various parameters on the final certificate are set at signing time and may or may not honor the parameters set here. _This will overwrite any previously existing CA private key._ If the path ends with `exported`, the private key will be returned in the response; if it is `internal` the private key will not be returned and *cannot be retrieved later*.

This is mostly meant as a helper function, and not all possible parameters that can be set in a CSR are supported.
Method
POST
URL
`/pki/intermediate/generate/[exported|internal]`
Parameters
Returns
```javascript { "lease_id": "", "renewable": false, "lease_duration": 21600, "data": { "csr": "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----\nMIIDzDCCAragAwIBAgIUOd0ukLcjH43TfTHFG9qE0FtlMVgwCwYJKoZIhvcNAQEL\n...\numkqeYeO30g1uYvDuWLXVA==\n-----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----\n", "private_key": "-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----\\nMIIEpAIBAAKCAQEAwsANtGz9gS3o5SwTSlOG1l-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----", "private_key_type": "rsa" }, "warnings": null, "auth": null } ```
### /pki/intermediate/set-signed #### POST
Description
Allows submitting the signed CA certificate corresponding to a private key generated via `/pki/intermediate/generate`. The certificate should be submitted in PEM format; see the documentation for `/pki/config/ca` for some hints on submitting.
Method
POST
URL
`/pki/intermediate/set-signed`
Parameters
Returns
A `204` response code.
### /pki/issue/ #### POST
Description
Generates a new set of credentials (private key and certificate) based on the role named in the endpoint. The issuing CA certificate is returned as well, so that only the root CA need be in a client's trust store.

*The private key is _not_ stored. If you do not save the private key, you will need to request a new certificate.*
Method
POST
URL
`/pki/issue/`
Parameters
Returns
```javascript { "lease_id": "pki/issue/test/7ad6cfa5-f04f-c62a-d477-f33210475d05", "renewable": false, "lease_duration": 21600, "data": { "certificate": "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----\nMIIDzDCCAragAwIBAgIUOd0ukLcjH43TfTHFG9qE0FtlMVgwCwYJKoZIhvcNAQEL\n...\numkqeYeO30g1uYvDuWLXVA==\n-----END CERTIFICATE-----\n", "issuing_ca": "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----\nMIIDUTCCAjmgAwIBAgIJAKM+z4MSfw2mMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBCwUAMBsxGTAXBgNV\n...\nG/7g4koczXLoUM3OQXd5Aq2cs4SS1vODrYmgbioFsQ3eDHd1fg==\n-----END CERTIFICATE-----\n", "private_key": "-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----\nMIIEowIBAAKCAQEAnVHfwoKsUG1GDVyWB1AFroaKl2ImMBO8EnvGLRrmobIkQvh+\n...\nQN351pgTphi6nlCkGPzkDuwvtxSxiCWXQcaxrHAL7MiJpPzkIBq1\n-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----\n", "private_key_type": "rsa", "serial_number": "39:dd:2e:90:b7:23:1f:8d:d3:7d:31:c5:1b:da:84:d0:5b:65:31:58" }, "warnings": "", "auth": null } ```
### /pki/revoke #### POST
Description
Revokes a certificate using its serial number. This is an alternative option to the standard method of revoking using Vault lease IDs. A successful revocation will rotate the CRL.
Method
POST
URL
`/pki/revoke`
Parameters
Returns
```javascript { "data": { "revocation_time": 1433269787 } } ```
### /pki/roles/ #### POST
Description
Creates or updates the role definition. Note that the `allowed_domains`, `allow_subdomains`, and `allow_any_name` attributes are additive; between them nearly and across multiple roles nearly any issuing policy can be accommodated. `server_flag`, `client_flag`, and `code_signing_flag` are additive as well. If a client requests a certificate that is not allowed by the CN policy in the role, the request is denied.
Method
POST
URL
`/pki/roles/`
Parameters
Returns
A `204` response code.
#### GET
Description
Queries the role definition.
Method
GET
URL
`/pki/roles/`
Parameters
None
Returns
```javascript { "data": { "allow_any_name": false, "allow_ip_sans": true, "allow_localhost": true, "allow_subdomains": false, "allowed_domains": "example.com,foobar.com", "client_flag": true, "code_signing_flag": false, "key_bits": 2048, "key_type": "rsa", "ttl": "6h", "max_ttl": "12h", "server_flag": true } } ```
#### LIST
Description
Returns a list of available roles. Only the role names are returned, not any values.
Method
GET
URL
`/roles/?list=true`
Parameters
None
Returns
```javascript { "auth": null, "data": { "keys": ["dev", "prod"] }, "lease_duration": 2592000, "lease_id": "", "renewable": false } ```
#### DELETE
Description
Deletes the role definition. Deleting a role does not revoke certificates previously issued under this role.
Method
DELETE
URL
`/pki/roles/`
Parameters
None
Returns
A `204` response code.
### /pki/root/generate #### POST
Description
Generates a new self-signed CA certificate and private key. _This will overwrite any previously-existing private key and certificate._ If the path ends with `exported`, the private key will be returned in the response; if it is `internal` the private key will not be returned and *cannot be retrieved later*. Distribution points use the values set via `config/urls`.

As with other issued certificates, Vault will automatically revoke the generated root at the end of its lease period; the CA certificate will sign its own CRL.
Method
POST
URL
`/pki/root/generate/[exported|internal]`
Parameters
Returns
```javascript { "lease_id": "", "lease_duration": 0, "renewable": false, "data": { "certificate": "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----\nMIIDzDCCAragAwIBAgIUOd0ukLcjH43TfTHFG9qE0FtlMVgwCwYJKoZIhvcNAQEL\n...\numkqeYeO30g1uYvDuWLXVA==\n-----END CERTIFICATE-----\n", "issuing_ca": "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----\nMIIDzDCCAragAwIBAgIUOd0ukLcjH43TfTHFG9qE0FtlMVgwCwYJKoZIhvcNAQEL\n...\numkqeYeO30g1uYvDuWLXVA==\n-----END CERTIFICATE-----\n", "serial": "39:dd:2e:90:b7:23:1f:8d:d3:7d:31:c5:1b:da:84:d0:5b:65:31:58" }, "auth": null } ```
### /pki/root/sign-intermediate #### POST
Description
Uses the configured CA certificate to issue a certificate with appropriate values for acting as an intermediate CA. Distribution points use the values set via `config/urls`. Values set in the CSR are ignored unless `use_csr_values` is set to true, in which case the values from the CSR are used verbatim.
Method
POST
URL
`/pki/root/sign-intermediate`
Parameters
Returns
```javascript { "lease_id": "", "renewable": false, "lease_duration": 0, "data": { "certificate": "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----\nMIIDzDCCAragAwIBAgIUOd0ukLcjH43TfTHFG9qE0FtlMVgwCwYJKoZIhvcNAQEL\n...\numkqeYeO30g1uYvDuWLXVA==\n-----END CERTIFICATE-----\n", "issuing_ca": "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----\nMIIDUTCCAjmgAwIBAgIJAKM+z4MSfw2mMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBCwUAMBsxGTAXBgNV\n...\nG/7g4koczXLoUM3OQXd5Aq2cs4SS1vODrYmgbioFsQ3eDHd1fg==\n-----END CERTIFICATE-----\n", "serial": "39:dd:2e:90:b7:23:1f:8d:d3:7d:31:c5:1b:da:84:d0:5b:65:31:58" }, "auth": null } ```
### /pki/sign/ #### POST
Description
Signs a new certificate based upon the provided CSR and the supplied parameters, subject to the restrictions contained in the role named in the endpoint. The issuing CA certificate is returned as well, so that only the root CA need be in a client's trust store.
Method
POST
URL
`/pki/sign/`
Parameters
Returns
```javascript { "lease_id": "pki/sign/test/7ad6cfa5-f04f-c62a-d477-f33210475d05", "renewable": false, "lease_duration": 21600, "data": { "certificate": "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----\nMIIDzDCCAragAwIBAgIUOd0ukLcjH43TfTHFG9qE0FtlMVgwCwYJKoZIhvcNAQEL\n...\numkqeYeO30g1uYvDuWLXVA==\n-----END CERTIFICATE-----\n", "issuing_ca": "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----\nMIIDUTCCAjmgAwIBAgIJAKM+z4MSfw2mMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBCwUAMBsxGTAXBgNV\n...\nG/7g4koczXLoUM3OQXd5Aq2cs4SS1vODrYmgbioFsQ3eDHd1fg==\n-----END CERTIFICATE-----\n", "serial": "39:dd:2e:90:b7:23:1f:8d:d3:7d:31:c5:1b:da:84:d0:5b:65:31:58" }, "auth": null } ```
### /pki/sign-verbatim #### POST
Description
Signs a new certificate based upon the provided CSR. Values are taken verbatim from the CSR; the _only_ restriction is that this endpoint will refuse to issue an intermediate CA certificate (see the `/pki/root/sign-intermediate` endpoint for that functionality.) _This is a potentially dangerous endpoint and only highly trusted users should have access._
Method
POST
URL
`/pki/sign-verbatim`
Parameters
Returns
```javascript { "lease_id": "pki/sign-verbatim/7ad6cfa5-f04f-c62a-d477-f33210475d05", "renewable": false, "lease_duration": 21600, "data": { "certificate": "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----\nMIIDzDCCAragAwIBAgIUOd0ukLcjH43TfTHFG9qE0FtlMVgwCwYJKoZIhvcNAQEL\n...\numkqeYeO30g1uYvDuWLXVA==\n-----END CERTIFICATE-----\n", "issuing_ca": "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----\nMIIDUTCCAjmgAwIBAgIJAKM+z4MSfw2mMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBCwUAMBsxGTAXBgNV\n...\nG/7g4koczXLoUM3OQXd5Aq2cs4SS1vODrYmgbioFsQ3eDHd1fg==\n-----END CERTIFICATE-----\n", "serial": "39:dd:2e:90:b7:23:1f:8d:d3:7d:31:c5:1b:da:84:d0:5b:65:31:58" }, "auth": null } ```
### /pki/tidy #### POST
Description
Allows tidying up the backend storage and/or CRL by removing certificates that have expired and are past a certain buffer period beyond their expiration time.
Method
POST
URL
`/pki/tidy`
Parameters
Returns
A `204` status code.