X509Certificate (Java SE 22 & JDK 22)
Description: declaration: module: java.base, package: java.security.cert, class: X509Certificate
Keywords: java.security.cert.X509Certificate class

Module java.base
Package java.security.cert

# Class X509Certificate

java.lang.Object
java.security.cert.Certificate
java.security.cert.X509Certificate

All Implemented Interfaces:
  `Serializable`, `X509Extension`

public abstract class X509Certificate extends Certificate implements X509Extension

Abstract class for X.509 certificates. This provides a standard way to access all the attributes of an X.509 certificate.

In June of 1996, the basic X.509 v3 format was completed by ISO/IEC and ANSI X9, which is described below in ASN.1:

     Certificate  ::=  SEQUENCE  {
         tbsCertificate       TBSCertificate,
         signatureAlgorithm   AlgorithmIdentifier,
         signature            BIT STRING  }

These certificates are widely used to support authentication and other functionality in Internet security systems. Common applications include Privacy Enhanced Mail (PEM), Transport Layer Security (SSL), code signing for trusted software distribution, and Secure Electronic Transactions (SET).

These certificates are managed and vouched for by Certificate Authorities (CAs). CAs are services which create certificates by placing data in the X.509 standard format and then digitally signing that data. CAs act as trusted third parties, making introductions between principals who have no direct knowledge of each other. CA certificates are either signed by themselves, or by some other CA such as a "root" CA.

More information can be found in RFC 5280: Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificate and CRL Profile.

The ASN.1 definition of `tbsCertificate` is:

     TBSCertificate  ::=  SEQUENCE  {
         version         [0]  EXPLICIT Version DEFAULT v1,
         serialNumber         CertificateSerialNumber,
         signature            AlgorithmIdentifier,
         issuer               Name,
         validity             Validity,
         subject              Name,
         subjectPublicKeyInfo SubjectPublicKeyInfo,
         issuerUniqueID  [1]  IMPLICIT UniqueIdentifier OPTIONAL,
                              -- If present, version must be v2 or v3
         subjectUniqueID [2]  IMPLICIT UniqueIdentifier OPTIONAL,
                              -- If present, version must be v2 or v3
         extensions      [3]  EXPLICIT Extensions OPTIONAL
                              -- If present, version must be v3
         }

Certificates are instantiated using a certificate factory. The following is an example of how to instantiate an X.509 certificate:

     try (InputStream inStream = new FileInputStream("fileName-of-cert")) {
         CertificateFactory cf = CertificateFactory.getInstance("X.509");
         X509Certificate cert = (X509Certificate)cf.generateCertificate(inStream);
     }

Since:
  1.2
See Also:
  - `Certificate`
  - `CertificateFactory`
  - `X509Extension`
  - Serialized Form

- ## Nested Class Summary

  ### Nested classes/interfaces declared in class java.security.cert.Certificate

  `Certificate.CertificateRep`

- ## Constructor Summary

  Constructors
  Modifier
  Constructor
  Description
  `protected`
  `X509Certificate()`
  Constructor for X.509 certificates.

- ## Method Summary

  Modifier and Type
  Method
  Description
  `abstract void`
  `checkValidity()`
  Checks that the certificate is currently valid.
  `abstract void`
  `checkValidity(Date date)`
  Checks that the given date is within the certificate's validity period.
  `abstract int`
  `getBasicConstraints()`
  Gets the certificate constraints path length from the critical `BasicConstraints` extension, (OID = 2.5.29.19).
  `List<String>`
  `getExtendedKeyUsage()`
  Gets an unmodifiable list of Strings representing the OBJECT IDENTIFIERs of the `ExtKeyUsageSyntax` field of the extended key usage extension, (OID = 2.5.29.37).
  `Collection<List<?>>`
  `getIssuerAlternativeNames()`
  Gets an immutable collection of issuer alternative names from the `IssuerAltName` extension, (OID = 2.5.29.18).
  `abstract Principal`
  `getIssuerDN()`
  Deprecated.
  Use `getIssuerX500Principal()` instead.
  `abstract boolean[]`
  `getIssuerUniqueID()`
  Gets the `issuerUniqueID` value from the certificate.
  `X500Principal`
  `getIssuerX500Principal()`
  Returns the issuer (issuer distinguished name) value from the certificate as an `X500Principal`.
  `abstract boolean[]`
  `getKeyUsage()`
  Gets a boolean array representing bits of the `KeyUsage` extension, (OID = 2.5.29.15).
  `abstract Date`
  `getNotAfter()`
  Gets the `notAfter` date from the validity period of the certificate.
  `abstract Date`
  `getNotBefore()`
  Gets the `notBefore` date from the validity period of the certificate.
  `abstract BigInteger`
  `getSerialNumber()`
  Gets the `serialNumber` value from the certificate.
  `abstract String`
  `getSigAlgName()`
  Gets the signature algorithm name for the certificate signature algorithm.
  `abstract String`
  `getSigAlgOID()`
  Gets the signature algorithm OID string from the certificate.
  `abstract byte[]`
  `getSigAlgParams()`
  Gets the DER-encoded signature algorithm parameters from this certificate's signature algorithm.
  `abstract byte[]`
  `getSignature()`
  Gets the `signature` value (the raw signature bits) from the certificate.
  `Collection<List<?>>`
  `getSubjectAlternativeNames()`
  Gets an immutable collection of subject alternative names from the `SubjectAltName` extension, (OID = 2.5.29.17).
  `abstract Principal`
  `getSubjectDN()`
  Deprecated.
  Use `getSubjectX500Principal()` instead.
  `abstract boolean[]`
  `getSubjectUniqueID()`
  Gets the `subjectUniqueID` value from the certificate.
  `X500Principal`
  `getSubjectX500Principal()`
  Returns the subject (subject distinguished name) value from the certificate as an `X500Principal`.
  `abstract byte[]`
  `getTBSCertificate()`
  Gets the DER-encoded certificate information, the `tbsCertificate` from this certificate.
  `abstract int`
  `getVersion()`
  Gets the `version` (version number) value from the certificate.
  `void`
  `verify(PublicKey key, Provider sigProvider)`
  Verifies that this certificate was signed using the private key that corresponds to the specified public key.

  ### Methods declared in class java.security.cert.Certificate

  `equals, getEncoded, getPublicKey, getType, hashCode, toString, verify, verify, writeReplace`

  ### Methods declared in class java.lang.Object

  `clone, finalize, getClass, notify, notifyAll, wait, wait, wait`

  ### Methods declared in interface java.security.cert.X509Extension

  `getCriticalExtensionOIDs, getExtensionValue, getNonCriticalExtensionOIDs, hasUnsupportedCriticalExtension`

- ## Constructor Details

  - ### X509Certificate

    protected X509Certificate()
    Constructor for X.509 certificates.

- ## Method Details

  - ### checkValidity

    public abstract void checkValidity() throws CertificateExpiredException, CertificateNotYetValidException
    Checks that the certificate is currently valid. It is if the current date and time are within the validity period given in the certificate.

    The validity period consists of two date/time values: the first and last dates (and times) on which the certificate is valid. It is defined in ASN.1 as:

         validity             Validity

         Validity ::= SEQUENCE {
             notBefore      CertificateValidityDate,
             notAfter       CertificateValidityDate }

         CertificateValidityDate ::= CHOICE {
             utcTime        UTCTime,
             generalTime    GeneralizedTime }

    Throws:
      `CertificateExpiredException` - if the certificate has expired.
      `CertificateNotYetValidException` - if the certificate is not yet valid.

  - ### checkValidity

    public abstract void checkValidity(Date date) throws CertificateExpiredException, CertificateNotYetValidException
    Checks that the given date is within the certificate's validity period. In other words, this determines whether the certificate would be valid at the given date/time.
    Parameters:
      `date` - the Date to check against to see if this certificate is valid at that date/time.
    Throws:
      `CertificateExpiredException` - if the certificate has expired with respect to the `date` supplied.
      `CertificateNotYetValidException` - if the certificate is not yet valid with respect to the `date` supplied.
    See Also:
      - `checkValidity()`

  - ### getVersion

    public abstract int getVersion()
    Gets the `version` (version number) value from the certificate. The ASN.1 definition for this is:

         version  [0] EXPLICIT Version DEFAULT v1

         Version ::=  INTEGER  {  v1(0), v2(1), v3(2)  }

    Returns:
      the version number, i.e. 1, 2 or 3.

  - ### getSerialNumber

    public abstract BigInteger getSerialNumber()
    Gets the `serialNumber` value from the certificate. The serial number is an integer assigned by the certification authority to each certificate. It must be unique for each certificate issued by a given CA (i.e., the issuer name and serial number identify a unique certificate). The ASN.1 definition for this is:

         serialNumber     CertificateSerialNumber

         CertificateSerialNumber  ::=  INTEGER

    Returns:
      the serial number.

  - ### getIssuerDN

    @Deprecated(since="16") public abstract Principal getIssuerDN()
    Deprecated.
    Use `getIssuerX500Principal()` instead. This method returns the `issuer` as an implementation specific `Principal` object, which should not be relied upon by portable code.
    Gets the `issuer` (issuer distinguished name) value from the certificate. The issuer name identifies the entity that signed (and issued) the certificate.

    The issuer name field contains an X.500 distinguished name (DN). The ASN.1 definition for this is:

         issuer    Name

         Name ::= CHOICE { RDNSequence }
         RDNSequence ::= SEQUENCE OF RelativeDistinguishedName
         RelativeDistinguishedName ::=
             SET OF AttributeValueAssertion

         AttributeValueAssertion ::= SEQUENCE {
                                       AttributeType,
                                       AttributeValue }
         AttributeType ::= OBJECT IDENTIFIER
         AttributeValue ::= ANY

    The `Name` describes a hierarchical name composed of attributes, such as country name, and corresponding values, such as US. The type of the `AttributeValue` component is determined by the `AttributeType`; in general it will be a `directoryString`. A `directoryString` is usually one of `PrintableString`, `TeletexString` or `UniversalString`.
    Returns:
      a Principal whose name is the issuer distinguished name.

  - ### getIssuerX500Principal

    public X500Principal getIssuerX500Principal()
    Returns the issuer (issuer distinguished name) value from the certificate as an `X500Principal`.

    It is recommended that subclasses override this method.

    Returns:
      an `X500Principal` representing the issuer distinguished name
    Since:
      1.4

  - ### getSubjectDN

    @Deprecated(since="16") public abstract Principal getSubjectDN()
    Deprecated.
    Use `getSubjectX500Principal()` instead. This method returns the `subject` as an implementation specific `Principal` object, which should not be relied upon by portable code.
    Gets the `subject` (subject distinguished name) value from the certificate. If the `subject` value is empty, then the `getName()` method of the returned `Principal` object returns an empty string ("").

    The ASN.1 definition for this is:

         subject    Name

    See `getIssuerDN` for `Name` and other relevant definitions.

    Returns:
      a Principal whose name is the subject name.

  - ### getSubjectX500Principal

    public X500Principal getSubjectX500Principal()
    Returns the subject (subject distinguished name) value from the certificate as an `X500Principal`. If the subject value is empty, then the `getName()` method of the returned `X500Principal` object returns an empty string ("").

    It is recommended that subclasses override this method.

    Returns:
      an `X500Principal` representing the subject distinguished name
    Since:
      1.4

  - ### getNotBefore

    public abstract Date getNotBefore()
    Gets the `notBefore` date from the validity period of the certificate. The relevant ASN.1 definitions are:

         validity             Validity

         Validity ::= SEQUENCE {
             notBefore      CertificateValidityDate,
             notAfter       CertificateValidityDate }

         CertificateValidityDate ::= CHOICE {
             utcTime        UTCTime,
             generalTime    GeneralizedTime }

    Returns:
      the start date of the validity period.
    See Also:
      - `checkValidity()`

  - ### getNotAfter

    public abstract Date getNotAfter()
    Gets the `notAfter` date from the validity period of the certificate. See `getNotBefore` for relevant ASN.1 definitions.
    Returns:
      the end date of the validity period.
    See Also:
      - `checkValidity()`

  - ### getTBSCertificate

    public abstract byte[] getTBSCertificate() throws CertificateEncodingException
    Gets the DER-encoded certificate information, the `tbsCertificate` from this certificate. This can be used to verify the signature independently.
    Returns:
      the DER-encoded certificate information.
    Throws:
      `CertificateEncodingException` - if an encoding error occurs.

  - ### getSignature

    public abstract byte[] getSignature()
    Gets the `signature` value (the raw signature bits) from the certificate. The ASN.1 definition for this is:

         signature     BIT STRING

    Returns:
      the signature.

  - ### getSigAlgName

    public abstract String getSigAlgName()
    Gets the signature algorithm name for the certificate signature algorithm. An example is the string "SHA256withRSA". The ASN.1 definition for this is:

         signatureAlgorithm   AlgorithmIdentifier

         AlgorithmIdentifier  ::=  SEQUENCE  {
             algorithm               OBJECT IDENTIFIER,
             parameters              ANY DEFINED BY algorithm OPTIONAL  }
                                     -- contains a value of the type
                                     -- registered for use with the
                                     -- algorithm object identifier value

    The algorithm name is determined from the `algorithm` OID string.

    Returns:
      the signature algorithm name.

  - ### getSigAlgOID

    public abstract String getSigAlgOID()
    Gets the signature algorithm OID string from the certificate. An OID is represented by a set of nonnegative whole numbers separated by periods. For example, the string "1.2.840.10040.4.3" identifies the SHA-1 with DSA signature algorithm defined in RFC 3279: Algorithms and Identifiers for the Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificate and CRL Profile.

    See `getSigAlgName` for relevant ASN.1 definitions.

    Returns:
      the signature algorithm OID string.

  - ### getSigAlgParams

    public abstract byte[] getSigAlgParams()
    Gets the DER-encoded signature algorithm parameters from this certificate's signature algorithm. In most cases, the signature algorithm parameters are null; the parameters are usually supplied with the certificate's public key. If access to individual parameter values is needed then use `AlgorithmParameters` and instantiate with the name returned by `getSigAlgName`.

    See `getSigAlgName` for relevant ASN.1 definitions.

    Returns:
      the DER-encoded signature algorithm parameters, or null if no parameters are present.

  - ### getIssuerUniqueID

    public abstract boolean[] getIssuerUniqueID()
    Gets the `issuerUniqueID` value from the certificate. The issuer unique identifier is present in the certificate to handle the possibility of reuse of issuer names over time. RFC 5280 recommends that names not be reused and that conforming certificates not make use of unique identifiers. Applications conforming to that profile should be capable of parsing unique identifiers and making comparisons.

    The ASN.1 definition for this is:

         issuerUniqueID  [1]  IMPLICIT UniqueIdentifier OPTIONAL

         UniqueIdentifier  ::=  BIT STRING

    Returns:
      the issuer unique identifier or null if it is not present in the certificate.

  - ### getSubjectUniqueID

    public abstract boolean[] getSubjectUniqueID()
    Gets the `subjectUniqueID` value from the certificate.

    The ASN.1 definition for this is:

         subjectUniqueID  [2]  IMPLICIT UniqueIdentifier OPTIONAL

         UniqueIdentifier  ::=  BIT STRING

    Returns:
      the subject unique identifier or null if it is not present in the certificate.

  - ### getKeyUsage

    public abstract boolean[] getKeyUsage()
    Gets a boolean array representing bits of the `KeyUsage` extension, (OID = 2.5.29.15). The key usage extension defines the purpose (e.g., encipherment, signature, certificate signing) of the key contained in the certificate. The ASN.1 definition for this is:

         KeyUsage ::= BIT STRING {
             digitalSignature        (0),
             nonRepudiation          (1),
             keyEncipherment         (2),
             dataEncipherment        (3),
             keyAgreement            (4),
             keyCertSign             (5),
             cRLSign                 (6),
             encipherOnly            (7),
             decipherOnly            (8) }

    RFC 5280 recommends that when used, this be marked as a critical extension.
    Returns:
      the KeyUsage extension of this certificate, represented as an array of booleans. The order of KeyUsage values in the array is the same as in the above ASN.1 definition. The array will contain a value for each KeyUsage defined above. If the KeyUsage list encoded in the certificate is longer than the above list, it will not be truncated. Returns null if this certificate does not contain a KeyUsage extension.

  - ### getExtendedKeyUsage

    public List<String> getExtendedKeyUsage() throws CertificateParsingException
    Gets an unmodifiable list of Strings representing the OBJECT IDENTIFIERs of the `ExtKeyUsageSyntax` field of the extended key usage extension, (OID = 2.5.29.37). It indicates one or more purposes for which the certified public key may be used, in addition to or in place of the basic purposes indicated in the key usage extension field. The ASN.1 definition for this is:

         ExtKeyUsageSyntax ::= SEQUENCE SIZE (1..MAX) OF KeyPurposeId

         KeyPurposeId ::= OBJECT IDENTIFIER

    Key purposes may be defined by any organization with a need. Object identifiers used to identify key purposes shall be assigned in accordance with IANA or ITU-T Rec. X.660 | ISO/IEC/ITU 9834-1.

    This method was added to version 1.4 of the Java 2 Platform Standard Edition. In order to maintain backwards compatibility with existing service providers, this method is not `abstract` and it provides a default implementation. Subclasses should override this method with a correct implementation.

    Returns:
      the ExtendedKeyUsage extension of this certificate, as an unmodifiable list of object identifiers represented as Strings. Returns null if this certificate does not contain an ExtendedKeyUsage extension.
    Throws:
      `CertificateParsingException` - if the extension cannot be decoded
    Since:
      1.4

  - ### getBasicConstraints

    public abstract int getBasicConstraints()
    Gets the certificate constraints path length from the critical `BasicConstraints` extension, (OID = 2.5.29.19).

    The basic constraints extension identifies whether the subject of the certificate is a Certificate Authority (CA) and how deep a certification path may exist through that CA. The `pathLenConstraint` field (see below) is meaningful only if `cA` is set to TRUE. In this case, it gives the maximum number of CA certificates that may follow this certificate in a certification path. A value of zero indicates that only an end-entity certificate may follow in the path.

    The ASN.1 definition for this is:

         BasicConstraints ::= SEQUENCE {
             cA                  BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE,
             pathLenConstraint   INTEGER (0..MAX) OPTIONAL }

    Returns:
      the value of `pathLenConstraint` if the BasicConstraints extension is present in the certificate and the subject of the certificate is a CA, otherwise -1. If the subject of the certificate is a CA and `pathLenConstraint` does not appear, `Integer.MAX_VALUE` is returned to indicate that there is no limit to the allowed length of the certification path.

  - ### getSubjectAlternativeNames

    public Collection<List<?>> getSubjectAlternativeNames() throws CertificateParsingException
    Gets an immutable collection of subject alternative names from the `SubjectAltName` extension, (OID = 2.5.29.17).

    The ASN.1 definition of the `SubjectAltName` extension is:

         SubjectAltName ::= GeneralNames

         GeneralNames :: = SEQUENCE SIZE (1..MAX) OF GeneralName

         GeneralName ::= CHOICE {
              otherName                       [0]     OtherName,
              rfc822Name                      [1]     IA5String,
              dNSName                         [2]     IA5String,
              x400Address                     [3]     ORAddress,
              directoryName                   [4]     Name,
              ediPartyName                    [5]     EDIPartyName,
              uniformResourceIdentifier       [6]     IA5String,
              iPAddress                       [7]     OCTET STRING,
              registeredID                    [8]     OBJECT IDENTIFIER}

         OtherName ::= SEQUENCE {
              type-id    OBJECT IDENTIFIER,
              value      [0] EXPLICIT ANY DEFINED BY type-id }

    If this certificate does not contain a `SubjectAltName` extension, `null` is returned. Otherwise, a `Collection` is returned with an entry representing each `GeneralName` included in the extension. Each entry is a `List` whose first entry is an `Integer` (the name type, 0-8) and whose second entry is a `String` or a byte array (the name, in string or ASN.1 DER encoded form, respectively). More entries may exist depending on the name type.

    RFC 822, DNS, and URI names are returned as `String`s, using the well-established string formats for those types (subject to the restrictions included in RFC 5280). IPv4 address names are returned using dotted quad notation. IPv6 address names are returned in the form "a1:a2:...:a8", where a1-a8 are hexadecimal values representing the eight 16-bit pieces of the address. OID names are returned as `String`s represented as a series of nonnegative integers separated by periods. Directory names (distinguished names) are returned in RFC 2253 string format. No standard string format is defined for X.400 names or EDI party names. They are returned as byte arrays containing the ASN.1 DER encoded form of the name. otherNames are also returned as byte arrays containing the ASN.1 DER encoded form of the name. A third entry may also be present in the list containing the `type-id` of the otherName in string form, and a fourth entry containing its `value` as either a string (if the value is a valid supported character string) or a byte array containing the ASN.1 DER encoded form of the value without the context-specific constructed tag with number 0.

    Note that the `Collection` returned may contain more than one name of the same type. Also, note that the returned `Collection` is immutable and any entries containing byte arrays are cloned to protect against subsequent modifications.

    This method was added to version 1.4 of the Java 2 Platform Standard Edition. In order to maintain backwards compatibility with existing service providers, this method is not `abstract` and it provides a default implementation. Subclasses should override this method with a correct implementation.

    Implementation Note:
      The JDK SUN provider supports the third and fourth otherName entries.
    Returns:
      an immutable `Collection` of subject alternative names (or `null`)
    Throws:
      `CertificateParsingException` - if the extension cannot be decoded
    Since:
      1.4

  - ### getIssuerAlternativeNames

    public Collection<List<?>> getIssuerAlternativeNames() throws CertificateParsingException
    Gets an immutable collection of issuer alternative names from the `IssuerAltName` extension, (OID = 2.5.29.18).

    The ASN.1 definition of the `IssuerAltName` extension is:

         IssuerAltName ::= GeneralNames

    The ASN.1 definition of `GeneralNames` is defined in `getSubjectAlternativeNames`.

    If this certificate does not contain an `IssuerAltName` extension, `null` is returned. Otherwise, a `Collection` is returned with an entry representing each `GeneralName` included in the extension. Each entry is a `List` whose first entry is an `Integer` (the name type, 0-8) and whose second entry is a `String` or a byte array (the name, in string or ASN.1 DER encoded form, respectively). More entries may exist depending on the name type. For more details about the formats used for each name type, see the `getSubjectAlternativeNames` method.

    Note that the `Collection` returned may contain more than one name of the same type. Also, note that the returned `Collection` is immutable and any entries containing byte arrays are cloned to protect against subsequent modifications.

    This method was added to version 1.4 of the Java 2 Platform Standard Edition. In order to maintain backwards compatibility with existing service providers, this method is not `abstract` and it provides a default implementation. Subclasses should override this method with a correct implementation.

    Returns:
      an immutable `Collection` of issuer alternative names (or `null`)
    Throws:
      `CertificateParsingException` - if the extension cannot be decoded
    Since:
      1.4

  - ### verify

    public void verify(PublicKey key, Provider sigProvider) throws CertificateException, NoSuchAlgorithmException, InvalidKeyException, SignatureException
    Verifies that this certificate was signed using the private key that corresponds to the specified public key. This method uses the signature verification engine supplied by the specified provider. Note that the specified Provider object does not have to be registered in the provider list. This method was added to version 1.8 of the Java Platform Standard Edition. In order to maintain backwards compatibility with existing service providers, this method is not `abstract` and it provides a default implementation.
    Overrides:
      `verify` in class `Certificate`
    Parameters:
      `key` - the PublicKey used to carry out the verification.
      `sigProvider` - the signature provider.
    Throws:
      `NoSuchAlgorithmException` - on unsupported signature algorithms.
      `InvalidKeyException` - on incorrect key.
      `SignatureException` - on signature errors.
      `CertificateException` - on encoding errors.
      `UnsupportedOperationException` - if the method is not supported
    Since:
      1.8