--- title: "Creating a private/public key pair for Tiny Cloud" description: "Instructions on how to generate private/public key pairs for the Tiny Cloud" canonical_url: "https://www.tiny.cloud/docs/tinymce/latest/generate-rsa-key-pairs/" md_url: "https://www.tiny.cloud/docs/tinymce/6/generate-rsa-key-pairs/index.md" version: "6" last_updated: "2022-03-31T00:32:33Z" tokens: 1557 --- Important This page documents TinyMCE 6. For new projects, Tiny recommends using the latest, most up-to-date version. [See TinyMCE 8 documentation](../../latest/generate-rsa-key-pairs/). # Creating a private/public key pair for Tiny Cloud The procedure for creating a key pair depends on the operating system of the host machine. - [Linux procedure](#linux). - [Apple macOS procedure](#apple-macos). - [Microsoft Windows procedure](#microsoft-windows). ## Linux To create a private/public key pair on a Linux operating system: 1. [Install OpenSSL](#installing-openssl-on-linux). 2. [Create a private/public key pair](#create-a-private-public-key-pair-on-linux). 3. [Retrieve the public key](#retrieve-the-public-key-on-linux). ### Installing OpenSSL on Linux The procedure for installing OpenSSL on Linux distributions varies. The installation commands for common Linux distributions have been provided here. #### Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 or CentOS 7 On a command line, run the following commands to install OpenSSL on: - Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 or 7. - CentOS 6 or 7. ```sh sudo yum check-update sudo yum install openssl ``` #### Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8+, Fedora, or CentOS 8+ On a command line, run the following commands to install OpenSSL on: - Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 or later. - CentOS 8 or later. - Fedora 18 or later. ```sh sudo dnf check-update sudo dnf install openssl ``` #### Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or other Debian-based distributions On a command line, run the following commands to install OpenSSL on Debian-based operating systems (such as: Debian, Ubuntu, and Linux Mint). ```sh sudo apt update sudo apt install openssl ``` #### SUSE Linux Enterprise Server or openSUSE On a command line, run the following commands to install OpenSSL on openSUSE-based operating systems (such as: openSUSE and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server). ```sh sudo zypper refresh sudo zypper install openssl ``` ### Create a private/public key pair on Linux To create a private/public key pair: 1. On a command line, run: ```sh ssh-keygen -m PEM -t rsa -b 2048 -f ``` Where `` should be replaced with a name for the key pair. 2. (Optional) Enter a passphrase for accessing the private key. > **Important:** Some libraries used for generating JWTs do not support private keys encrypted with a passphrase. When passphrases are not supported, leave the passphrase blank or include `-N ""` option for the `ssh-keygen` command. Two files will be created in the current directory: - `` - The private key. - `.pub` - The public key. ### Retrieve the public key on Linux To retrieve the public key, on a command line, run: ```sh openssl rsa -in -outform DER -pubout | base64 -w0 ``` The public key for the `` key pair will be printed on the command line with base64 encoding. ## Apple macOS To create a private/public key pair on a macOS operating system: 1. [Create a private/public key pair](#create-a-private-public-key-pair-on-macos). 2. [Retrieve the public key](#retrieve-the-public-key-on-macos). ### Create a private/public key pair on macOS To create a private/public key pair: 1. Using **Finder**, open a **Terminal**. 2. On a terminal, run: ```sh ssh-keygen -m PEM -t rsa -b 2048 -f ``` Where `` should be replaced with a name for the key pair. 3. (Optional) Enter a passphrase for accessing the private key. > **Important:** Some libraries used for generating JWTs do not support private keys encrypted with a passphrase. When passphrases are not supported, leave the passphrase blank or include `-N ""` option for the `ssh-keygen` command. Two files will be created in the current directory: - `` - The private key. - `.pub` - The public key. ### Retrieve the public key on macOS To retrieve the public key, on a terminal, run: ```sh openssl rsa -in -outform DER -pubout | base64 - ``` The public key for the `` key pair will be printed on the terminal with base64 encoding. ## Microsoft Windows To create a private/public key pair on a Microsoft Windows operating system: 1. [Install OpenSSL](#installing-openssl-on-microsoft-windows). 2. [Create a private/public key pair](#create-a-private-public-key-pair-on-windows). 3. [Retrieve the public key](#retrieve-the-public-key-on-windows). ### Installing OpenSSL on Microsoft Windows To install OpenSSL with *Git for Windows*: 1. Download the *Windows* package from [the Git Downloads page](https://git-scm.com/downloads). 2. Open the downloaded file `Git---bit.exe`, where `` is the latest version of *Git for Windows* and `` is the architecture, such as *32-bit* or *64-bit*. 3. Click **Next** on the *Information* and *Select Destination Location* screens. 4. Select **Check daily for Git for Windows updates** on the *Select Components* screen, then click **Next**. 5. Click **Next** on the remaining screens to accept the default settings. 6. Once the installation is complete, click **Finish**. ### Create a private/public key pair on Windows To create a private/public key pair: 1. Open the **Start** menu (or *Windows* menu) and open **Git Bash**. 2. On the *Git bash* command line, run: ```sh ssh-keygen -m PEM -t rsa -b 2048 -f ``` Where `` should be replaced with a name for the key pair. 3. (Optional) Enter a passphrase for accessing the private key. > **Important:** Some libraries used for generating JWTs do not support private keys encrypted with a passphrase. When passphrases are not supported, leave the passphrase blank or include `-N ""` option for the `ssh-keygen` command. Two files will be created in the current directory: - `` - The private key. - `.pub` - The public key. ### Retrieve the public key on Windows To retrieve the public key, on a *Git bash* command line, run: ```sh openssl rsa -in -outform DER -pubout | base64 -w0 ``` The public key for the `` key pair will be printed on the command line with base64 encoding.