> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.hosting.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Generating a private key and CSR from the command line

> Learn how to generate a private key and CSR from the command line so you can obtain an SSL certificate.

This article describes how to generate a private key and CSR (Certificate Signing Request) from the command line. You may need to do this if you want to obtain an SSL certificate for a system that does not include cPanel access, such as a dedicated server or unmanaged VPS.

<Warning>
  **Important**

  If your account includes cPanel or Plesk access, you do not have to follow the procedure below. Instead, you can use the SSL/TLS Manager in cPanel or the SSL/TLS Certificates tool in Plesk to generate a private key and CSR.
</Warning>

## Generating a private key and CSR

To generate a private key and CSR from the command line, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your account [using SSH](/docs/using-ssh-secure-shell).

2. At the command prompt, type the following command:

   ```bash theme={null}
   openssl req -new -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes -keyout server.key -out server.csr
   ```

   > 📘 Note
   >
   > This command creates a private key file named *server.key* and a CSR named *server.csr*. You can change these filenames to anything you want.

3. At the **Country Name** prompt, type the two-letter country code for your location, and then press Enter.

   > 🚧 Important
   >
   > Make sure you use the correct two-letter country code (for example, US or FR). For a complete list of these codes, please visit [https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#search/code/](https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#search/code/) .

4. At the **State or Province Name** prompt, type the appropriate response for your location, and then press Enter.

5. At the **Locality Name** prompt, type the town or city name for your location, and then press Enter.

6. At the **Organization Name** prompt, type your company or organization name, and then press Enter.

7. At the **Organizational Unit Name** prompt, type the appropriate response for your organization, and then press Enter. Alternatively, to leave this field blank, just press Enter.

8. At the **Common Name** prompt, type the domain name that you want to secure with the SSL certificate, and then press Enter.

   > 📘 Note
   >
   > The common name is often simply your domain name, such as *example.com*. Or, if you are going to install an SSL certificate for a subdomain, *subdomain.example.com*. However, if you are going to install a wildcard certificate, make sure that you use *\*.example.com*, where *example.com* represents your domain name.

9. At the **Email Address** prompt, type the e-mail address that you want to associate with the certificate, and then press Enter.

10. At the **Challenge password** prompt, press Enter.

11. At the **Optional company name** prompt, press Enter.

12. OpenSSL generates the private key and CSR files. If you typed the command in step 2 exactly as shown, the files are named *server.key* and *server.csr*. You can now send the text in the *server.csr* file to the signing authority to obtain your certificate. (Do **not** send the information in your private key!)

    > 👍 Tip
    >
    > You can view and verify the information contained in the CSR. To do this, type the following command:
    >
    > ```bash theme={null}
    > openssl req -noout -text -in server.csr
    > ```