Creating PKCS12 Files

PKCS #12 is a format for storing multiple cryptography objects in a single archive file. You can store arbitrarily complex objects within a PKCS #12 archive, but the most common use is to store a single private key and its certificate chain. Create a PKCS12 file from PEM files:

openssl pkcs12 -export -in ssl_cert.pem -inkey key.pem -certfile bundle.crt -name "*.example.com" -out example.com.p12

Depending on the product you’re working with, the documentation may call for a .pfx file instead of a .p12 file. PFX is an older format that was a predecessor to PKCS #12. In most modern systems, A PFX FILE AND A P12 FILE ARE EXACTLY THE SAME THING! You can just change the extension if needed and that will generally work. For example, the docs for ESET Security Management Center call for a pfx file, but a PKCS12 file will work just fine.