genkey

Genkey is a generic term for tools and routines that create cryptographic key material. It denotes the process of generating a private/public key pair used in asymmetric cryptography and may refer to a command-line utility named genkey or to any function within a cryptography library that performs key generation. Implementations labeled genkey commonly support multiple algorithms such as RSA, DSA, ECDSA, and Ed25519, and produce keys in common formats like PEM or DER. Private keys are typically protected by a passphrase when the tool supports it.

A typical genkey workflow involves selecting an algorithm and a key size or curve, initializing a secure source of randomness, generating the key material, and writing the private and public keys to files or memory. Some implementations may also create accompanying material such as a certificate signing request or a certificate, depending on the intended use and workflow.

Applications for genkey include provisioning credentials for SSH authentication, TLS/SSL certificates, code signing, and email encryption (PGP/GPG). It is also used within automated build and provisioning pipelines to generate identity material for servers and devices.

Security considerations are central to genkey use. Key generation should occur on trusted hardware or systems with a strong entropy source. Private keys should be protected with strong passphrases where supported, filesystem permissions should be restricted, and keys should be backed up securely. Regular key rotation and revocation of compromised keys are important practices.

See also: public-key cryptography, key management, SSH keys, TLS, PGP.