Use this free online CSR generator to create a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) and private key for your SSL certificate in seconds. No OpenSSL, no command line, no account. It is the fastest CSR tool for any web server.
A CSR is a PKCS #10 encoded block that contains your public key and your organization’s details, which a Certificate Authority uses to issue your certificate.
Generate a CSR for SSL Certificates
Fill in the fields below and click Generate CSR. Your certificate signing request and private key appear on this page, ready to copy or download.
What goes in each field
- Common Name. The exact fully qualified domain name you are securing, such as www.example.com. For a wildcard certificate, enter *.example.com. It has to match the hostname visitors type into the address bar.
- Organization. Your legal entity name as registered. Certificate Authorities check this against public records before issuing an OV or EV certificate, so it must match your registration documents.
- Organizational Unit. Optional, and best left blank. Most Certificate Authorities stopped accepting this field in August 2022.
- Locality and State. Write both out in full. California, not CA. Abbreviated values are one of the most common reasons a CA rejects a CSR.
- Country. The two-letter ISO code for the country where your organization is registered.
- Email. Optional.
What your CSR contains
Your CSR holds three things: your public key, your subject Distinguished Name (the fields above), and a signature made with the matching private key. That signature is called proof of possession. It shows the Certificate Authority that whoever sent the request holds the private key the certificate will be bound to.
Why Use This Free Online CSR Generator
- Free, with no account and no registration.
- No OpenSSL and no command line. It runs in any browser, on any operating system.
- The CSR and the matching private key are generated together, so the pair always matches.
- The output works with any web server that accepts a PKCS #10 request, including Apache, nginx, IIS, Tomcat and cPanel.
- Both files appear on this page, ready to copy or download.
Where your key is generated. The CSR and private key are created on SSL Dragon’s servers and sent to your browser over an encrypted connection. They are not generated inside your browser.
How the Certificate Signing Request Generator Works
A certificate signing request contains the public half of your key pair, together with the subject details that identify you.
It is structured according to PKCS #10, the certification request syntax defined in RFC 2986.
The request is signed with your private key. That signature is called proof of possession, and it tells the Certificate Authority that whoever submitted the request holds the private key matching the public key inside it.
You submit the CSR to a Certificate Authority. The CA validates the details, then issues an X.509 certificate binding your public key to the name in the Common Name field.
The CSR is delivered as Base64 text between two delimiter lines:
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----MIICvDCCAaQCAQAwdzELMAkGA1UEBhMCVVMxDTALBgNVBAgMBFV0YWgxDzANBgNVBAcMBkxpbmRvbjEWMBQGA1UECgwNRGlnaUNlcnQgSW5jLjERMA8GA1UECwwIRGln-----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----That encoding is called PEM. Paste the whole block into your certificate order, including both delimiter lines.
Your private key is never part of the CSR and never goes to the Certificate Authority. Keep it on the server that will use the certificate. Without it, an issued certificate cannot be installed.
The Common Name has to match the hostname you are securing. A certificate issued for example.com will not validate on www.example.com unless that name is covered too.
What to Do After You Generate Your CSR
Copy the CSR block and paste it into your certificate order. Save the private key on the server that will host the certificate, and keep a backup somewhere safe. No Certificate Authority can recover a lost private key.
Check your CSR before you submit it. Our CSR Decoder reads the request back and shows exactly which values it carries, so you can catch a typo before the CA does.
Prefer the command line? Our OpenSSL guides and per-platform CSR instructions cover Apache, nginx, IIS, cPanel and dozens of other systems.
Once your certificate is issued, follow the installation guide for your server.
Code signing certificates
This tool does not generate CSRs for code signing certificates. Since 1 June 2023, code signing private keys have to be generated and stored on certified hardware, so the key cannot be created in software. See code signing certificate delivery methods for how those orders work.
What’s next?
We will send you the CSR code and the Private Key by email, for backup purposes. Make sure you save your CSR and Private Key, as you will need the CSR when ordering an SSL Certificate and the Private Key when you install the SSL Certificate on your website and server.
When ordering the SSL certificate, you will fill out a form with your personal and company information and add your CSR code.
Generating the request on your own server instead? We publish step-by-step CSR guides for every server platform: Apache, IIS, cPanel, NetScaler, and 70 more. And if you are not sure what the request actually contains, start with what a certificate signing request is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I generate a CSR and private key online?
Yes. This tool generates both and displays them on this page. Your key pair is created on SSL Dragon’s servers and delivered to your browser, so save both files right away and move the private key onto the server that will use it. If you need the key created on your own machine instead, generate the CSR locally with OpenSSL. Your private key should never be sent to a Certificate Authority.
Copy Link
Is this CSR generator free to use?
Yes. This is a free CSR generator with no account, no registration and no cap on how many requests you generate. You do not have to buy a certificate from SSL Dragon to use it, and the CSR works with any Certificate Authority.
Copy Link
Can I create a CSR online without OpenSSL?
Yes. That is what this CSR generator is for. OpenSSL is the standard command-line way to create a certificate signing request, but it means installing the toolkit and getting the syntax right. This form does the same job in a browser. If you would rather work in a terminal, our OpenSSL guides cover the commands.
Copy Link
What if I put wrong information in the CSR?
Generate a new one. A CSR costs nothing and records nothing, so there is no penalty for discarding it. If you have already placed your order, most Certificate Authorities let you swap in a replacement CSR before validation finishes. After the certificate is issued, a wrong Common Name or Organization means a reissue, which most CAs provide free.
Copy Link
How long does it take to generate a CSR?
A few seconds. The request is built as soon as you submit the form and appears on this page. What takes time is validating the certificate itself, which happens after you place your order. Domain validated certificates are usually issued within minutes, while organization and extended validation can take several days.
Copy Link
How can I check what information my CSR contains?
Run it through our CSR Decoder. Decoding is not decryption: a CSR is not encrypted, it is Base64-encoded structured data, and the decoder parses that structure and prints the fields in readable form. Paste your CSR block in and you will see the Common Name, Organization, Country and key details exactly as the Certificate Authority will read them.
Copy Link
What if I lost my CSR or Private Key?
In order to prevent the situation when you lose your CSR code and Private Key, we automatically send them to the email which you provided when using the SSL CSR Generator from above. Please check your email, and look for a message from SSL Dragon ([email protected]).
However, if you lost or cannot find the email message from us, and you did not save a copy of your CSR code and Private Key, then you will not be able to apply for an SSL Certificate, and you will not be able to install your SSL Certificate on your website and server. But, that is easy to solve by generating a new CSR code and a new Private Key by using the SSL CSR Generator from above.
Copy Link
Related SSL tools
SSL Converter
Convert your SSL/TLS certificate between PEM, DER, PFX, and P7B entirely in your browser. Switch formats in a few clicks so the certificate installs cleanly on whatever server or platform expects a different one.
CSR Decoder
Decipher the information included in your Certificate Signing Request. It’s the opposite process of CSR creation which enables you to see the details you filled in your SSL Certificate request.
Certificate Key Matcher
Check whether your SSL certificate, private key, and CSR come from the same key pair. Everything runs in your browser, so your private key never leaves your device.
SSL Checker
Verify your SSL certificate’s validity, installation, and security configuration instantly. Test encryption strength, expiration dates, and detects common issues to ensure your website remains secure and trusted by visitors.