How to Generate a CSR in Node.js

In this tutorial, we will show you how to generate a CSR in Node.js.

Just follow the steps below:

Step 1: Make sure you have the OpenSSL utility

To generate the CSR, we’re going to use the OpenSSL utility. Usually, it should be available on your server, but if it’s not, you can download OpenSSL.

Alternatively, you can get OpenSSL via the following commands:

sudo apt-get install openssl

sudo yum install openssl

Step 2: Start the CSR generation process

Run the following command:

openssl req -new -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes -keyout yourdomain.key -out yourdomain.csr

Replace yourdomain with the domain name you want to secure.

• Yourdomain.key is your private key
•  Yourdomain.csr is your CSR code

Step 3: Provide the required details

Next, provide the required details. Please fill in the fields below:

• Common name: specify the FQDN (fully qualified domain name) to which you want to assign your SSL Certificate (ex: ssldragon.com). If you bought a Wildcard Certificate, include an asterisk in front of the domain name (ex: *.ssldragon.com)
• City: enter the city where your business is officially registered (ex: San Jose)
• State: enter the state where your company is located (ex: California)
• Country: enter the two-letter country code of your organization (ex: US)
• Organization: type the official, full name of your organization (ex: GPI Holding LLC). For Domain Validation (DV) Certificates, type NA instead
• Organizational Unit: specify the unit responsible for SSL management (ex: IT or Web Administration). If you have a DV certificate, put it NA instead
• Email Address: this is an optional field. You can leave it blank
• Challenge Password: another optional field. We recommend leaving this field blank because the challenge password is an obsolete attribute

Your CSR Code is ready to use. By default, it resides in yourdomain.csr. You can open it with any text editor such as Notepad. When applying for your certificate, please include the full CSR text including the —-BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST—– and —–END CERTIFICATE REQUEST—– tags.

Along with the CSR, the OpenSSL utility will also create your private key (yourdomain.key). Save and store it in a safe place. You will need it during the SSL configuration.

After your CA validates the CSR and issues the SSL certificate, you can proceed to the Node.js SSL installation instructions.