Creating a CSR (Certificate Signing Request)
A CSR or Certificate Signing Request is an encrypted identifier that is necessary in order to have a functioning SSL Certificate.
First, let's take a look at the information that a CSR contains. To generate one, you will need to have all of this information handy.
Information in a CSR
| Information | Explanation | Example |
| Common Name | The Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the site where you want to use your SSL Certificate. | yourcoolsite.com |
| Organization | The legal name of your organization. This should include Inc, Corp, or LLC, if applicable. | Awesome Company, Inc. |
| Department | The part of your organization that is responsible for managing and ordering the certificate. | IT Security Department |
| City/Locality | Your organization's location. | Perth |
| State/County/Region | Your organization's state or region. This should NOT be abbreviated. | Western Australia |
| Country | The two-letter ISO code for the country where you are located. | AU |
| Email address | An email contact for your organization. | janedoe@yourcoolsite.com |
| Public Key | The public key, used to encrypt the session key. | These are created automatically and do not require information input. |
How to Create a CSR
If you are applying for an SSL certificate that you want to use with a domain that is hosted with Crazy Domains, we will generate and submit the CSR for you. Choose your server type below for more information on creating a CSR if you are getting an SSL Certificate for a domain hosted with another company.
- Create a CSR on a Microsoft IIS 8 server
- Create a CSR on a Microsoft IIS 7 server
- Create a CSR on a Microsoft IIS 5/6 server
- Create a CSR on a Microsoft IIS 4 server
Microsoft IIS
How do I decode a CSR?
You can decode your CSR to see what is in it by using our CSR Decoder. In order to decode a CSR on your own machine using OpenSSL, use the following command:
openssl req -in server.csr -noout -text