.pemfiles are generally the public key, used by the client to verify and decrypt data sent by servers. PEMfiles could also be encoded private keys, so check the content if you're not sure.
PEM is a container file format often used to store cryptographic keys. It's used for many different things, as it simply defines the structure and encoding type of the file used to store a bit of data.
.pem files encode the binary keys and certificates in a portable and printable ASCII format before encryption. This Base64 encoded Format allows the keys and certificates to be transmitted easily over text-based mediums and systems across different platforms.
.pem - Defined in RFC 1422 (part of a series from 1421 through 1424) this is a container format that may include just the public certificate (such as with Apache installs, and CA certificate files /etc/ssl/certs), or may include an entire certificate chain including public key, private key, and root certificates.
SSL .pemfiles (concatenated certificate container files), are frequently required for certificate installations when multiple certificates are being imported as one file. This article contains multiple sets of instructions that walk through various .pemfile creation scenarios for certificate installation.
PEM (originally “Privacy Enhanced Mail”) file was initially invented to make e-mail secure. Now it is an Internet security standard. PEMfile is the most common format for X.509 certificates, CSRs, and cryptographic keys.
Privacy-Enhanced Mail (PEM) is a de facto file format for storing and sending cryptographic keys, certificates, and other data, based on a set of 1993 IETF standards defining "privacy-enhanced mail."
PEM, short for Privacy Enhanced Mail, is a file format essential in the world of digital security. It’s most commonly used for storing and sharing cryptographic keys and certificates, playing a key role in SSL/TLS certificates, which secure web connections.
What Is a PEM File? PEM stands for Privacy Enhanced Mail, and it’s a Base64-encoded format for storing and sharing cryptographic keys, SSL/TLS certificates, and certificate chains.
To understand .pemfiles, we first need to talk about Privacy Enhanced Mail (PEM). PEM was introduced in the early 1990s as an open standard for securing email. The goal was to provide encryption using public key cryptography, which was more secure than existing techniques like PGP.