SSL certificates (otherwise known as X.509 certificates) are digital identification documents that allow SSL-enabled servers (e.g. FTPS, HTTPS, etc.) and clients to authenticate each other. A certificate can be thought of as the digital equivalent of a passport.
A certificate will contain information about the entity (organization) which the certificate represents, including the following details:
The name of the entity which signed/issued the certificate, otherwise known as the Issuer.
The expiration date of the certificate.
The
Public key
of the entity which the certificate represents.
The
digital signature
of the Issuer. This signature is created using the Issuer’s