C# Export Private/Public RSA key from RSACryptoServiceProvider to PEM string
Please note: The code below is for exporting a private key. If you are looking to export the public key, please refer to my answer given here.
The PEM format is simply the ASN.1 DER encoding of the key (per PKCS#1) converted to Base64. Given the limited number of fields needed to represent the key, it's pretty straightforward to create quick-and-dirty DER encoder to output the appropriate format then Base64 encode it. As such, the code that follows is not particularly elegant, but does the job:
private static void ExportPrivateKey(RSACryptoServiceProvider csp, TextWriter outputStream)
{
if (csp.PublicOnly) throw new ArgumentException("CSP does not contain a private key", "csp");
var parameters = csp.ExportParameters(true);
using (var stream = new MemoryStream())
{
var writer = new BinaryWriter(stream);
writer.Write((byte)0x30); // SEQUENCE
using (var innerStream = new MemoryStream())
{
var innerWriter = new BinaryWriter(innerStream);
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, new byte[] { 0x00 }); // Version
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, parameters.Modulus);
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, parameters.Exponent);
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, parameters.D);
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, parameters.P);
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, parameters.Q);
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, parameters.DP);
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, parameters.DQ);
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, parameters.InverseQ);
var length = (int)innerStream.Length;
EncodeLength(writer, length);
writer.Write(innerStream.GetBuffer(), 0, length);
}
var base64 = Convert.ToBase64String(stream.GetBuffer(), 0, (int)stream.Length).ToCharArray();
outputStream.WriteLine("-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----");
// Output as Base64 with lines chopped at 64 characters
for (var i = 0; i < base64.Length; i += 64)
{
outputStream.WriteLine(base64, i, Math.Min(64, base64.Length - i));
}
outputStream.WriteLine("-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----");
}
}
private static void EncodeLength(BinaryWriter stream, int length)
{
if (length < 0) throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException("length", "Length must be non-negative");
if (length < 0x80)
{
// Short form
stream.Write((byte)length);
}
else
{
// Long form
var temp = length;
var bytesRequired = 0;
while (temp > 0)
{
temp >>= 8;
bytesRequired++;
}
stream.Write((byte)(bytesRequired | 0x80));
for (var i = bytesRequired - 1; i >= 0; i--)
{
stream.Write((byte)(length >> (8 * i) & 0xff));
}
}
}
private static void EncodeIntegerBigEndian(BinaryWriter stream, byte[] value, bool forceUnsigned = true)
{
stream.Write((byte)0x02); // INTEGER
var prefixZeros = 0;
for (var i = 0; i < value.Length; i++)
{
if (value[i] != 0) break;
prefixZeros++;
}
if (value.Length - prefixZeros == 0)
{
EncodeLength(stream, 1);
stream.Write((byte)0);
}
else
{
if (forceUnsigned && value[prefixZeros] > 0x7f)
{
// Add a prefix zero to force unsigned if the MSB is 1
EncodeLength(stream, value.Length - prefixZeros + 1);
stream.Write((byte)0);
}
else
{
EncodeLength(stream, value.Length - prefixZeros);
}
for (var i = prefixZeros; i < value.Length; i++)
{
stream.Write(value[i]);
}
}
}
For exporting PublicKey
use this code:
public static String ExportPublicKeyToPEMFormat(RSACryptoServiceProvider csp)
{
TextWriter outputStream = new StringWriter();
var parameters = csp.ExportParameters(false);
using (var stream = new MemoryStream())
{
var writer = new BinaryWriter(stream);
writer.Write((byte)0x30); // SEQUENCE
using (var innerStream = new MemoryStream())
{
var innerWriter = new BinaryWriter(innerStream);
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, new byte[] { 0x00 }); // Version
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, parameters.Modulus);
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, parameters.Exponent);
//All Parameter Must Have Value so Set Other Parameter Value Whit Invalid Data (for keeping Key Structure use "parameters.Exponent" value for invalid data)
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, parameters.Exponent); // instead of parameters.D
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, parameters.Exponent); // instead of parameters.P
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, parameters.Exponent); // instead of parameters.Q
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, parameters.Exponent); // instead of parameters.DP
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, parameters.Exponent); // instead of parameters.DQ
EncodeIntegerBigEndian(innerWriter, parameters.Exponent); // instead of parameters.InverseQ
var length = (int)innerStream.Length;
EncodeLength(writer, length);
writer.Write(innerStream.GetBuffer(), 0, length);
}
var base64 = Convert.ToBase64String(stream.GetBuffer(), 0, (int)stream.Length).ToCharArray();
outputStream.WriteLine("-----BEGIN PUBLIC KEY-----");
// Output as Base64 with lines chopped at 64 characters
for (var i = 0; i < base64.Length; i += 64)
{
outputStream.WriteLine(base64, i, Math.Min(64, base64.Length - i));
}
outputStream.WriteLine("-----END PUBLIC KEY-----");
return outputStream.ToString();
}
}
private static void EncodeIntegerBigEndian(BinaryWriter stream, byte[] value, bool forceUnsigned = true)
{
stream.Write((byte)0x02); // INTEGER
var prefixZeros = 0;
for (var i = 0; i < value.Length; i++)
{
if (value[i] != 0) break;
prefixZeros++;
}
if (value.Length - prefixZeros == 0)
{
EncodeLength(stream, 1);
stream.Write((byte)0);
}
else
{
if (forceUnsigned && value[prefixZeros] > 0x7f)
{
// Add a prefix zero to force unsigned if the MSB is 1
EncodeLength(stream, value.Length - prefixZeros + 1);
stream.Write((byte)0);
}
else
{
EncodeLength(stream, value.Length - prefixZeros);
}
for (var i = prefixZeros; i < value.Length; i++)
{
stream.Write(value[i]);
}
}
}
private static void EncodeLength(BinaryWriter stream, int length)
{
if (length < 0) throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException("length", "Length must be non-negative");
if (length < 0x80)
{
// Short form
stream.Write((byte)length);
}
else
{
// Long form
var temp = length;
var bytesRequired = 0;
while (temp > 0)
{
temp >>= 8;
bytesRequired++;
}
stream.Write((byte)(bytesRequired | 0x80));
for (var i = bytesRequired - 1; i >= 0; i--)
{
stream.Write((byte)(length >> (8 * i) & 0xff));
}
}
}
If you're using .NET Core 3.0 and you don't need the Windows platform dependent RSACryptoServiceProvider
this is already implemented out of the box
public string ExportPrivateKey(RSA rsa)
{
var privateKeyBytes = rsa.ExportRSAPrivateKey();
var builder = new StringBuilder("-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY");
builder.AppendLine("-----");
var base64PrivateKeyString = Convert.ToBase64String(privateKeyBytes);
var offset = 0;
const int LINE_LENGTH = 64;
while (offset < base64PrivateKeyString.Length)
{
var lineEnd = Math.Min(offset + LINE_LENGTH, base64PrivateKeyString.Length);
builder.AppendLine(base64PrivateKeyString.Substring(offset, lineEnd - offset));
offset = lineEnd;
}
builder.Append("-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY");
builder.AppendLine("-----");
return builder.ToString();
}
Note: In .NET Core you wouldn't use RSACryptoServiceProvider
as it's more Windows specific.