Parse.com: CSR Creation with OpenSSL & SSL Certificate Installation

Before you can allow users to access your custom domain over HTTPS without receiving browser warnings, you must first create a certificate signing request (CSR), order a SSL Certificate, and then install the certificate.

Use the instructions on this page to create your certificate signing request (CSR) and then to install your SSL Certificate.

To create your CSR, see Parse PHP SDK: Using OpenSSL to Create Your CSR (Certificate Signing Request).
To install your .pem formatted SSL Certificate file, see Parse PHP SDK: Install Your SSL Certificate.

1. Parse PHP SDK: Using OpenSSL to Create Your CSR (Certificate Signing Request)

Parse.com: Creating your CSR Using OpenSSL

We recommend that you save yourself some time and use the DigiCert OpenSSL CSR Wizard to create your Parse.com CSR. It’s as easy as filling in the certificate details, clicking Generate, and pasting your customized OpenSSL command into your into your terminal.

Preview of OpenSSL CSR Wizard

If you have any questions or would like help with your installation, feel free to chat with an SSL expert - they are ready to help, regardless of where you purchased your SSL certificate.

How to Generate a CSR Using OpenSSL

If you prefer, you can build your own shell commands to generate your Parse.com certificate signing request (CSR).

Login to your server via your terminal client (ssh).
At the prompt, enter the following command, making sure to replace server with the name of your server:

openssl req –new –newkey rsa:2048 –nodes –keyout server.key –out server.csr
This starts the process for generating two files:
- The Private-Key file for the decryption of your SSL Certificate.
- A Certificate Signing Request (CSR) file, used to apply for your SSL Certificate.
When you are prompted for the Common Name (domain name), enter the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for the site that you are securing.

Note: If you are generating a Parse.com CSR for a DigiCert® Wildcard Plus™ Certificate, your common name should begin with an asterisk (i.e. *.example.com).
When you are prompted, enter your organizational information beginning with your geographic information.

Note: You may have default information set already.

This creates your OpenSSL .csr file.
Open the .csr file with a text editor.
Then, copy the text, including the -----BEGIN NEW CERTIFICATE REQUEST----- and -----END NEW CERTIFICATE REQUEST----- tags, and enter it into the DigiCert order form.

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Save (back up) the generated .key file. You need it later for your SSL Certificate installation.
After you receive your SSL Certificate from DigiCert, you can install it.

2. Parse PHP SDK: Install Your SSL Certificate

Use these instructions to install your SSL Certificate for Parse.com.

If you have not yet created a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) and ordered your certificate, see Parse PHP SDK: Using OpenSSL to Create Your CSR (Certificate Signing Request).

Parse.com: How to Install Your SSL Certificate

The Parse.com SSL Certificate installation process consists of two steps:

Creating a .pem file with the entire SSL Certificate trust chain (SSL, Intermediate, and Root Certificates).

See How to Create a .pem File with the Entire SSL Certificate Trust Chain.
Installing your .pem formatted SSL Certificate.

See How to Install Your .pem Formatted SSL Certificate File.

How to Create a .pem File with the Entire SSL Certificate Trust Chain

Log into your DigiCert Management Console and download your Intermediate (DigiCertCA.crt), Root (TrustedRoot.crt), and Primary Certificates (your_domain_name.crt) to the server or workstation where you created the CSR.
Open a text editor (such as WordPad) and paste the entire body of each certificate into one text file in the following order:
1. The Primary Certificate - your_domain_name.crt
2. The Intermediate Certificate - DigiCertCA.crt
3. The Root Certificate - TrustedRoot.crt
Make sure to include the beginning and end tags on each certificate. The result should look like this:

-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
(Your Primary SSL certificate: your_domain_name.crt)
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
(Your Intermediate certificate: DigiCertCA.crt)
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
(Your Root certificate: TrustedRoot.crt)
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
Save the combined file as your_domain_name.pem.

The .pem file is now ready to use.

How to Install Your .pem Formatted SSL Certificate File

Open the ParseApp dashboard and click settings (gear symbol).
On the Dashboard, in the menu options, click Web hosting.
In the Web hosting section, in the ParseApp Name box, enter your ParseApp name (i.e. [NAME].parseapp.com).
In the Host Name box, enter your host name (i.e. [appname].yourdomain.com)

Note: Make sure that the host name resolves to your ParseApp name.
In the SSL Public Certificate section, click Select our public cert to browse for, select, and upload your SSL Certificate .pem formatted file, which contains your SSL Certificate, the Intermediate Certificate, the Root Certificate.

You should receive the “Public cert uploaded” message.
In the SSL Private Key section, click Select our private key to browse for, select, and upload your .key file.

You should receive the “Private key uploaded” message.
You have successfully installed your Parse.com SSL Certificate.

Note: Changes take about 30 minutes to take place.