The end off all your self-signed certificate woes (in node.js at least)

This is an easy-as-git-clone example that will get you on your way without any DEPTH_ZERO_SELF_SIGNED_CERT or SSL certificate problem: Invalid certificate chain headaches.

See the explanation for the many details.

Also, you may be interested in coolaj86/nodejs-ssl-trusted-peer-example.

An example that works.

example
├── make-root-ca-and-certificates.sh
├── package.json
├── serve.js
└── request-without-warnings.js

git clone [email protected]:coolaj86/nodejs-self-signed-certificate-example.git
pushd nodejs-self-signed-certificate-example
npm install

For the super impatient:

bash test.sh

local.ldsconnect.org points to localhost, so it's ideal for your first test.

bash make-root-ca-and-certificates.sh 'local.ldsconnect.org'

certs/
├── ca
│   ├── my-root-ca.crt.pem
│   ├── my-root-ca.key.pem
│   └── my-root-ca.srl
├── client
│   ├── my-root-ca.crt.pem
│   └── my-server.pub
├── server
│   ├── my-root-ca.crt.pem
│   ├── my-server.crt.pem
│   └── my-server.key.pem
└── tmp
    └── my-server.csr.pem

node ./serve.js 8043 &
# use `fg` and `ctrl+c` to kill

Test (warning free) in node.js

node ./request-without-warnings.js 8043

Test (warning free) with cURL

curl -v https://local.ldsconnect.org \
  --cacert client/my-root-ca.crt.pem

Visit in a web browser

https://local.ldsconnect.org

To get rid of the warnings, simply add the certificate in the client folder to your list of certificates by alt-clicking "Open With => Keychain Access" on my-root-ca.crt.pem

You do have to set Always Trust a few times as explained by Rob Peck.

You can poke around in the files for generating the certificates, but all you really have to do is replace local.ldsconnect.org with your very own domain name.

Who's the man behind the curtain you ask?

Well... I lied. This demo doesn't use self-signed certificates (not in the server at least). It uses a self-signed Root CA and a signed certificate.

It turns out that self-signed certificates were designed to be used by the Root Certificate Authorities, not by web servers.

So instead of trying to work through eleventeen brazillion errors about self-signed certs, you can just create an authority and then add the authority to your chain (viola, now it's trusted).

Zero-Config clone 'n' run (tm) Repos:

• io.js / node.js HTTPS SSL Example
• io.js / node.js HTTPS SSL Self-Signed Certificate Example
• io.js / node.js HTTPS SSL Trusted Peer Client Certificate Example
• SSL Root CAs

Articles

• [http://greengeckodesign.com/blog/2013/06/15/creating-an-ssl-certificate-for-node-dot-js/](Creating an SSL Certificate for node.js)
• [http://www.hacksparrow.com/express-js-https-server-client-example.html/comment-page-1](HTTPS Trusted Peer Example)
• How to Create a CSR for HTTPS SSL (demo with name.com, node.js)
• coolaj86/Painless-Self-Signed-Certificates-in-node