Java SSL Certificate

This post is meant to remind me on how to implement SSL certificates within Java. It was definitely a learning experience digging into trust stores and keystores.

Installation of client certificates in a Java client environment

This section describes the steps required to install the provided certificates in a Java client environment. In general you will create a new Java keystore and truststore using the files and password we have provided. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Make sure you have access to a Java 6 installation. You only need this for the keytool utility. The files you create with Java 6 are fully compatible with Java 5 but the keytool utility in Java 5 does not support importing PKCS #12 files.
2. Import the PKCS #12 file provided into a new keystore by issuing the following command: (Use the CLEAR Administrator provided password for all password prompts)
keytool -importkeystore -v -srckeystore clientcert.p12 -srcstoretype PKCS12 –keystore newstore.ks
3. Next create a truststore that includes the CA certificate: (You can select you own password)
keytool -import -v -keystore newtrust.ks -file cacertfile.pem

4. Finally use the Java system properties when running your client to ensure that the proper certificate is selected during SSL negotiation. The properties are:
-Djavax.net.ssl.keyStore=newstore.ks \
-Djavax.net.ssl.keyStorePassword= \
-Djavax.net.ssl.trustStore=newtrust.ks \
-Djavax.net.ssl.trustStorePassword=

For keytool commands, I referred to this site: http://www.sslshopper.com/article-most-common-java-keytool-keystore-commands.html

A good site for troubleshooting is: http://confluence.atlassian.com/display/JIRA/Connecting+to+SSL+services

I ended up using the SSLPoke.java file on the atlassian site to help troubleshoot the SSL connection. This really helped understand connection issues.

Sample code within Palantir

Within Palantir, I was able to use the following code to successfully connect to the SSL endpoint.

			String string = "";
			StringBuffer sb = new StringBuffer();
			sb.append("");
			String strGetURL = strURL;
			try {
		        KeyManagerFactory keyManagerFactory = KeyManagerFactory.getInstance(KeyManagerFactory.getDefaultAlgorithm());
		        KeyStore keyStore = KeyStore.getInstance(KeyStore.getDefaultType());
		        InputStream keyInput = this.getClass().getResourceAsStream("/newstore.ks");
		        keyStore.load(keyInput, "certificatepwd".toCharArray());
		        keyInput.close();
		        keyManagerFactory.init(keyStore, "certificatepwd".toCharArray());

		        TrustManagerFactory trustManagerFactory = TrustManagerFactory.getInstance(TrustManagerFactory.getDefaultAlgorithm());
		        KeyStore trustStore = KeyStore.getInstance(KeyStore.getDefaultType());
		        InputStream trustInput = this.getClass().getResourceAsStream("/newtrust.ks");
		        trustStore.load(trustInput, "certificatepwd".toCharArray());
		        trustInput.close();
		        trustManagerFactory.init(trustStore);

		        SSLContext sct = SSLContext.getInstance("SSL");
		        sct.init(keyManagerFactory.getKeyManagers(), trustManagerFactory.getTrustManagers(), new SecureRandom());
		        SSLContext.setDefault(sct);
		        
		        SSLSocketFactory sslsocketfactory = sct.getSocketFactory();
//		        SSLSocket socket = (SSLSocket)factory.createSocket(host, port);

		        
//		        SSLSocketFactory sslsocketfactory = (SSLSocketFactory) SSLSocketFactory.getDefault();				
				String username="username:password";
				String encoding = new sun.misc.BASE64Encoder().encode (username.getBytes());
				
				URL url = new URL(strGetURL);

				HttpsURLConnection conn = (HttpsURLConnection)url.openConnection();
				conn.setRequestProperty ("Authorization", "Basic " + encoding);
				conn.setRequestProperty ( "Content-Type", "application/xml" );
				conn.setRequestMethod("GET"); 
				conn.setDoOutput(true);
				conn.setSSLSocketFactory(sslsocketfactory);

				InputStream inputstream = conn.getInputStream();
				InputStreamReader inputstreamreader = new InputStreamReader(inputstream);
				BufferedReader bufferedreader = new BufferedReader(inputstreamreader);

				string = null;
				while ((string = bufferedreader.readLine()) != null) {
//					System.out.println("Received " + string);
					sb.append(string);
				}
			} catch (Exception exception) {
				exception.printStackTrace();
			}
			return sb.toString();
		}	
 

As I mentioned earlier, this is mostly for my usage for future deployments. If someone else finds it useful, I’m glad that you were helped.